Title: Vor dem Gesetz

Title: Vor dem Gesetz Title Record # 1614573
Author: Franz Kafka
Date: 1915-09-07
Type: SHORTFICTION
Length: short story
Language: German

Note: Initially written between the midth of October and the midth of November 1914. First published in the independent Jewish weekly magazine Selbstwehr, vol. 9, #34 on September 7, 1915.

Synopsis: A man from the country seeks the law and wishes to gain entry to the law through an open doorway, but the doorkeeper tells the man that he cannot go through at the present time. (Wikipedia)

User Rating: 7.50 (2 votes) Including variants and translations: 8.00 (3 votes) Your vote: Not cast VOTE
Current Tags: fantasy (1), door keeper (1) Add Tags

Other Titles

Translations

Year	Language	Title
1940^ⓘTranslated by an unknown hand	Spanish	Ante la ley
1948^ⓘAlso appears in Kafka's novel The Trial. Translated by Willa Muir and Edwin Muir.	English	Before the Law
1955^ⓘTranslated by Alexandre Vialatte	French	Devant la loi
1976^ⓘTranslated by Emilio Castellani	Italian	Davanti alla legge
1980^ⓘFrom the collection Tutti i racconti, Mondadori 1980; Translated by Ervino Pocar	Italian	Davanti alla legge
1981^ⓘTranslated by J. A. Underwood	English	At the Door of the Law
1982^ⓘTranslated by Henry Furst	Italian	Davanti alla legge
1993^ⓘTranslated by Mike Mitchell.	English	Outside the Law
2003^ⓘ Translated by José Rafael Hernández Arias. Date of the 1st printing of Cuentos completos (Textos originales). Source.	Spanish	Ante la Ley
2007^ⓘTranslated by Michael Hofmann	English	Before the Law
2015^ⓘTranslated by Ian Johnston	English	Before the Law
2024^ⓘTranslated by Mark Harman	English	Before the Law

Publications

Displaying all variants and translations • Do not display translations • Do not display variants or translations

