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Amerika (Kafka novel)
Encyclopedia
Amerika, also known as Der Verschollene or The Man Who Disappeared, is the incomplete first novel
of author Franz Kafka
, published posthumously in 1927. The novel originally began as a short story titled The Stoker
.
The story describes the bizarre wanderings of a seventeen-year-old Europe
an emigrant named Karl Rossmann in the United States
, who was forced to go to New York to escape the scandal of his seduction by a housemaid
. As the ship arrives in USA, he becomes friends with a stoker who is about to be dismissed from his job. Karl identifies with the stoker and decides to help him; together they go to see the captain of the ship. In a surreal turn of events, Karl's uncle, Senator Jacob, is in a meeting with the captain. Karl does not know that Senator Jacob is his uncle, but Mr. Jacob recognizes him and takes him away from the stoker.
Karl stays with his uncle for some time but is later abandoned by him after making a visit to his uncle's friend without his uncle's full approval. Wandering aimlessly, he becomes friends with two drifters named Robinson and Delamarche. They promise to find him a job, but Karl departs from them on bad terms after he's offered a job by a manageress at Hotel Occidental. He works there as a lift-boy but is fired one day after Robinson shows up drunk at his work asking him for money. Robinson, in turn, gets injured after fighting with some of the lift-boys.
Being dismissed, Karl leaves the hotel with Robinson to Delamarche's place. Once there, a police officer tries to chase him, but he gets away after Delamarche saves him. Delamarche now works for a wealthy lady named Brunelda. She wants to take in Karl as her servant. Karl refuses, but Delamarche physically forces him to stay. He decides to stay but looks for a good opportunity to escape.
One day he sees an advertisement for the Nature Theatre of Oklahoma, which is looking for employees. The theatre promises to find employment for everyone and Karl is taken in by this. Karl applies for a job and gets engaged as a "technical worker". He is then sent to Oklahoma by train and is welcomed by the vastness of the valleys.
, which appeared separately in 1913. Kafka's working title was "The Man Who Disappeared" ("Der Verschollene"). The title Amerika was chosen by Kafka's literary executor, Max Brod
, who assembled the uncompleted manuscript and published it after his death. Brod donated the manuscript to Oxford University.
the incomplete chapter about the Nature Theatre of Oklahoma (a chapter the beginning of which particularly delighted Kafka, so that he used to read it aloud with great effect) was intended to be the concluding chapter of the work and should end on a note of reconciliation. In enigmatic language Kafka used to hint smilingly, that within this "almost limitless" theatre his young hero was going to find again a profession, a stand-by, his freedom, even his old home and his parents, as if by some celestial witchery.
The parts of the narrative immediately preceding this chapter are also incomplete. Two large fragments, describing Karl's service with Brunelda, are extant, but do not fill up the gaps. Only the first six chapters were divided and given titles by Kafka.
In the story, the Statue of Liberty
is holding a sword
, and some scholars have interpreted this as a "might makes right
" philosophy Kafka may have believed the United States holds.
was one of his favorite books, from which he liked reading passages aloud. He also always had a longing for free space and distant lands. But in reality he never travelled farther than France and Upper Italy.
Kafka, at the time, was also reading, or rereading, several novels by Charles Dickens
and made the following remarks in his diary: "My intention was, as I now see, to write a Dickens novel, enriched by the sharper lights which I took from our modern times, and by the pallid ones I would have found in my own interior."
and Danièle Huillet in 1984
.
Federico Fellini
’s Intervista
revolves around the fictional filming of this novel’s adaptation.
The novel was made into a movie called Amerika in 1994
by Czech director Vladimir Michalek
.
German artist Martin Kippenberger
attempts to conclude the story in his installation The Happy Ending of Franz Kafka’s "Amerika," now on display at the Geffen MOCA.
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
of author Franz Kafka
Franz Kafka
Franz Kafka was a culturally influential German-language author of short stories and novels. Contemporary critics and academics, including Vladimir Nabokov, regard Kafka as one of the best writers of the 20th century...
