Amerika: The Man Who Disappeared (Penguin Modern Classics) by Franz Kafka (EPUB)

Description

Karl Rossman has been banished by his parents to America, following a family scandal. There, with unquenchable optimism, he throws himself into the strange experiences that lie before him as he slowly makes his way into the interior of the great continent. Although Kafka’s first novel (begun in 1911 and never finished), can be read as a menacing allegory of modern life, it is also infused with a quite un-Kafkaesque blitheness and sunniness, brought to life in this lyrical translation that returns to the original manuscript of the book.

User’s Reviews

Reviews from Amazon users which were colected at the time this book was published on the website:

⭐Considering that Kafka never visited America, this book provides a very descriptive scenario of what it was like during the twentieth century; from the social classes to the humanistic senses. Kafka was able to capture in his writings, what America felt like taking it inn for the first time as an immigrant. The luxuries cities, with its advanced technological capacities such as: sky scrapers, elevators….etc. Never the less some irony’s comes into play through the development of Amerika’s characters, by finding ways to deceive the “poor and innocent Karl Rossmann” (main character) such mood tends to be the main feeling of the plot throughout the book. Kafka did an excellent job with his main character, by giving us (the audience) feelings of pity, for the misfortunate and misfit teenager Karl Rossmann, who never finds a peaceful nor happy place to be. Amerika’s plot, can still be related to the perceptions some immigrants have (including myself) when first arriving to the U.S. The sophistication and technologies observable in the major cities, along with the notion of a new start or better opportunities, is one of the main reasons why people all over the world still immigrate to the U.S. In addition, one can easily associate Karl’s naiveté’s; with those people who are first confronted with the American culture, best defined as “cultural shock”. I enjoyed reading Amerika because it offers a simple, and to the point wording, making it artless to understand, and I even like the notion it gives as incomplete, because it leaves the reader longing for more .Ultimately endings tend to be clashes that ruins the good plot.

⭐Clearly early Kafka. This unfinished novel is worth reading if you’re already a fan of Kafka, but I would not recommend this book as an introduction to Kafka’s works.

⭐Excellent translation!

⭐This is an interesting book. It is about the main character Karl’s American life after he was banished by his parent. In the novel, he experienced many different kind the tortuous things. From the beginning he lived in his uncle’s house to he became an Elevator Attendant in the hotel, he had known so many different people and know their life. Every day he was living in between of rich people and poor people. The elevator took him to wherever the other people want, but he can’t control it. From the novel, it tells that American life is not as great as other countries people think it is. I think it is a common that other countries people think that if they come to American their life will be better. Like my relative, in their mind, it is like the money grows on trees in American. They thought that when I worked for eight dollars per hour it is a lot because they were thinking that eight dollars change to Chinese money is twelve, so of course that a lot. This book is very true reflection to the American people and out coming people. Life is not living in the way that you willing for. The stories in the book maybe ridiculous, but those are true. Life is hard in everywhere, like the student in the novel, he worked so hard for his school works, and he doesn’t even have time to sleep. It is just like the Chinese student. I very like this book. I think the people that dreams about to come to American and become riches, they should read it and realized American life just like other countries, and the money is not growing on the trees. However, the book didn’t finish, I think it is just the way it supposed to be because the life is still continue, you shouldn’t set in a stable model for the end of the life. There are still hopes.

