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Why is Kafka so important when it comes to European loneliness?
How are his writings still so relevant today? And does his literature really reflect the loneliness we see in European societies?
Who is Franz Kafka?
First, let’s start by getting to know Franz Kafka. Kafka was a Czech Jewish writer who lived in the early 20th century. His writings were marked by strangeness and ambiguity, often tackling themes like isolation, alienation, and the dehumanizing effects of bureaucracy. His most famous works, such as *The Metamorphosis* and *The Trial*, convey a deep sense of psychological oppression and the feeling of being trapped in a cold and incomprehensible world.
European Loneliness – How Did It Become a Reality?
Now, let’s move to the key question: Why is Kafka considered important in the context of European loneliness? To understand this, we need to first look at life in modern European societies. Despite the economic and technological advancements in Europe, loneliness has become a significant part of many people's lives. These societies tend to emphasize individualism and self-reliance, which can often lead to feelings of isolation and existential emptiness. A large portion of people in Europe live alone, and due to highly structured social and political systems, individuals often feel like they are just small cogs in a vast machine. This is where Kafka comes in. His writings reflect this very feeling – the sense that one has no control over their life and is trapped in a cold, impersonal system.
How Does Kafka’s Literature Reflect Loneliness?
Kafka’s works deeply capture feelings of loneliness and alienation. In *The Metamorphosis*, the protagonist transforms into an insect and feels rejected by both his family and society. Here, we see a clear picture of loneliness, the feeling of being unaccepted and misunderstood. Kafka was expressing a profound fear of being disconnected from others and not being able to communicate. In *The Trial*, the protagonist is subjected to a senseless trial by a mysterious and oppressive system. This mirrors the experience of individuals in modern Europe who feel like mere numbers in a vast, soulless bureaucratic machine. Loneliness is not just about the absence of personal connections; it’s also about feeling powerless and disconnected from one’s own life. That’s what makes Kafka’s work so relevant to understanding modern European loneliness.
The Existential Dimension in Kafka’s Works
Kafka isn’t just a writer who critiques systems and bureaucracy. He is also a deeply existential writer. Many people in Europe today feel lost in a world that seems to lack meaning, and Kafka’s writings reflect this reality. The existential themes in his works raise questions about the purpose of life and the meaning behind everything that happens, questions that continue to resonate with individuals navigating a chaotic and alienating world.
- Feda'a Yahya
“And if the devil were to ever see you, he’d kiss your eyes and repent." - Farouq Jwaydeh
My tormentor came in the dead of dusk
As if it were the bright star on the horizon So I said, “Enlighten me, O best visitor.” Were you not afraid of the guards on the roads? She answered me with tears in her eyes. He who sales the sea is not afraid of drowning. I said, “These are fabricated tales.” She said, “The truth of my heart is greater than any oath. As long as there is some spark in my eyes, I love you with an endless love.
I removed the veil and saw the full moon embracing So I stood up and kissed her.
By : Lisan al-Din ibn al-Khatib
في أحضان السكون
هنا أنحرُ الليلَ، أغني الزمان هنا أتلقَّى حديث القمرْ هنا أقتلُ الشِّعرَ عند الغروبِ وأبعثهُ حينَ يأتي السحرْ هنا أصهرُ النورَ حتَّى يذوب وألقي في عيون الزهرْ هنا يرقد الهمُّ في خاطري ويسلبني أملي المنتظَرْ
هنا يومض اللحن في أضلع وينزع أسرارَهُ من دمِي وينحتُ من مقلتيّ الرؤى وتطربُ أوتاره أنجمي ويغرقني في الشقاء اللذيذِ وتملأ أوهامه عالمي
محمد الثبيتي -
Departure to the shores of dreams
I threw all my equipment into your hands, and I relieved my horse from the worries of the road, and I fled from the ravages of the storms when the departure was long. The voice of my solitude died, and the echoes of my silence responded in the hills, on the plains, and at the valley’s stream, I saw the autumn leaves being dragged behind them by the tail of the calm breeze, so I left all my poems in the desert and buried my songs among its sands.
-Muhammad Al-Thubaiti
I’m not a fire cracker, I'm a bomb. I don’t disappear when I explode, I blow up and kill everyone.
🖼️:Aron Wiesenfeld
تتلاشى الاكتاف من حولك تدريجيا كلما ازدادت حاجتك للاستناد
The shoulders around you gradually disappear as your need for support increases
Desteğe olan ihtiyacınız arttıkça etrafınızdaki omuzlar yavaş yavaş kaybolur
Amores Perros (2000)
Write down: I am an Arab, A name without a title, Patient in a country where everything Lives on flared-up anger. My roots… Took firm hold before the birth of time, Before the beginning of the ages, Before the cypress and olives, Before the growth of pastures. My father… of the people of the plough, Not of noble masters. My grandfather, a peasant Of no prominent lineage, Taught me pride of self before reading of books. My house is a watchman’s hut Of sticks and reed. Does my status satisfy you? I am a name without a title.