, published posthumously in 1927. The novel originally began as a short story titled The Stoker
The Stoker
"The Stoker" is a short story by Franz Kafka. Kafka intended to include the story as the first chapter in a novel he did not complete; the novel was posthumously published under the title Amerika.-Plot :...
.
Plot summary
- The first chapter of this novel is a short story titled "The StokerThe Stoker"The Stoker" is a short story by Franz Kafka. Kafka intended to include the story as the first chapter in a novel he did not complete; the novel was posthumously published under the title Amerika.-Plot :...
".
The story describes the bizarre wanderings of a seventeen-year-old Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an emigrant named Karl Rossmann in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, who was forced to go to New York to escape the scandal of his seduction by a housemaid
Maid
A maidservant or in current usage housemaid or maid is a female employed in domestic service.-Description:Once part of an elaborate hierarchy in great houses, today a single maid may be the only domestic worker that upper and even middle-income households can afford, as was historically the case...
. As the ship arrives in USA, he becomes friends with a stoker who is about to be dismissed from his job. Karl identifies with the stoker and decides to help him; together they go to see the captain of the ship. In a surreal turn of events, Karl's uncle, Senator Jacob, is in a meeting with the captain. Karl does not know that Senator Jacob is his uncle, but Mr. Jacob recognizes him and takes him away from the stoker.
Karl stays with his uncle for some time but is later abandoned by him after making a visit to his uncle's friend without his uncle's full approval. Wandering aimlessly, he becomes friends with two drifters named Robinson and Delamarche. They promise to find him a job, but Karl departs from them on bad terms after he's offered a job by a manageress at Hotel Occidental. He works there as a lift-boy but is fired one day after Robinson shows up drunk at his work asking him for money. Robinson, in turn, gets injured after fighting with some of the lift-boys.
Being dismissed, Karl leaves the hotel with Robinson to Delamarche's place. Once there, a police officer tries to chase him, but he gets away after Delamarche saves him. Delamarche now works for a wealthy lady named Brunelda. She wants to take in Karl as her servant. Karl refuses, but Delamarche physically forces him to stay. He decides to stay but looks for a good opportunity to escape.
One day he sees an advertisement for the Nature Theatre of Oklahoma, which is looking for employees. The theatre promises to find employment for everyone and Karl is taken in by this. Karl applies for a job and gets engaged as a "technical worker". He is then sent to Oklahoma by train and is welcomed by the vastness of the valleys.
Title
In conversations Kafka used to refer to this book as his "American novel," later he called it simply The Stoker, after the title of the first chapterThe Stoker
"The Stoker" is a short story by Franz Kafka. Kafka intended to include the story as the first chapter in a novel he did not complete; the novel was posthumously published under the title Amerika.-Plot :...
, which appeared separately in 1913. Kafka's working title was "The Man Who Disappeared" ("Der Verschollene"). The title Amerika was chosen by Kafka's literary executor, Max Brod
Max Brod
Max Brod was a German-speaking Czech Jewish, later Israeli, author, composer, and journalist. Although he was a prolific writer in his own right, he is most famous as the friend and biographer of Franz Kafka...
, who assembled the uncompleted manuscript and published it after his death. Brod donated the manuscript to Oxford University.
Ending
Kafka broke off his work on this novel with unexpected suddenness. It remained unfinished. From what he told his friend and biographer Max BrodMax Brod
Max Brod was a German-speaking Czech Jewish, later Israeli, author, composer, and journalist. Although he was a prolific writer in his own right, he is most famous as the friend and biographer of Franz Kafka...
the incomplete chapter about the Nature Theatre of Oklahoma (a chapter the beginning of which particularly delighted Kafka, so that he used to read it aloud with great effect) was intended to be the concluding chapter of the work and should end on a note of reconciliation. In enigmatic language Kafka used to hint smilingly, that within this "almost limitless" theatre his young hero was going to find again a profession, a stand-by, his freedom, even his old home and his parents, as if by some celestial witchery.
The parts of the narrative immediately preceding this chapter are also incomplete. Two large fragments, describing Karl's service with Brunelda, are extant, but do not fill up the gaps. Only the first six chapters were divided and given titles by Kafka.