⭐As the seventeen-year-old Karl Rossmann, who had been sent to America by his unfortunate parents because a maid had seduced him and had a child by him, sailed slowly into New York harbour, he suddenly saw the Statue of Liberty, which had already been in view for some time, as though in an intenser sunlight. The sword in her hand seemed only just to have been raised aloft, and the unchained winds blew about her form.- Franz Kafka, Amerika, page 1 Yes, in this book, the Statue of Liberty has a sword. And she is “so high”, says Rossman. The Statue of Liberty, bearing her sword so high in the sky is the first real thing that a clueless Karl Rossmann stumbles upon in his new life in America; a country that seems determined drag him down along with everything he stands for; the old ways in Europe. Amerika is the story of Karl Rossmann, a German boy shunned by his parents after impregnating a maid. Let’s just come right out and say it; Karl is a blithering idiot, albeit such a fantastic character to read and enjoy. He goes between blindly trusting strangers and super intense paranoia. There’s something intriguing about Karl; a childish innocence. Life is something that just happens to Karl. He’s completely passive. But, in spite of his intense stupidity, one cannot help but feel sorry for poor Karl. For example, at the beginning of the book, Karl loses his luggage and then he’s involved in a workplace dispute aboard his ship with a man he has known all of five minutes. Then he meets his long-lost American uncle, wanders around a huge house in the dark, and then is once more thrown out of his family by said uncle. He finds his long lost luggage, becomes homeless, gets conned by some con artists, is employed in a grand hotel, and is then fired from said hotel. Kind of makes you tired doesn’t it? Trying to describe the plot of Amerika is like trying to tell someone about a dream you once had ten years ago; it makes perfect sense at the time you had the dream, however when you try and explain it to someone else, it sounds all garbled and confused. And it’s not really a plot; more of a sequence of strange scenes, just like a dream. This book is filled with Karl wandering blindly from one bizarre situation to the next. Really, the plot of Amerika is a strange; a consistent repeating cycle of despair and happiness; sounds a lot like life doesn’t it? With all that said; read it. Read it now. Read it again. It is a fantastic book. Like a train wreck, you just cannot seem to look away. As unfortunate as it may be, that the book was never completed by Kafka, it almost makes the book better. You wonder what fun misspelling is coming next by Kafka, or what weird interpretation of a city or building in AmeriKa he will describe; which is obviously not what it really is in AmeriCa. My favorite blunder is how he mixes up the East and the West Coasts. It’s raw and exciting and it leaves you wondering what poor Karl will go through next. I am not a huge fan of reading really; not because I do not enjoy a good fantasy or plot but because reading puts me to sleep, no matter if I am tired or not. This book however has me finding myself reading into the wee hours of the morning; leaving me sad that I need to put it down and go to sleep. 2 thumbs up, Kafka; even if you didn’t intend on us ever reading this book, I am glad that it was published without your consent!

⭐great social statement.loved it

⭐Primeiramente, saiba que vale MUITO a pena a leitura desta obra.Se trata da história de um rapaz que viaja à america por ter engravidado sua empregada, e vai passando por altas “trapalhadas” .Falando assim, realmente parece muito desinteressante; o que acaba sendo mesmo. Porém, com o passar do tempo, o livro se mostra muito rico, fluido, engraçado e (como sempre) reflexivo.A sua leitura acaba sendo rápida, muito por conta da maneira de Kafka escrever, sempre fazendo com que você tenha aquela vontade de ler só mais um capítulo, com mais situações embaraçosas e kafkianas presenciadas por Karl; e sempre te deixando com aquela dúvida se aquilo pode piorar ou não.É importante também falar que se trata de um texto incompleto, isto é, o final que temos no livro provavelmente não era o que Kafka tinha em mente como real desfecho. Mas quebra um bom galho, por ser um final realmente esperançoso em meio a tantos momentos desgostosos passados pelo personagem.Foi uma de minhas primeiras experiencias com Kafka, ja tendo lido (assim como todo ser humano) a metamorfose e alguns de seus contos. Apesar de ter gostado muito destes, se mostrou uma experiência completamente diferente ler América, até por se tratar de um livro bem mais longo e acho até justamente que é aí que está o “mel” do livro.E como última coisa a falar, tenho a dizer que geralmente nunca leio aqueles prefácios que vêm nos livros, mas este, por algum motivo, eu li, e gostei muito. Inclusive recomendo a sua leitura; acabou sendo uma bela fonte de informação que só contribuiu para o enriquecimento da leitura.Concluindo: o livro é sensacional. LEIAM!PS: a edição do livro em questão é decadente (se tratando de uma edição dos anos 2000), e possui alguns erros de digitação em algumas partes. O livro veio bem sujo e a folha é branca, com uma fonte que causa um estranhamento inicialmente.

⭐

⭐O livro trata de um jovem imigrante europeu aos Estados Unidos do início do século XX. Bem construído e divido em dez capítulos, é talvez a melhor obra de Kafka, tão importante e clássico quanto A metamorfose. A edição, que conta com a tradução de Torrieri Guimarães, tem uma linguagem um pouco diferente dos livros publicados pela Companhia, e percebi diversos termos em português de Portugal (nada que dificulte a leitura ou tire a profundidade e robustez kafkiana). É ótimo América voltar às bibliotecas brasileiras, depois de tantos anos sem edições.

⭐

⭐Beware, this is unfortunately not the Hofmann translation, contrary to what is claimed on Amazon (at least at the time of my purchase). Comparing any paragraph of this translation, probably by Muir, with Hofmann’s version is striking: the latter is much, much better, on a completely different, higher level of language; you should go for that one to appreciate the originality, richness and hilarity of Kafka.

⭐Misleading cover pictures. Received in worst condition. Lots of physical damage.

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