The Trial cover art

The Trial

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The Trial

By: Franz Kafka
Narrated by: George Guidall
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About this listen

 If Max Brod had obeyed Franz Kafka's dying request, Kafka's unpublished manuscripts would have been burned, unread. Fortunately, Brod ignored his friend's wishes and published The Trial, which became the author's most famous work. Now Kafka's enigmatic novel regains its humor and stylistic elegance in a new translation based on the restored original manuscript.

Thirty-year-old Josef K., a financial officer in a European city bank, is suddenly arrested. He is subjected to hearings, questioning, and visits from officials. Defending his innocence against charges that are never explained to him, he watches his life dissolve into absurdity. Whether read as an existential tale or a parable, this haunting story stands out as one of the great novels of our time.

Breon Mitchell, a professor of Germanic Studies and Comparative Literature at Indiana University, has received national awards for his literary translations. The renewed energy and power of this classic work are complemented by veteran narrator George Guidall's superb performance.

Public Domain (P)2000 Recorded Books Classics Fiction Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Science Fiction Witty

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All stars
Most relevant
Although the abstract and wordy surrealism made this story at times hard to follow I still managed to enjoy it.

Kafkaesque in every sense of the word

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What a mystery this story is! I enjoyed every moment in it. But the last parts added after the last chapter should have been blended in the story because when you finish the story, you’re not emotionally involved anymore and it felt hard to listen to after the finish.

Slow burn

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I liked it and it’s quite dystopian storyline, can see why it’s a classic and of it’s time
For an early draft (given the circumstances) it’s pretty good!
Did drift off in parts
Also the chapters don’t line up - Audible needs to fix this on lots of the classics - and this has 2 chapters of additional material which is ace! But meant I wasn’t prepared for the ending as it came in chapter 10 rather than 12!

Good book, can see why it’s a classic

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This is one book that may be better to read in print, I found it a bit hard to follow in audio format. For anyone not familiar with the story however, it is a very intersting take on living in a world full of rules, rules that only become apparent when someone else decides you have broken them. An excellent metaphor for much of modern life.

A bit hard to follow

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Another Kafka’s thought provoking unfinished novel.
The guilt of existing and the absurdity of bureaucracy, still relevant

The guilt of existing

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