The Trial

The novel explores alienation, anxiety, bureaucracy and the individual’s struggle against institutions that seem impossible to understand or control. Its unsettling atmosphere and absurd situations have given rise to the term “Kafkaesque.”

Franz Kafka was a major twentieth-century German-language writer whose fiction is known for its surreal situations, psychological depth and themes of alienation, anxiety and institutional power. His best-known works include The Metamorphosis, The Castle and The Trial.

Joseph K. is arrested on his thirtieth birthday but is never told what crime he has committed. As he tries to understand and defend himself, he encounters a mysterious and seemingly endless judicial system filled with confusing rules, officials and procedures. His increasingly desperate search for justice becomes a powerful exploration of guilt, authority, helplessness and the absurdity of modern life.