Professor Jonathan Allen presents his latest book, Franz Kafka: Ethics, Aesthetics and Influence, this afternoon at 6 p.m. at the Centro Sefarad-Israel in Madrid (Calle Mayor, 69). Free admission until full capacity is reached.
The book traces the astonishing imprint of a tormented creator of genius for a century after his untimely death. An enduring influence that has transcended all national borders and the most diverse cultures, as Kafka has penetrated Japan, South Korea, China, North and South America, Russia and the rest of Europe. An influence that has enriched and stimulated the creations of painters, sculptors, filmmakers, writers, poets, playwrights, literary critics, philologists, philosophers, theologians, and has engaged millions of readers.
The book’s twenty-one chapters consider the nature of desire, sexuality, love, faith, morality, the writer’s ethics and the truth of writing, awareness of marginality, the longing for emigration, Jewish studies, cultural Zionism, Uncle Alfred in Madrid, Cervantes, interest in art, cinematic passion, a taste for animal fables, the tragic fate of Kafka’s sisters, and the historical culture of Prague. Although dedicated to Kafka, the city of Prague, with its characters, its creators and its vicissitudes, is also present.