Major themes
The novel is more explicitly humorous and slightly more realistic (except in the last chapter) than most of Kafka's works, but it shares the same motifs of an oppressive and intangible system putting the protagonist repeatedly in bizarre situations. Specifically, within Amerika, a scorned individual often must plead his innocence in front of remote and mysterious figures of authority.In the story, the Statue of Liberty
Statue of Liberty
The Statue of Liberty is a colossal neoclassical sculpture on Liberty Island in New York Harbor, designed by Frédéric Bartholdi and dedicated on October 28, 1886...
is holding a sword
Sword
A sword is a bladed weapon used primarily for cutting or thrusting. The precise definition of the term varies with the historical epoch or the geographical region under consideration...
, and some scholars have interpreted this as a "might makes right
Might makes right
Might makes right is an aphorism with several potential meanings :* In English, the phrase is most often used in negative assessments of expressions of power....
" philosophy Kafka may have believed the United States holds.
Inspiration
Kafka was fond of reading travel books and memoirs. The Autobiography of Benjamin FranklinThe Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin
The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin is the traditional name for the unfinished record of his own life written by Benjamin Franklin from 1771 to 1790; however, Franklin himself appears to have called the work his Memoirs...
was one of his favorite books, from which he liked reading passages aloud. He also always had a longing for free space and distant lands. But in reality he never travelled farther than France and Upper Italy.
Kafka, at the time, was also reading, or rereading, several novels by Charles Dickens
Charles Dickens
Charles John Huffam Dickens was an English novelist, generally considered the greatest of the Victorian period. Dickens enjoyed a wider popularity and fame than had any previous author during his lifetime, and he remains popular, having been responsible for some of English literature's most iconic...
and made the following remarks in his diary: "My intention was, as I now see, to write a Dickens novel, enriched by the sharper lights which I took from our modern times, and by the pallid ones I would have found in my own interior."
Adaptations
The novel was adapted for the screen as the film Klassenverhältnisse (Class Relations) by Jean-Marie StraubJean-Marie Straub
Jean-Marie Straub and Danièle Huillet were a duo of filmmakers who made two dozen films between 1963 and 2006...
and Danièle Huillet in 1984
1984 in film
-Events:* The Walt Disney Company founds Touchstone Pictures to release movies with subject matter deemed inappropriate for the Disney name.* Tri-Star Pictures, a joint venture of Columbia Pictures, HBO, and CBS, releases its first film....
.
Federico Fellini
Federico Fellini
Federico Fellini, Cavaliere di Gran Croce OMRI , was an Italian film director and scriptwriter. Known for a distinct style that blends fantasy and baroque images, he is considered one of the most influential and widely revered filmmakers of the 20th century...
’s Intervista
Intervista
Intervista is a 1987 film by the Italian film director Federico Fellini.-Plot:Interviewed by a Japanese TV crew for a news report on his latest film, Fellini takes the viewer behind the scenes at Cinecittà. A nighttime set is prepared for a sequence that Fellini defines as “the prisoner’s dream”...
revolves around the fictional filming of this novel’s adaptation.
The novel was made into a movie called Amerika in 1994
1994 in film
1994 was a significant year in film.The top grosser worldwide was The Lion King, which to date stands as the highest-grossing traditionally-animated film of all time...
by Czech director Vladimir Michalek
Vladimír Michálek
Vladimír Michálek is a Czech film director and screenwriter.- Life :Michálek graduated from Czech film Academy FAMU, Prague, in 1992. Starting during his academic study he was filming documentaries...
.
German artist Martin Kippenberger
Martin Kippenberger
Martin Kippenberger was a German artist known for his extremely prolific output in a wide range of styles and media as well as his provocative, jocular and hard-drinking public persona....
attempts to conclude the story in his installation The Happy Ending of Franz Kafka’s "Amerika," now on display at the Geffen MOCA.
External links
- Past Productions: Amerika American Repertory Theatre's stage production by Gideon LesterGideon LesterGideon Lester was Acting Artistic Director of the American Repertory Theatre from 2007-2009. He is a Professor at Columbia University's School of the Arts, where he teaches interdisciplinary courses in collaboration and adaptation....
, after the novel by Franz Kafka. Contains many links of interest at the bottom of the page.