The Complete List of Franz Kafka Books in Order

Franz Kafka is well known for his works, one of which is The Metamorphosis, a widely recognized book. He only published a few of his works, and they didn’t get much appreciation. 

Most of Kafka’s works were published after his death by his dearest friend. His writings got a lot of recognition after his death, and he became a famous writer of the time. 

I love the writings of the author! His narration will leave you baffled as well as an admiration for the way a story is described with such deep meaning by using unusual and bizarre incidents. 

This article will give the complete list of Franz Kafka books in order. Read on to grab the full list!

Who is Franz Kafka?

Franz Kafka was born on July 3, 1883, in Prague, Bohemia, which is now the Czech Republic. He was the eldest of six children in a middle-class German-speaking Jewish family. Kafka has been interested in literature since childhood and was a voracious reader. 

Kafka had an estranged relationship with his father, Hermann Kafka, who is described as an ill-tempered, domineering man. After finishing high school, he attended Charles Ferdinand University, where he initially studied chemistry but later switched to law. 

In his first year of university, he met a student named Max Brod, who had been his close friend throughout his life. Even after doing his regular jobs, he never stopped writing. 

In 1917, Kafka suffered from tuberculosis and also struggled with clinical depression and social anxiety throughout his life. Other health issues suffered by him are migraines, insomnia, boils, constipation, and stress. 

He published a few of his written works when he was alive, but they failed to gain enough recognition. This saddened Kafka, who asked his friend Max to burn all of his writings. But Max ignored his wishes and published the works after his death. Many of Kafka’s works were published after his death, and they were highly appreciated by readers all over the world. 

Kafka is known as the most prominent writer of the 20th century.  

He died on June 3, 1924, due to his health conditions. Sadly, he was never able to finish any of his three full-length novels. His birth city, Prague, celebrates the writer and presents an annual Franz Kafka prize.

Franz Kafka’s Books in Order

Standalone Novels

Kafka has written several standalone novels throughout his career. Below are all of the books in their publication order.

1. The Judgement (1912)
2. The Metamorphosis (1915)
3. The Trial (1925)
4. The Castle (1926)
5. Amerika (1927)

Brief Description of ‘The Judgement’

This is a story about the relationship between a son and his father. 

Georg Bendemann, a young merchant, is sitting in his room and writing a letter. This is how the story starts. He is writing his good friend, who left his hometown and moved to Russia to set up a business. 

He contemplates whether to mention his engagement with Frieda Brandenfeld. Later, he goes to check on his father and informs him about the letter he just wrote. His father is suffering from illness and suddenly gets aggravated and accuses him of many mishappenings. 

The father also says that his son (Georg) wants him dead. He makes Georg feel terrible with his harsh words and calls him selfish. He sentences his son to death by drowning.

Short Stories

Kafka has also written a few short stories. Have a look at the list below.

1. A Country Doctor (1919)
2. In the Penal Colony (1919)
3. Investigations of a Dog (1922)
4. The Burrow (1923)

Brief Description of ‘A Country Doctor’

Kafka wrote this while living on Golden Lane at Prague Castle during the winter of 1916-17. In the story, a country doctor needs to attend to a sick young boy. 

It’s a cold winter night. His one and only horse died a day before, and now he is struggling to find a horse to go see his sick patient. His maid, Rosa, goes to find another one but returns empty-handed, as no one is willing to hand over their horses for such a journey. 

Among all the surreal events, a mysterious groom enters and supplies him with a bunch of horses. The groom kisses the maid boorishly, and the doctor does not say anything. Realizing he needs the help now, he leaves. Rosa runs inside the house to secure herself from the stranger.

Non-Fiction Books

• Letters to Milena (1952)

Brief Description of ‘Letters to Milena’

Milena Jesenská was the translator of one of Kafka’s books. This business correspondence developed into a passionate exchange of love letters. She was twenty-three years old, and Kafka was thirty-six. 

Kafka revealed his most intimate self to Milena. After the end of their affair, he entrusted her with the safekeeping of his diaries.

Collections

Here’s the list of collections of various short stories and poems written by Kafka. 

1. Meditation (1913)
2. The Metamorphosis and Other Stories (1949)
3. Diaries, 1910-1923 (1949)
4. Parables and Paradoxes (1961)
5. The Complete Stories (1976)
6. Stories 1904-1924 (1981)
7. Best Short Stories (1997)
8. The Unhappiness of Being a Single Man (2018)
9. He, the Shorter Writings of Franz Kafka (2020)
10. The Lost Writings (2020)

Wind-Up

Franz Kafka is a popular author whose writings amaze the readers. The talented writer delivered many of his literary works, which are widely appreciated all over the world.

Hope this post helped you with the complete list of Franz Kafka books in order. Which Kafka book is your absolute favorite? Tell me in the comments!