Book Review: Kafka's short stories are the edgy and brilliant work of a troubled genius; he remains one my favorite short story writers ever. The Trial was my first foray into his novels, and I chose to start with his most famous work. Apparently The Trial was written in 1914, not published till after Kafka's death, and may not actually have been completed. This is one of those books for which the title, and even the author's name, have become metaphors for entire concepts. Although there was some of his usual brilliance, there were a lot of rough edges in the story, and the book was not as powerful or affecting as I expected. Perhaps because the book was unfinished, or the long form wasn't Kafka's strength, it wasn't a smooth read. But while reading, I also wondered about the translation (beyond small quibbles, e.g., retaining German honorifics, which is not uncommon but has always puzzled me). There are many valid theories of translation, but for the mind to be wandering while reading and wondering about the translation is never good. Unable to read German (my loss), I'm at the mercy of the translator (Breon Mitchell, here), and now I wonder if it's worthwhile to read the Muirs' version. Mitchell cites that often the Muirs smoothed away difficulties (at some cost), which makes me wonder if I would prefer a "smoother" version, since I'm unable to determine which translation is more accurate. I think The Trial is one of those books for which the plot, much like The Picture of Dorian Gray, is well known even to people who've never read it. The story itself, one man against an unreasoning and inflexible bureaucracy, so much a Franz Kafka theme, remains as relevant now as it was then, although the particulars did seem somewhat dated, distant, or parochial. Still, that didn't stop my appreciation of The Trial as a whole. It was very good book in its Kafkaesque way. I'm glad I read The Trial, and may read it again, but next time I'll try a different translation. [4 Stars]
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