The complete guide to Franz Kafka’s published works, original collections, posthumous writings and reading order.
📚 Franz Kafka: Complete Bibliography
Franz Kafka (1883–1924) occupies a unique place in world literature. Although he published relatively little during his lifetime, his novels, short stories, parables, diaries and correspondence became some of the most influential writings of the twentieth century.
His literary legacy presents an unusual bibliographical challenge.
Kafka completed none of his three novels. Many of his stories survived only as manuscripts or fragments, and much of his work appeared after his death through the efforts of his friend and literary executor, Max Brod.
Kafka had instructed Brod to destroy his unpublished writings. Brod ignored that request, preserving manuscripts that would eventually transform Kafka into one of the defining figures of literary modernism.
This bibliography follows the first publication of individual works and original collections, distinguishing between works published during Kafka’s lifetime and those released posthumously.
Individual stories are grouped beneath their original collections wherever possible. Later translations, selected editions and omnibus volumes are identified separately to avoid unnecessary duplication.
📖 Complete Publication Timeline
| Year | Work | Original Title | Category |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1908 | Contemplations (eight early prose pieces) | Betrachtungen | Magazine publication |
| 1912 | Contemplation / Meditation | Betrachtung | Short prose collection |
| 1913 | The Judgment | Das Urteil | Short story |
| 1913 | The Stoker | Der Heizer | Novella / novel fragment |
| 1915 | The Metamorphosis | Die Verwandlung | Novella |
| 1916 | The Judgment (separate edition) | Das Urteil | Individual book edition |
| 1919 | In the Penal Colony | In der Strafkolonie | Short story / separate book |
| 1919–1920 | A Country Doctor | Ein Landarzt | Short story collection |
| 1924 | A Hunger Artist | Ein Hungerkünstler | Short story collection |
| 1925 | The Trial | Der Process | Unfinished novel, posthumous |
| 1926 | The Castle | Das Schloss | Unfinished novel, posthumous |
| 1927 | Amerika / The Man Who Disappeared | Der Verschollene | Unfinished novel, posthumous |
| 1931 | The Great Wall of China | Beim Bau der Chinesischen Mauer | Posthumous prose collection |
| 1930s | Early selections from the diaries | Tagebücher | Posthumous diaries |
| 1936 | Description of a Struggle and related prose | Beschreibung eines Kampfes | Posthumous prose |
| 1952 | Letters to Milena | Briefe an Milena | Correspondence |
| 1952 | Letter to His Father | Brief an den Vater | Autobiographical letter |
| 1953 | Wedding Preparations in the Country and Other Posthumous Prose Writings | Hochzeitsvorbereitungen auf dem Lande | Posthumous prose |
| 1958 | Letters 1902–1924 | Briefe 1902–1924 | Correspondence |
| 1967 | Letters to Felice | Briefe an Felice | Correspondence |
| 1971 | The Complete Stories | — | Collected fiction |
| 1974 | Letters to Ottla and the Family | Briefe an Ottla und die Familie | Correspondence |
| 1990 | Letters to His Parents, 1922–1924 | — | Correspondence |
| 1992–1993 | Writings and Fragments from the Estate | Nachgelassene Schriften und Fragmente | Critical editions |
| 2004 | The Office Writings | — | Professional and nonfiction writings |
Publication note: The dates of some early Kafka collections vary between bibliographies because a book could be printed late in one year but carry the following year’s date. Contemplation, for example, appeared at the end of 1912 while bearing a 1913 publication date.
Likewise, some posthumous volumes were issued in different arrangements, translations or editorial versions. The dates above identify the principal publication milestones rather than every subsequent edition.
📚 Novels – Complete List
Kafka wrote three novels. All remained unfinished and were published after his death.
1. The Trial (1925)
Original: Der Process / Der Prozess
Written: 1914–1915
Status: Unfinished; published posthumously
Romanian: Procesul
Josef K. is arrested without being told what crime he has committed. His attempts to obtain an explanation draw him deeper into an incomprehensible judicial system.
The novel explores guilt, institutional power, bureaucratic absurdity and the individual’s inability to defend himself against an authority he cannot understand.
