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  • The Metamorphosis

  • Written by: Franz Kafka
  • Narrated by: Ralph Cosham
  • Length: 2 hrs and 3 mins
  • 4.4 out of 5 stars (165 ratings)

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The Metamorphosis

Written by: Franz Kafka
Narrated by: Ralph Cosham
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Publisher's Summary

“One morning, as Gregor Samsa was waking up from anxious dreams, he discovered that in bed he had been changed into a monstrous verminous bug.”

With this startling, bizarre, yet surprisingly funny first sentence, Kafka begins his masterpiece, The Metamorphosis. It is the story of a young traveling salesman who, transformed overnight into a giant, beetle-like insect, becomes an object of disgrace to his family, an outsider in his own home, a quintessentially alienated man. Rather than being surprised at the transformation, the members of his family despise it as an impending burden upon themselves.

A harrowing - though absurdly comic - meditation on human feelings of inadequacy, guilt, and isolation, The Metamorphosis has taken its place as one of the most widely read and influential works of 20th-century fiction. As W. H. Auden wrote, “Kafka is important to us because his predicament is the predicament of modern man.”

FRANZ KAFKA (1883–1924), one of the major fiction writers of the twentieth century, was born to a middle-class German-speaking Jewish family in Prague. His unique body of writing, much of which is incomplete and was mainly published posthumously, is considered by some people to be among the most influential in Western literature, inspiring such writers as Albert Camus, Rex Warner, and Samuel Beckett.

©Public Domain (P)2011 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

What the critics say

“In The Metamorphosis Kafka reached the height of his mastery: he wrote something which he could never surpass, because there is nothing which The Metamorphosis could be surpassed by - one of the few great, perfect poetic works of this century.” (Elias Canetti, winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1981)

What listeners say about The Metamorphosis

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I literally cried

The best book ever. I love Kafka so much it's indescribable!!! My third time listening to it

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How close this is to the current reality of living in the modern age

Felt it too much in the soul, and therefore too much self reflection to my current reality.

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“Would you still love me if I was a worm?”

But as a book, excellent. Enter the world of Gregor Samsa as he slowly turns into a beetle and how his family deals with this development.

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Excellent

Been wanting to read this one for years. Super easy listen to a great narrator. Profound commentary about how we treat each other.

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Really good book that makes you think

Excellent listen for a two hour drive. Really makes you think about how society acts when you don’t “fit the mold”

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entertaining but intellectual

This book is an essential for any reader. It makes you think about things differently

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Very Affecting Story

This reading has left me professing that every-day occurrences like having to wash the dishes are “harrowing, Kafka-esque experiences” much to the chagrin and consternation of all in earshot.

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Loved it

This made me want to read more if his work. The narration was very good. I sampled other books by this author and look forward to hearing more.

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Well performed.

The narrator did a fine job of capturing the tone and spirit of the story.

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Man wakes up as bug, is late for work

I loved the book, it was such a fun short listen. I can definitely relate to Gregor’s story. 5/5👍

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