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The Metamorphosis

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The Metamorphosis

By: Franz Kafka
Narrated by: Ralph Cosham
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About this listen

 “One morning, as Gregor Samsa was waking up from anxious dreams, he discovered that in bed he had been changed into a monstrous verminous bug.”

With this startling, bizarre, yet surprisingly funny first sentence, Kafka begins his masterpiece, The Metamorphosis. It is the story of a young traveling salesman who, transformed overnight into a giant, beetle-like insect, becomes an object of disgrace to his family, an outsider in his own home, a quintessentially alienated man. Rather than being surprised at the transformation, the members of his family despise it as an impending burden upon themselves.

A harrowing - though absurdly comic - meditation on human feelings of inadequacy, guilt, and isolation, The Metamorphosis has taken its place as one of the most widely read and influential works of 20th-century fiction. As W. H. Auden wrote, “Kafka is important to us because his predicament is the predicament of modern man.”

FRANZ KAFKA (1883–1924), one of the major fiction writers of the twentieth century, was born to a middle-class German-speaking Jewish family in Prague. His unique body of writing, much of which is incomplete and was mainly published posthumously, is considered by some people to be among the most influential in Western literature, inspiring such writers as Albert Camus, Rex Warner, and Samuel Beckett.

©Public Domain (P)2011 Blackstone Audio, Inc. Fantasy Fiction Genre Fiction Metaphysics Movie, TV & Video Game Tie-Ins Philosophy Political Tie-in Emotionally Gripping Science Fiction Heartfelt Mind-bending Funny Short Stories

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Critic reviews

“In The Metamorphosis Kafka reached the height of his mastery: he wrote something which he could never surpass, because there is nothing which The Metamorphosis could be surpassed by - one of the few great, perfect poetic works of this century.” (Elias Canetti, winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1981)
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A funny little tale, and I couldn't help feel sorry for the protagonist who wakes up as a bug. He reminded me of a shy dog/naughty child. The ending ends ambiguously as I am sure Kafka intended. I loved this cute, short and fun yarn and you can takeaway what you feel from it and not what you are told to think. A classic for a reason

short but sweet

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liked it all it all it all it all it all it all it allit all it all need seven unique wods said the text below

clarity

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Beautifully read. It’s a strange and surreal story, but somehow psychologically compelling. It’s also a very short book!

Beautifully read, captivating despite its fantastical premise

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Quick "read" but not too exciting, very well written but did not live up to the hype.

A not so exciting classic

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It's a long time since I read this and I really liked it. An unusual book.

Well-narrated classic

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I've been meaning to read this for some time and then recently somebody was saying it was one of their favourite books and then I noticed it on Audible so decided to try it as an audiobook. I think I was expecting something more like The Fly but it was nothing like it and I really enjoyed it.

Finally heard it!

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Amazing to think this was written over 100 years ago, and the absolute absurdity given the times!! a fantastic book that I never tire of reading!

delightfully absurd!

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Where does The Metamorphosis rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

It was good, Id say top 5 because it was easy to consume and unlike anything else I've listened to.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Gregor because it seemed like there was no one who cared for him other than his sister.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

This is the first book Id say you could finish in one sitting. Fairly lightweight, strange but interesting. A classic for good reason

Any additional comments?

Guess you can take a lot of different things from this but I felt like it was a interesting take on growing old, getting to a point where you are not as useful as you used to and people don't depend on you anymore. Or like how some one who ends up in a wheelchair could feel. Poor Gregor

Poor Gregor

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One of the most important and captivating tales ever told. Timeless-so much to say about human existence and the pain of isolation (perfects depicting Kafka's own emotional pain?). Delivered just as Kafka would have wanted it to be i'm sure. Thoroughly enjoyable and thought provoking.

Masterpiece delivered perfectly

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A relatively easy if slightly unsettling listen. Well written and narrated, I'd be interested to discuss in a book club what the meaning of the book is as it's very much up to your own interpretation.

Very interesting listen and open to interpretation

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