2. The Castle (1926)
Original: Das Schloss
Written: 1922
Status: Unfinished; published posthumously
Romanian: Castelul
A land surveyor known as K. arrives in a village and struggles to establish contact with the inaccessible authorities of a mysterious castle.
The novel examines alienation, exclusion, belonging and the endless pursuit of recognition.
3. Amerika / The Man Who Disappeared (1927)
Original: Der Verschollene
Written: 1912–1914
Status: Unfinished; published posthumously
Romanian: America
Young Karl Rossmann is sent to America, where he encounters unfamiliar social systems, shifting fortunes and increasingly strange circumstances.
Max Brod published the work under the title Amerika. The title The Man Who Disappeared reflects Kafka’s original designation and is used by later editions.
Important: The Stoker is part of this novel and was published separately during Kafka’s lifetime. It should not be counted as a fourth novel.
📕 Short Fiction Published During Kafka’s Lifetime
Contemplation / Meditation (1912)
Original: Betrachtung
Category: Collection of 18 short prose pieces
Kafka’s first book-length publication brought together brief observations, miniature narratives and psychological sketches.
The collection contains:
- Children on a Country Road
- Unmasking a Confidence Trickster
- The Sudden Walk
- Resolutions
- Excursion into the Mountains
- The Fate of a Bachelor
- The Tradesman
- Absent-Minded Window-Gazing
- The Way Home
- Passers-by
- On the Tram
- Clothes
- The Rejection
- Reflections for Gentlemen-Jockeys
- The Street Window
- The Wish to Be a Red Indian
- The Trees
- Unhappiness
English titles vary between translators. These are individual works within Contemplation, not eighteen separate books.
The Judgment (1913)
Original: Das Urteil
Category: Short story
One of Kafka’s most significant early stories, examining the relationship between a son and his father through psychological confrontation and devastating authority.
Although subsequently issued as a separate book, it remains one literary work.
The Stoker (1913)
Original: Der Heizer
Category: Novella / novel fragment
The opening section of the unfinished novel later published as Amerika / The Man Who Disappeared.
Its separate publication is bibliographically important, but its text should not be counted twice.
The Metamorphosis (1915)
Original: Die Verwandlung
Category: Novella
Romanian: Metamorfoza
Gregor Samsa awakens to discover that he has undergone an extraordinary transformation.
The novella explores family responsibility, exclusion, usefulness, identity and the fragility of human relationships.
It is one of Kafka’s most frequently translated and independently published works.
In the Penal Colony (1919)
Original: In der Strafkolonie
Written: 1914
Category: Short story
Romanian: Colonia penitenciară
An officer demonstrates an elaborate punishment apparatus to a visiting explorer.
The story examines cruelty, authority, justice, obedience and the disturbing relationship between institutions and violence.
📚 A Country Doctor (1919–1920)
Original: Ein Landarzt: Kleine Erzählungen
Category: Short story collection
One of Kafka’s major collections published during his lifetime.
Complete contents
- The New Advocate — Der neue Advokat
- A Country Doctor — Ein Landarzt
- Up in the Gallery — Auf der Galerie
- An Old Manuscript — Ein altes Blatt
- Before the Law — Vor dem Gesetz
- Jackals and Arabs — Schakale und Araber
- A Visit to a Mine — Ein Besuch im Bergwerk
- The Next Village — Das nächste Dorf
- An Imperial Message — Eine kaiserliche Botschaft
- The Cares of a Family Man — Die Sorge des Hausvaters
- Eleven Sons — Elf Söhne
- A Fratricide — Ein Brudermord
- A Dream — Ein Traum
- A Report to an Academy — Ein Bericht für eine Akademie
Several of these works had appeared individually in magazines before their inclusion in the collection.
Note: Before the Law also appears within The Trial. Its independent publication and its appearance in the novel are recorded without treating it as two distinct stories.
📚 A Hunger Artist (1924)
Original: Ein Hungerkünstler: Vier Geschichten
Category: Short story collection
Prepared during Kafka’s final years and published in 1924, the year of his death.
Complete contents
- First Sorrow — Erstes Leid
- A Little Woman — Eine kleine Frau
- A Hunger Artist — Ein Hungerkünstler
- Josephine the Singer, or the Mouse Folk — Josefine, die Sängerin oder Das Volk der Mäuse
The collection brings together stories concerned with artistic vocation, public recognition, isolation and the difficult relationship between individuals and their communities.
