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Title: Der Verschollene

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Title: Der Verschollene Title Record # 1484815
Author: Franz Kafka
Date: 1927-00-00
Type: NOVEL
Series: Karl Roßmann
Language: German
Note:
  • A first version of this novel was begun in the Spring of 1912 but is lost.
  • The published work was begun in the autumn of 1912, but Kafka stopped his writing on the text in December of the same year (he may have done some revision in January 1913). The final, somewhat isolated chapter was written in the October of 1914.
  • The first chapter was published as "Der Heizer" ('The Stoker') in 1913 by Kurt Wolff.
  • The original publication was initiated by Max Brod as "Amerika", but Kafka wrote of this unfinished novel as "Der Verschollene", which is now the common title.
Synopsis:
  • Beginning with Karl Roßmann's landing in New York's harbour, this unfinished novel then sets out to describe the protagonist's adventures in the USA - first at his uncle's home, then, after being shunned, traveling around and getting under the influence of various powers.
  • John Clute describes this America in SFE as dystopian and the final chapter where Roßmann finds the Nature Theatre of Oklahoma is more or less surreal.
User Rating: 8.00 (1 vote) Including variants and translations: 7.50 (2 votes) Your vote: Not cast VOTE
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Other Titles

Variant Titles Translations
Year Title
1927The original publication was initiated by Max Brod as "Amerika", but Kafka wrote of this unfinished novel as "Der Verschollene", which is now the common title (see there for a synopsis).
Amerika
1983 Der Verschollene in der Fassung der Handschrift
Year Language Title
1938Translated by Willa Muir and Edwin Muir
English America
1940Translated by Willa Muir and Edwin Muir, or by Edwin Muir (the New Directions edition credits it to Edwin alone although it is apparently the same translation which is elsewhere credited to both Willa and Edwin).
English Amerika
1972Translated by Alberto Spaini
Italian America
1996Translated by Michael Hofmann
English The Man Who Disappeared (Amerika)
2007Translated by Michael Hofmann
English Amerika: The Man Who Disappeared
2008Translated by Mark Harman
English Amerika: The Missing Person
2012Translated by Ritchie Robertson
English The Man Who Disappeared (America)

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