Archive - Paper Knife

When the Son Becomes an Unclean Animal

Metamorphosis, episode 2. In which we explore how Gregor Samsa's transformation into an 'ungeheures Ungeziefer' makes him a failed sacrifice, trapped…

Feb 7 •

January 2025

Writing Through The Night

Metamorphosis, episode 1. In which we explore how Kafka's correspondence with Felice Bauer in autumn 1912 provided both escape and anxiety, ultimately…

Jan 24 •

Shape-Shifters and Scapegoats: The Surreal Psychology of 'The Judgment' (2/2)

Wherein we explore how the father's supernatural transformations in 'The Judgment' reflect deeper psychological truths about authority, identity, and…

Jan 3 •

December 2024

Fathers, Sons, and Letters: Kafka's Literary Development in 'The Judgment' (1/2)

In which we trace Kafka's evolution from a diary sketch to a masterful short story, examining how his treatment of father-son conflict transforms from…

Dec 10, 2024 •

November 2024

The Art of Distance

In which Kafka meets a woman from Berlin, proceeds to write her 500 letters while avoiding actual meetings, and proves himself the unlikely prophet of…

Nov 27, 2024 •

Through the Looking Glass

Which explores how Kafka's early 'Contemplation' collection oscillates between detached observation and a yearning for connection, creating a unique…

Nov 14, 2024 •

Between Goethe and Grete

Wherein we trace Kafka's attempts to find inspiration through literary fathers and female muses during a crucial period of creative paralysis.

Nov 7, 2024 •

October 2024

Max Brod's Kafka: Saint, Sinner, Something in Between?

Wherein we dissect Max Brod's hagiographic portrayal of Kafka, contrasting it with Benjamin's critiques and Stach's nuanced approach, revealing the…

Oct 23, 2024 •

The honeycomb of Kafka's world

Wherein we take stock and explore Reiner Stach's 'Kafka: The Early Years,' a monumental biography that unveils the man behind the icon and the world…

Oct 15, 2024 •

September 2024

A Yiddish Night at the Café Savoy

Wherein our insurance clerk trades actuarial tables for Yiddish theatre, much to his father's chagrin, and discovers a world of gesticulating actors…

Sep 26, 2024 •

Paris Brothels and Stolen Art: A Fragmented Journey

Wherein we follow Franz Kafka's whirlwind tour of Europe in 1911, his eyes darting from Parisian prostitutes to Swiss croupiers, capturing the weird…

Sep 8, 2024 •

August 2024

Kafka's Second Life

Wherein we delve into the diaries of a young Franz Kafka. It’s Prague, 1910, and anxieties abound. Body horror? Check. Creative constipation? Check. Bad…

Aug 16, 2024 •

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