📚 Posthumously Published Short Fiction and Fragments
Kafka left a substantial body of unpublished writing.
Some texts are complete stories. Others survive as unfinished narratives, sketches, parables, notebook entries or fragments.
Major individually identifiable works
| Work | Original Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Description of a Struggle | Beschreibung eines Kampfes | Early unfinished narrative |
| Wedding Preparations in the Country | Hochzeitsvorbereitungen auf dem Lande | Unfinished narrative |
| The Great Wall of China | Beim Bau der Chinesischen Mauer | Fragmentary story |
| The Hunter Gracchus | Der Jäger Gracchus | Posthumous prose |
| The Bridge | Die Brücke | Short prose |
| The Bucket Rider | Der Kübelreiter | Short story |
| The Knock at the Manor Gate | Der Schlag ans Hoftor | Short prose |
| The Village Schoolmaster | Der Dorfschullehrer | Unfinished narrative |
| The Burrow | Der Bau | Unfinished story |
| Investigations of a Dog | Forschungen eines Hundes | Long story |
| The Married Couple | Das Ehepaar | Short story |
| The Silence of the Sirens | Das Schweigen der Sirenen | Parable |
| Prometheus | Prometheus | Short prose |
| Poseidon | Poseidon | Short prose |
| The City Coat of Arms | Das Stadtwappen | Short prose |
| The Helmsman | Der Steuermann | Short prose |
| The Truth About Sancho Panza | Die Wahrheit über Sancho Pansa | Short prose |
| The Departure | Der Aufbruch | Short prose |
| The Test | Die Prüfung | Short prose |
| Home-Coming | Heimkehr | Short prose |
| A Common Confusion | Eine alltägliche Verwirrung | Short prose |
| The Problem of Our Laws | Zur Frage der Gesetze | Short prose |
The surviving fragments are substantially more numerous than the named works above. Many do not have author-assigned titles and are grouped differently by editors.
For a genuinely comprehensive reading of this material, critical editions of Kafka’s literary estate are more reliable than lists that give artificial titles to every notebook fragment.
Major posthumous prose collections and editions
- The Great Wall of China (1931) — A collection of previously unpublished prose.
- Description of a Struggle (1936 and later editions) — Early prose and fragmentary writing.
- Wedding Preparations in the Country and Other Posthumous Prose Writings (1953) — Posthumous fiction and fragments.
- The Complete Stories (1971) — An English-language collection assembling Kafka’s shorter narrative fiction.
- Writings and Fragments from the Estate, Volumes I–II (1992–1993) — Critical editions of surviving prose manuscripts and fragments.
The Complete Stories – Omnibus Edition
The Complete Stories is particularly useful for readers and collectors because it brings Kafka’s short narrative works into one volume.
It includes stories published during Kafka’s life alongside material recovered from his literary estate.
It does not replace the three unfinished novels, the correspondence or the diaries.
Readers who own this collection should check its contents before purchasing individual short-story volumes, as considerable overlap is inevitable.
📓 Diaries, Notebooks and Aphorisms
Kafka maintained diaries and notebooks containing personal observations, dreams, literary drafts, fragments, reflections and travel notes.
Major publications
- Diaries, 1910–1923 — Published posthumously in several editorial arrangements, selections and translations.
- Travel Diaries — Travel observations, frequently included in broader diary editions.
- The Blue Octavo Notebooks — Notebook writings and reflections from the later 1910s.
- The Zürau Aphorisms — Aphoristic writings composed principally in 1917–1918.
- The Diaries of Franz Kafka — Later complete or critically restored editions of the notebooks.
These editions are not necessarily interchangeable.
Some reproduce Max Brod’s editorial arrangements, while later critical editions restore previously omitted passages, manuscript order and material such as literary drafts.
Collectors should therefore distinguish between selected diaries, Brod-edited diaries and complete critical editions.
✉️ Letters and Correspondence
Kafka’s surviving correspondence is extensive and forms an essential part of his literary legacy.
