Lit Bits: Kafkaesque edited by John Kessel and James Patrick Kelly
A very interesting anthology is coming out from Tachyon Publications this November. We’ve put all the information below, but we want to start this all off with a few questions for all of you: What do you think of the book? Are you looking forward to it? Why or why not? Here’s the back cover blurb (ToC to follow): Franz Kafka died in obscurity in 1924, having published a handful of odd stories in little-known central European literary magazines. Yet modern culture has embraced the stark ideas and vivid imagery of his work. Even those who have never read a word of his fiction know enough to describe their tribulations with bureaucracy as “Kafkaesque.” Kafkaesque explores dystopian, comedic, and ironic fictions inspired by Franz Kafka’s work. In Philip Roth’s alternate history, Kafka survives World War II and immigrates to America, Jorge Luis Borges envisions a labyrinthine public lottery that evolves into bureaucratically-mandated mysticism. Carol Emshwiller invents an exclusively male society faced with its first (mostly) female member. Paul Di Filippo’s journalist by day, costumed crime-fighter by night, copes with the bizarre amidst the mundane. Also includes Kafka’s classic story “The Hunger Artist,” in a brand-new translation, as well as an illustrated version by legendary cartoonist R. Crumb (Fritz the Cat). Additionally, each author discusses Kafka’s writing, its relevance, its personal influence, and Kafka’s enduring legacy. The table of contents are as follows: “A Hunger Artist” (translated by Kessel) by Franz Kafka “The Drowned Giant” by J.G. Ballard “The Cockroach Hat” by Terry Bisson “Hymenoptera” by Michael Blumlein “The Lottery in Babylon” (tr: Hurley) by Jorge Luis Borges “The Big Garage” by T. Coraghessan Boyle “The Jackdaw’s Last Case” by Paul Di Filippo “Report to the Men’s Club” by Carol Emshwiller “Bright Morning” by Jeffrey Ford “The Rapid Advance of Sorrow” by Theodora Goss “Stable Strategies for Middle Management” by Eileen Gunn “The Handler” by Damon Knight “Receding Horizon” by Jonathan Lethem & Carter Scholz “A Hunger Artist” by David Mairowitz & Robert Crumb “I Always Wanted You to Admire my Fasting”, or “Looking at Kafka” by Philip Roth “The 57th Franz Kafka” by Rudy Rucker “The Amount to Carry” by Carter Scholz “Kafka in Brontëland” by Tamar Yellin (Talk about a who’s who of weird writers, right?)
