Kafka 100: a parade of men with no appetite from a writer consumed by thoughts of nourishment

By Daniel Varndell, Senior Lecturer in English, University of Winchester

There is a rather potent image of failure which recurs in the short stories and novels of Franz Kafka, the Czech writer who died of tuberculosis 100 years ago. The image is of a young man brimming with self-assurance who, without warning, is assailed by some irreproachable authority. He protests, but his fate is sealed. The verdict is guilty. His sentence is death.

That this young man’s sudden misfortune is often foreshadowed by a sudden loss of appetite reflects a persistent theme in Kafka’s work. He is consumed by the problem of finding adequate nourishment.

You can find…

Read complete article

~	Peru Walks Back Anti-Trans Guidance in Health System

~	Labour v SNP: the general election is a closer race in Scotland

~	Black-affirming campus spaces are vital for Black student academic success

~	Gazans’ extreme hunger could leave its mark on subsequent generations

~	Supreme Court rejects settlement with OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma over legal protections for the Sackler family that owned the company

~	Want to help our precious nocturnal bugs during Matariki’s longer nights? Turn the lights down low

~	Friday essay: ‘why is it always on public transport?’ – racist threats have shaped, but not defeated me

~	What’s next for the Climate Change Authority under Matt Kean’s leadership?

~	Young people hate making phone calls – could it be hurting their careers?

~	A ‘trilobite Pompeii’: perfectly preserved fossils of ancient sea critters found buried in volcanic ash