Major published collections
| Publication | Year | Category |
|---|---|---|
| Letter to His Father | 1952 | Autobiographical letter |
| Letters to Milena | 1952 | Correspondence |
| Letters 1902–1924 | 1958 | Collected correspondence |
| Letters to Felice | 1967 | Correspondence |
| Letters to Ottla and the Family | 1974 | Family correspondence |
| Letters to His Parents, 1922–1924 | 1990 | Family correspondence |
| Letters 1900–1912 | 1999 | Critical correspondence |
| Letters 1913–March 1914 | 1999 | Critical correspondence |
| Letters April 1914–1917 | 2005 | Critical correspondence |
Letter to His Father
Original: Brief an den Vater
Written: 1919
Romanian: Scrisoare către tata
A long, deeply personal letter addressed to Hermann Kafka, examining their difficult relationship and the emotional consequences Kafka associated with his upbringing.
The letter was never delivered to his father.
Letters to Milena
Original: Briefe an Milena
Kafka’s correspondence with Milena Jesenská, a journalist and translator who played a significant role in his life.
Letters to Felice
Original: Briefe an Felice
An extensive record of Kafka’s relationship with Felice Bauer, documenting his emotional conflicts, literary ambitions and anxieties about marriage.
Letters to Ottla and the Family
Kafka’s correspondence with his sister Ottla and other family members provides a different perspective on his personal relationships, daily life and health.
Edition note: Later volumes of correspondence may overlap with earlier selections. They are identified as documentary editions, not as newly written literary works.
🖋️ Essays, Professional Writings and Other Nonfiction
Kafka was professionally involved in accident insurance and administrative work.
His surviving professional documents include reports, memoranda, legal-administrative texts and contributions prepared in connection with his employment.
The Office Writings (2004)
A major collection documenting Kafka’s professional writing and the institutional world in which he worked.
It provides valuable context for his familiarity with bureaucracy, employment structures, legal language and modern administrative systems.
Poetry and Other Literary Forms
Kafka’s literary estate includes poetic prose, aphorisms, miniature narratives, sketches and fragments.
He did not establish a substantial, separately published poetry collection comparable to his major prose books.
Rather than inventing a poetry bibliography, this guide identifies the notebook and critical editions in which his brief poetic and aphoristic writings are preserved.
📚 Does Franz Kafka Have a Book Series?
No. Kafka did not write a conventional fictional series.
His three unfinished novels are independent works.
Although Amerika, The Trial and The Castle are sometimes discussed together because of their recurring themes, they are not instalments of a continuous narrative.
Readers can approach them in any order.
Recommended Reading Order
- The Metamorphosis
- The Judgment
- In the Penal Colony
- A Country Doctor
- A Hunger Artist
- The Trial
- The Castle
- Amerika / The Man Who Disappeared
- Posthumous short fiction and fragments
- Diaries, notebooks and letters
This is a suggested reading progression, not an official sequence.
Novels in Order of Composition
- Amerika / The Man Who Disappeared — begun in 1912
- The Trial — begun in 1914
- The Castle — written in 1922
Novels in Publication Order
- The Trial — 1925
- The Castle — 1926
- Amerika — 1927
🇷🇴 Franz Kafka: Romanian Translations and Editions
Kafka has a substantial publication history in Romania.
The following catalogue identifies verified Romanian editions and important translation collections. Later reprints of the same text are not counted as separate literary works.
Romanian Novels
| Original Work | Romanian Title | Publisher | Verified Edition Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Trial | Procesul | Polirom | 2018 |
| The Trial | Procesul | Polirom | 2019, different edition |
| The Castle | Castelul | Polirom | 2018 |
| Amerika | America | Polirom | 2013 |
| Amerika | America | Litera | 2015 |
The 2018 Polirom edition of Castelul uses a translation by Mariana Bărbulescu.
The 2013 Polirom edition of America credits Simion Pop and Erika Voiculescu.
The presence of multiple editions in this table documents different verified Romanian publications. It does not mean collectors need to acquire all of them.
Romanian Short Fiction and Complete Prose
Metamorfoza. Integrala prozei antume
Publisher: Humanitas Fiction
First verified Humanitas Fiction edition: 2017
Later verified edition: 2024
Translation and notes: Mircea Ivănescu
Editor: Cristina Cioabă
This volume brings together Kafka’s prose published during his lifetime.
