Franz Kafka

Written by Franz Kafka and often considered to be his magnum opus, "The Metamorphosis" tells the story of one young traveling salesman, Gregor Samsa, who inexplicably wakes up as a giant insect. Despite the novella's short length, Franz Kafka manages to provide a deep insight into the human condition, ironically through the eyes of a cockroach. Though "The Metamorphosis" can seem depressing at times, the overall message is quite hopeful. The novel keeps its reader enthralled with a good balance of absurdist and realist elements. "The Metamorphosis" is so much more than a story about a man turning into a beetle. It is about the reaction of Gregor Samsa's family to the change, plus a clever way of writing about how a family would deal with the main breadwinner in the house becoming unable to work, and, on a wider scope, the way a family reacts to someone who is disabled or terminally ill. The descriptive writing in "The Metamorphosis" is excellent, and though it is quite a sad tale, it is also very funny in parts-enough to make readers laugh out loud. Though written nearly 100 years ago, "The Metamorphosis" is amazingly relevant to today's world, and remains a great read.