Not read 'The trial', but this reminds me of a book I did read -- 'The Fixer' by Bernard Malamud. Set in Kiev in 1911 during a period of heightened anti-Semitism, the novel tells the story of Yakov Bok, a Jewish handyman blamed for the brutal murder of a young Russian boy. Arrested and imprisoned, Bok refuses to confess to a crime that he did not commit.
In 1974, at age 19, I was briefly detained by a NY State Trooper for hitchhiking, He insisted on examining my knapsack, which bore a button featuring a photo of Franz Kafka. “Who’s that?” the cop asked. “Franz Kafka. He was a writer,” I answered.
“Yeah? What’d he write?”
“A novel about a guy who gets arrested, tried, and executed and never finds out what for.”
“Oh, a smart-ass,” the trooper said.
He then let me go, warning me that if I was still at that spot in an hour, I’d be going to jail.
That's a sweet cite for quote of the day. Could any sentiment be more out of step with the spirit of our age? Took me a sec to find:
"A first inclination of the onset of understanding is the wish to die. One is no longer ashamed of wishing to die; one asks to be moved from the old, hated cell to a new one, which on one has yet to learn to hate. A vestige of belief is also involved in thinking that the director might happen by in the corridor, look at the prisoner, and say: 'You are not to lock this man up again. He's coming to me.'"
Loved this one, Bryan! The Trial was the first novel my AP English teacher had us read back in 1987, and it's still one of my favorites. Might have to reread it after reading your post!
Not read 'The trial', but this reminds me of a book I did read -- 'The Fixer' by Bernard Malamud. Set in Kiev in 1911 during a period of heightened anti-Semitism, the novel tells the story of Yakov Bok, a Jewish handyman blamed for the brutal murder of a young Russian boy. Arrested and imprisoned, Bok refuses to confess to a crime that he did not commit.
In 1974, at age 19, I was briefly detained by a NY State Trooper for hitchhiking, He insisted on examining my knapsack, which bore a button featuring a photo of Franz Kafka. “Who’s that?” the cop asked. “Franz Kafka. He was a writer,” I answered.
“Yeah? What’d he write?”
“A novel about a guy who gets arrested, tried, and executed and never finds out what for.”
“Oh, a smart-ass,” the trooper said.
He then let me go, warning me that if I was still at that spot in an hour, I’d be going to jail.
That's a sweet cite for quote of the day. Could any sentiment be more out of step with the spirit of our age? Took me a sec to find:
"A first inclination of the onset of understanding is the wish to die. One is no longer ashamed of wishing to die; one asks to be moved from the old, hated cell to a new one, which on one has yet to learn to hate. A vestige of belief is also involved in thinking that the director might happen by in the corridor, look at the prisoner, and say: 'You are not to lock this man up again. He's coming to me.'"
F. Kafka, Recording, October 25th, 1917
You’re just gonna dangle that note about a friend being caught in a Kafkaesque situation, aren’t you Bryan? What a tease!
Loved this one, Bryan! The Trial was the first novel my AP English teacher had us read back in 1987, and it's still one of my favorites. Might have to reread it after reading your post!