Quotes from book
The Metamorphosis

The Metamorphosis
Franz KafkaOriginal title Die Verwandlung (German, 1915)

The Metamorphosis is a novella written by Franz Kafka which was first published in 1915. One of Kafka's best-known works, The Metamorphosis tells the story of salesman Gregor Samsa who wakes one morning to find himself inexplicably transformed into a huge insect , subsequently struggling to adjust to this new condition. The novella has been widely discussed among literary critics, with differing interpretations being offered.


Franz Kafka photo
Franz Kafka photo

“I only fear danger where I want to fear it.”

Franz Kafka book The Metamorphosis

Source: The Metamorphosis

Franz Kafka photo
Franz Kafka photo
Franz Kafka photo
Franz Kafka photo
Franz Kafka photo

“He was a tool of the boss, without brains or backbone.”

Franz Kafka book The Metamorphosis

Source: The Metamorphosis

Franz Kafka photo

“What's happened to me,' he thought. It was no dream.”

Franz Kafka book The Metamorphosis

Source: The Metamorphosis

Franz Kafka photo

“What if I slept a little more and forgot about all this nonsense.”

Franz Kafka book The Metamorphosis

Variant: How about if I sleep a little bit longer and forget all this nonsense.
Source: The Metamorphosis (1915)

Franz Kafka photo
Franz Kafka photo

“As Gregor Samsa awoke one morning from uneasy dreams he found himself transformed in his bed into an enormous insect.”

Franz Kafka book The Metamorphosis

Als Gregor Samsa eines Morgens aus unruhigen Träumen erwachte, fand er sich in seinem Bett zu einem ungeheuren Ungeziefer verwandelt.
First lines
Variant translation (by David Wyllie): One morning, when Gregor Samsa woke from troubled dreams, he found himself transformed in his bed into a horrible vermin.
Source: The Metamorphosis (1915)

Franz Kafka photo
Franz Kafka photo
Franz Kafka photo

“What a fate: to be condemned to work for a firm where the slightest negligence at once gave rise to the gravest suspicion!”

Franz Kafka book The Metamorphosis

The Metamorphosis (1915)
Context: What a fate: to be condemned to work for a firm where the slightest negligence at once gave rise to the gravest suspicion! Were all the employees nothing but a bunch of scoundrels, was there not among them one single loyal devoted man who, had he wasted only an hour or so of the firm's time in the morning, was so tormented by conscience as to be driven out of his mind and actually incapable of leaving his bed?

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