For Romanian readers, it is an especially important collection because it consolidates material otherwise scattered across individual books and anthologies.
Vizuina. Proză postumă
Publisher: Humanitas Fiction
Verified edition: 2019
Translation and notes: Mircea Ivănescu
Editor: Roxana Albu
A substantial collection of Kafka’s posthumous prose.
Together with Metamorfoza. Integrala prozei antume, it provides an extensive Romanian-language route through Kafka’s shorter fiction.
Metamorfoza şi alte povestiri
Publisher: Polirom
Category: Short fiction collection
Polirom has published this collection in more than one format and edition.
The specific contents should be checked against the Humanitas volumes before considering it an additional work for a personal collection.
Romanian Diaries and Correspondence
| Title | Publisher | Verified Edition Year |
|---|---|---|
| Scrisoare către tata | Humanitas Fiction | 2025, third edition |
| Jurnal, 1910–1923 | Humanitas Fiction | 2022 |
Scrisoare către tata was translated by Mircea Ivănescu and includes an afterword by Ioana Pârvulescu.
Jurnal, 1910–1923 was translated and annotated by Mircea Ivănescu, with the edition prepared by Roxana Albu.
Important Romanian Collection: Humanitas Fiction
The publisher’s Franz Kafka author series includes:
- Metamorfoza. Integrala prozei antume
- Vizuina. Proză postumă
- Jurnal, 1910–1923
- Scrisoare către tata
This is a particularly useful starting point for anyone building a Romanian-language Kafka collection.
📦 Omnibus Editions, Collected Works and Reprints
Kafka’s bibliography contains numerous editions marketed as Complete Works, Selected Works or Collected Stories.
These should not automatically be treated as additional works.
Important distinctions
Original collection: A collection assembled or published as a distinct book during Kafka’s lifetime, such as Contemplation or A Country Doctor.
Posthumous collection: A volume assembled from unpublished manuscripts or previously scattered writings.
Selected works: An editorial selection that may contain only some stories, novels or fragments.
Complete stories: A collection intended to bring together shorter narrative fiction, without necessarily including novels, diaries or correspondence.
Critical edition: An edition intended to establish and document the text of surviving manuscripts, including fragments and editorial variants.
Omnibus: A volume combining multiple works already published separately.
For Collectors
If you own The Complete Stories, you may already have most of the shorter fiction found in individual English-language collections.
If you own both Humanitas Fiction’s Metamorfoza. Integrala prozei antume and Vizuina. Proză postumă, you already have extensive coverage of Kafka’s short prose in Romanian.
Neither combination automatically includes all novels, correspondence, diaries or critical manuscript variants.
🦋 Franz Kafka on BookFairy
Explore the Franz Kafka author guide for his biography, literary themes, major works and recommended starting points.
BookFairy Reviews
Individual reviews will be linked here as they become available.
The bibliography is maintained independently of BookFairy’s review ratings, ensuring that it remains a useful catalogue for readers and collectors whether or not every book has been reviewed.
📖 Bibliographical Sources
The following sources support the publication history, original collections, manuscript history and Romanian editions used in this guide.
Kafka’s Life and Original Works
- Franz Kafka Museum — Biography
- Franz Kafka Museum — Fiction
- Franz Kafka Museum — Diaries and Letters
- Franz Kafka Museum — His Works
- Franz Kafka Institute
Original German Texts and Collections
- Project Gutenberg — Franz Kafka
- Project Gutenberg — Betrachtung
- Project Gutenberg — Ein Landarzt
- Project Gutenberg — Ein Hungerkünstler
Collected English Editions
Romanian Publications
- Polirom — Franz Kafka
- Humanitas Fiction — Franz Kafka Author Series
- Humanitas Fiction — Metamorfoza
- Humanitas Fiction — Vizuina
- Humanitas Fiction — Jurnal, 1910–1923
- Humanitas Fiction — Scrisoare către tata
Bibliographical note: Dates refer to original publication milestones unless otherwise specified. Because Kafka’s surviving literary estate includes numerous untitled fragments and variant manuscript versions, the catalogue identifies these through their critical collections rather than assigning speculative individual titles.
