In the Penal Colony (Further Reading)

Further Reading

• Brod, Max, trans, by G. Humphreys Roberts and Richard Winston, Franz Kafka: A Biography, Schocken Books, 1960, 267 p.

  An important work by Kafka’s personal friend. Brod preserved and edited Kafka’s manuscripts after his death.

• Hayman, Ronald. Kafka: A Biography, Oxford University Press, 1982, 349 p.

  A experienced biographer provides insights into Kafka’s personal and family relationships.

• Kafka, Franz, ed. by Max Brod. The Diaries of Franz Kafka, 1910-23, Schocken, 1948-49.

  Kafka kept extensive diaries throughout his life. The entries for the period during which he wrote “In the Penal Colony” focus on his difficulties in writing his novels.

• Neumeyer, Peter. “Do Not Teach Kafka’s ‘In The Penal Colony.’” College Literature, Vol. VI, No. 2, Spring, 1979, pp. 103-112.

  Neumeyer makes several forceful criticisms of the John Muir translation of Kafka’s works.

• Tauber, Herbert. Franz Kafka: An Interpretation of His Works, Haskell House Publishers, 1968, 252 p.

  This book provides accessible readings of all Kafka’s major texts.