Letters to Dear Felice (Book)

Letters to Felice is a collection of letters written by Franz Kafka to his fiancée Felice Bauer between 1912 and 1917, published after Kafka’s death.

Letters to Felice contains the correspondence between Kafka and Felice Bauer who lived in Berlin. The letters oscillate between Kafka’s intense love for Felice and his awareness that he could not sustain the relationship. Kafka both desires marriage and fears it; he believes his writing will suffer because of the relationship yet feels that life without Felice would be meaningless.

Loneliness and Alienation: Kafka describes himself as a person alienated from both himself and his surroundings.

Fear and Anxiety: Fear of the future, anxiety about marriage, and dread of personal failure are dominant.

Caught Between Writing and Living: Kafka is torn between his passion for writing and his social roles as a husband, employee, and family member.

Franz Kafka: The author and narrator of the book. He is an emotionally fragile obsessive and introspective figure.

Felice Bauer: Kafka’s fiancée.

Kafka’s language is inward-looking, at times poetic but mostly imbued with profound melancholy. The letters are deeply personal intimate and sincere. His mental fluctuations and spiritual crises are reflected directly in the style of the letters.