Questions about Franz Kafka

Short answers, pulled from the story.

When and where was Franz Kafka born?

Franz Kafka entered the world on the 3rd of July 1883 in a cramped apartment near the Old Town Square of Prague. He grew up speaking German within a Jewish family yet felt alienated from traditional religious life.

What did Franz Kafka do for work before his health declined?

Kafka joined the Worker's Accident Insurance Institute on the 1st of November 1907 to investigate compensation claims for industrial workers who lost fingers or limbs due to poor safety policies. The institute placed him on pension in 1918 allowing him to spend most of his remaining life in sanatoriums after tuberculosis diagnosis in August 1917.

Who were the women engaged to Franz Kafka during his lifetime?

Franz Kafka never married despite multiple engagements to women including Felice Bauer and Milena Jesenská. A third engagement occurred around 1920 to Julie Wohryzek who was a poor hotel chambermaid, and he met Dora Diamant in July 1923.

Which novels did Franz Kafka write but not finish before his death?

Kafka finished none of his full-length novels yet left behind three major works published after his death. The first novel started in 1912 as Der Heizer known later as Amerika remained incomplete when he died, while he began writing The Trial in 1914 and planned The Castle starting the 11th of June 1914.

What happened to Franz Kafka's unpublished manuscripts after he died?

Kafka left explicit instructions that all unpublished works including diaries letters sketches should be burned unread upon death. His friend Max Brod ignored this directive publishing novels and collected works between 1925 and 1935 instead.

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