Franz Kafka was born on 3 July 1883 in Prague, then part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, in an old apartment near the boundary of the Jewish ghetto. His father, Hermann Kafka, rose from a poor Jewish family to become a merchant, while his mother, Julie Kafka, came from a wealthy German-speaking family. Both parents were engaged in commerce. Of the six children in the family, Kafka was the eldest; two of his brothers, George and Heinrich, died in childhood, and his three sisters, Elli, Vali, and Ottla, perished in Nazi concentration camps during the Holocaust. Kafka’s name, Franz, was chosen before his birth in honor of Emperor Franz Joseph, reflecting his father’s social aspirations. Kafka grew up in a household where only German was spoken and received his entire education in German-language schools.

Franz Kafka and His Sisters (Getarchive)

Education

He began his education in 1889 at the German Boys’ Elementary School in Prague and completed his secondary studies at the Altstadt German Gymnasium between 1893 and 1901. In 1901, under the influence of his friend Oskar Pollak, he enrolled in the chemistry program at the German University of Prague but switched to the law department after only two weeks, at his father’s insistence. This shift shaped his professional path and led him to meet Max Brod, who would become his closest friend for life. His friendship with Pollak ended around this time.

Kafka graduated with a doctorate in law and began working in 1907 at the Kingdom of Bohemia Workers’ Accident Insurance Institute, where he held various positions until his early retirement in 1922. He found this bureaucratic career unfulfilling and believed his true existence was realized through writing.

Professional Life and Literary Circle

After completing his law degree, Kafka undertook a year of legal training and then began working in 1907 at the Prague branch of the Italian company Assicurazioni Generali. In 1908 he moved to the Kingdom of Bohemia Accident Insurance Company. Although he complained that the bureaucratic system and pace of work were alien to him, he remained in this position until 1917. These years also marked his entry into Prague’s literary circle. Through his friendship with Max Brod, he became acquainted with figures such as Felix Weltsch, Oskar Baum, Gustav Janouch, and Franz Werfel.

In 1912, Kafka met Felice Bauer, a Berliner, through Max Brod, and became engaged to her twice (in 1914 and 1917). However, his fear that marriage would hinder his writing prevented either engagement from resulting in marriage. This relationship left behind a collection of letters, later published after Kafka’s death under the title "Letters to Felice".

In late summer 1917, Kafka suddenly began coughing up blood, marking the onset of tuberculosis , a disease that would haunt him until his death. This illness also ended his relationship with Felice Bauer. Due to his deteriorating health, he was granted leave from his workplace in 1917 and eventually retired early in 1922.

In 1919 he became engaged to Julie Wohryzek, but this relationship ended after he met Milena Jesenská. Milena Jesenská, a married Czech journalist and translator, translated some of Kafka’s works into Czech. Their relationship, sustained through extensive correspondence, was limited to rare meetings due to her residence in Vienna and ended in early 1921.

In 1923 Kafka left Prague and moved to Berlin with a young woman named Dora Diamant, spending the final years of his life closely connected to her. During this period he devoted himself entirely to writing. However, enduring the harsh winter of 1923–1924 in Berlin worsened his health.

Franz Kafka (Getarchive)

Literary Legacy and Works

Upon his death, Kafka left all his unpublished manuscripts to his close friend Max Brod, requesting they be burned. Brod disregarded this wish and took the lead in publishing Kafka’s works, introducing him to world literature. Although some of Kafka’s writings were published during his lifetime (such as "Observation", "The Judgment", and "The Metamorphosis"), most of his major works were published posthumously by Max Brod:

• The Trial (Der Prozess, 1925)
• The Castle (Das Schloss, 1926)
• Amerika (Der Verschollene / The Missing Person, 1927)
• Letter to Father (Brief an den Vater, 1952)
• Letters to Milena (Briefe an Milena, 1961)

Central Themes and Style

The central concerns of Kafka’s works reflect the anxieties he struggled with throughout his life:

Alienation and Otherness: His characters, such as Josef K. or Gregor Samsa, are typically estranged from society, bureaucracy, and even their own bodies.

Feelings of Guilt and Worthlessness: Characters are arrested by a mysterious judicial system they cannot comprehend and accused of an unknown crime (as in The Trial).

Entrapment and Helplessness: Protagonists are trapped like in a labyrinth; K.’s futile attempt to reach the castle in The Castle or Gregor Samsa’s confinement after transforming into an insect in The Metamorphosis exemplify this sense of entrapment.

Death

Franz Kafka died on 3 June 1924 at the Kierling Sanatorium near Vienna, at the age of 40, from the tuberculosis illness he had battled since his youth. He was buried in Prague.