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The Kafka Phenomenon: Famous against his will Historie Prague, today capital city of the Czech Republic, is a magnet for visitors from all round the world. lt has superb churches, some breathtaking modem architecture, unexpectedly beautiful natural scenery in easy reach, and rather more than a million more or less happy Praguers, but it is not these that are the main attractions for the tourists, who annually number more than five times the local population. The visitors come because of the Prague Castle, Charles Bridge and ... a certain Franz Kafka. lf you go to the right places in Prague you will stumble on Kafka in all kinds of guises. On postcards, on teeshirts and matchboxes, in the names of coffee-houses, or for instance in the bronze statue of a small man riding on a huge overcoat. ln some places you might even be tempted to believe the city was in thrall to Kafka. His books seli quite well too ... but they are not as famous as his image, his iconic presence, which has done so much to make Prague famous in the world. Nor are they anywhere near as numerous as the books that have been written about him. LeĹĽs summarise what most educated people probably know about Kafka without actually having to open any of those tomes about him:
l. He was a Jewish writer. He came from Prague and wrote in German. 2. He wrote a story about someone who wakes up one morning changed into an insect, and doesn't change back. 3. He had problems with his father, with his job and with women. Judging by the content and style of his writings, those were not his only problems ... Essentially, Kafka had a problem with the world. And the world still has a problem with Kafka.
The true way is along a rope that is not spanned high in the air, but only Just above the ground. lt seems intended more to cause stumbling than to be walked upon. (Kafka aphorism)
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Jews in Bohemia Jews probably first came to Bohemia in the 9th century. They settled in places where trade was flourishing, and those included Prague. There they were forced to live between the inner and outer city gates in a cramped ghetto that grew up in the district later known as Josefov. The local inhabitants were never allowed to cross the boundaries of the ghetto. ln the eyes of the rest of the city population the Jews had incomprehensibly alien religious customs but managed to get rich through energy and hard work. For both these reasons they easily became a target of hatred. ln Prague as in many other European cities there were repeated pogroms, mass riots against Jews. This was one reason why the Prague Jews were placed under the protection of the king, although they had to pay for the privilege with heavy taxes. The Prague Ghetto has given rise to many legends, undoubtedly encouraged by its crooked alleyways, secret short cuts and hidden courtyards. The most famous Prague legend concerns the real historical figure of the Rabbi Jehuda Low known as Maharal (1512- 1609), a man of great learning and the spiritual leader of the Prague Jews. As the legend goes, the rabbi used his knowledge of esoteric Jewish mysteries to create an artificial being aut of clay - a golem. The golem 's now
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inanimate body is said to rest to this day in the attic of the Prague Altneu Synagogue. lt was brought to life again in a novel of the same name by the writer Gustav Meyrink, first published in 1915. Although neither a native of Prague nor Jewish, Meyrink was one of the first writers to make Prague famous as a city of magie and dark fantasy.
Franz Kafka AMan of Nis Time and Our Own
Written by Radek Malý. lllustrated by Renáta Fučíková. Academie consultant PhDr. Josef Čermák. Responsible editor Petr Matoušek. Editor Eva Zajíčková. Translated by Anna Bryson Gustová. Type set News Gothic and Amsi Pro produced by Filip Heyduk. Lithography by Pavel Kadlec. Published in 2017 by Práh Press, Patočkova 2386/85, 169 00 Praha 6, as its 633rd publication. Print and binding by FINIDR, s.r.o. 104 pp. First English edition.
ISBN 978-80-7252-676-5 www.prah.cz