Write down: I am an Arab Robbed of my ancestors’ vineyards And of the land cultivated By me and all my children. Nothing is left for us and my grandchildren Except these rocks… Will your government take them too, as reported? Therefore, Write at the top of page one: I do not hate people, I do not assault anyone, But … if I get hungry, I eat the flesh of my usurper. Beware … beware … of my hunger, And of my anger.
-Mahmoud Darwish
In order for me to write poetry that isn’t political I must listen to the birds And in order to hear the birds The warplanes must be silent - Marwan Makhoul
🎨 : Nuri Lyem
لكي أكتب شعراً غير سياسي يجب أن أصغي الى العصافير ولكي أسمع العصافير يجب أن تصمت الطائرات - مروان مخول
The color orange and the sunset, The rope and suicide, The glass and the wound, The ocean and drowning, Autumn and farewell, The mirror and me, The windows and staring, The hand waving from afar, The road and the sudden encounter.
Paintings by: Lili Wood
اللون البرتقالي والغروب الحبل والانتحار الزجاج والجرح المحيط والغرق الخريف والوداع المرآة و أنا النوافذ و التحديق اليد والتلويح من بعيد الطريق ولقاء الصدفة
🎨 : Miaamanman1995
Bribery
Bribery is what is given to nullify a right, or achieve a falsehood. The briber pays the bribe-taker to give him what is not his right, and it is one of the major sins and great burdens.
Dealing with bribery is a widespread form of corruption and a affliction of evil that brings many woes upon the individual and society. It corrupts religion, destroys trust, spreads betrayal, and sows malice and hatred in the hearts of people. The weak grudge against the strong, and the poor grudge against the rich, and society is divided into two warring classes. Then security and stability will disappear, fear and turmoil will come, and there will be no survival of security and livelihood in a country or nation where bribery is widespread, because the bribe-takers withhold the interests and rights of the people until they bribe them, so the wealth of the bribe-takers increases, and with it the cycle of poverty among the people increases.
When, in disgrace with fortune and men’s eyes, I all alone beweep my outcast state,
And trouble deaf heaven with my bootless cries, And look upon myself and curse my fate, Wishing me like to one more rich in hope, Featured like him, like him with friends possessed, Desiring this man’s art and that man’s scope, With what I most enjoy contented least; Yet in these thoughts myself almost despising, Haply I think on thee, and then my state,
(Like to the lark at break of day arising From sullen earth) sings hymns at heaven’s gate; For thy sweet love remembered such wealth brings That then I scorn to change my state with kings.
˜ Shakespeare
عندما أصابني سوء الحظ و بدأ الناس ينظرون إلي بازدراء بكيت على نفسي بمرارة وصليت لكن السماء لم تستجب لدعائي و لم تشفق علي , لذلك فقد صببت اللعنات على حظي تمنيت لو كنت شخصاً آخر يمتلك حظاً و أملاً أكبر و يمتلك الكثير من الأصدقاء تمنيت لو كانت عندي موهبة هذا و فرصة ذاك و في أقسى ساعات كراهيتي لنفسي خطرت لي, و عندها تغير حالي كما هي حال القبرة التي تشدو في الصباح أغاني تصل إلى بوابة السماء- لأن التفكير بك يجعلني غنياً جداً إلى درجة أنني أرفض أن أتبادل الأدوار حتى مع الملوك
-شيكسبير
“And if happiness visits you again, do not remember its previous betrayal..Let that happiness in, and burst!”
-Mahmoud Darwish
Painting by : Jana Brike
Don't hint, say it like a thunderbolt.
The most beautiful sea, hasn't been crossed yet. The most beautiful child, hasn't grown up yet. Our most beautiful days, we haven't seen yet. And the most beautiful words, I wanted to tell you I haven't said yet...
― Nâzım Hikmet
I can't promise to be calm,
dignified, and indifferent.
like a rock by the sea...
If my heart's going to break,
let it break from anger, grief, or joy.
― Nâzım Hikmet
Had I told the sea
What I felt for you
It would have left
it’s shores
It’s shells
And followed me
- Nizar Qabbani
We were both silent,
as if there was a secret agreement between us,
but if you whisper a single letter,
I will scream and cry.
Look Milena,
"I love you the most." I say, but maybe that's not true love.
If i say, "You are the knife I turn inside myself", maybe I would be explaining true love.
And Milena, I can bear anything with you in my heart.
| Franz Kafka