Title	Date	Author/Editor	Publisher/Pub. Series	ISBN/Catalog ID	Price	Pages	Format	Type	Cover Artist
Ein Landarzt: Kleine Erzählungen^?Ein Landarzt: Kleine Erzaehlungen	1920-05-00	Franz Kafka	Kurt Wolff		M 12.00^?M: East German mark. ISO code: DDM in 1948-1990	189	tp^?Trade paperback. Any softcover book which is at least 7.25" (or 19 cm) tall, or at least 4.5" (11.5 cm) wide/deep.	coll
Ein Landarzt: Kleine Erzählungen	1920-05-00	Franz Kafka	Kurt Wolff		M 40.00^?M: East German mark. ISO code: DDM in 1948-1990	189	hc^?Hardcover. Used for all hardbacks of any size.	coll
Ein Landarzt: Kleine Erzählungen	1920-05-00	Franz Kafka	Kurt Wolff			189	hc^?Hardcover. Used for all hardbacks of any size.	coll
Ein Landarzt: Kleine Erzählungen	1920-05-00	Franz Kafka	Kurt Wolff			189	hc^?Hardcover. Used for all hardbacks of any size.	coll
Vor dem Gesetz	1934-00-00	Franz Kafka	Schocken Verlag (Bücherei des Schocken Verlages #19)	19	RM 1.25	80	hc^?Hardcover. Used for all hardbacks of any size.	coll
Erzählungen und kleine Prosa	1935-00-00	Franz Kafka	Schocken Verlag (Franz Kafka: Gesammelte Schriften #1)			280	hc^?Hardcover. Used for all hardbacks of any size.	coll
Antología de la literatura fantástica	1940-12-24	ed. Adolfo Bioy Casares, Jorge Luis Borges, Silvina Ocampo	Editorial Sudamericana (Laberinto)			328	tp^?Trade paperback. Any softcover book which is at least 7.25" (or 19 cm) tall, or at least 4.5" (11.5 cm) wide/deep.	anth
Erzählungen und Kleine Prosa	1946-00-00	Franz Kafka	Schocken Books (Franz Kafka: Gesammelte Schriften #1)			287	hc^?Hardcover. Used for all hardbacks of any size.	coll
The Penal Colony: Stories and Short Pieces	1948-00-00	Franz Kafka	Schocken Books			320	hc^?Hardcover. Used for all hardbacks of any size.	coll
The Penal Colony: Stories and Short Pieces	1949-00-00	Franz Kafka	Schocken Books			320	hc^?Hardcover. Used for all hardbacks of any size.	coll
Das Urteil und andere Erzählungen^?Das Urteil und andere Erzaehlungen	1952-00-00	Franz Kafka	Fischer Bücherei^?Fischer Buecherei ( Fischer Bücherei^?Fischer Buecherei #19)	19	DM 1.90^?DM: German (Deutsche) mark. ISO code: DEM in 1948-1999	201	pb^?Paperback. Typically 7" by 4.25" (18 cm by 11 cm) or smaller, though trimming errors can cause them to sometimes be slightly (less than 1/4 extra inch) taller or wider/deeper.	coll
Erzählungen	1952-00-00	Franz Kafka	S. Fischer (Franz Kafka: Gesammelte Werke)		DM 16.40^?DM: German (Deutsche) mark. ISO code: DEM in 1948-1999	321	hc^?Hardcover. Used for all hardbacks of any size.	coll
The Penal Colony: Stories and Short Pieces	1961-00-00	Franz Kafka	Schocken Books (Schocken Paperbacks #4)		$1.95^?$: US dollar. ISO code: USD	317	tp^?Trade paperback. Any softcover book which is at least 7.25" (or 19 cm) tall, or at least 4.5" (11.5 cm) wide/deep.	coll
The Penal Colony: Stories and Short Pieces	1969-00-00	Franz Kafka	Schocken Books (Schocken Paperbacks #4)			317	tp^?Trade paperback. Any softcover book which is at least 7.25" (or 19 cm) tall, or at least 4.5" (11.5 cm) wide/deep.	coll
Das Urteil und andere Erzählungen^?Das Urteil und andere Erzaehlungen	1970-00-00	Franz Kafka	Fischer Bücherei^?Fischer Buecherei ( Fischer Bücherei^?Fischer Buecherei #19)	19	DM 2.80^?DM: German (Deutsche) mark. ISO code: DEM in 1948-1999	137	pb^?Paperback. Typically 7" by 4.25" (18 cm by 11 cm) or smaller, though trimming errors can cause them to sometimes be slightly (less than 1/4 extra inch) taller or wider/deeper.	coll
Sämtliche Erzählungen	1970-01-00	Franz Kafka	Fischer Bücherei^?Fischer Buecherei ( Fischer Bücherei^?Fischer Buecherei #1078)	1078	DM 5.80^?DM: German (Deutsche) mark. ISO code: DEM in 1948-1999	406	pb^?Paperback. Typically 7" by 4.25" (18 cm by 11 cm) or smaller, though trimming errors can cause them to sometimes be slightly (less than 1/4 extra inch) taller or wider/deeper.	coll
La métamorphose	1970-11-22	Franz Kafka	Le Livre de Poche (Le Livre de Poche #322)			177	pb^?Paperback. Typically 7" by 4.25" (18 cm by 11 cm) or smaller, though trimming errors can cause them to sometimes be slightly (less than 1/4 extra inch) taller or wider/deeper.	coll
The Complete Stories	1971-00-00	Franz Kafka	Schocken Books	0-8052-3419-5		486	hc^?Hardcover. Used for all hardbacks of any size.	coll
The Penal Colony: Stories and Short Pieces	1971-00-00	Franz Kafka	Schocken Books (Schocken Paperbacks #4)		$2.45^?$: US dollar. ISO code: USD	317	tp^?Trade paperback. Any softcover book which is at least 7.25" (or 19 cm) tall, or at least 4.5" (11.5 cm) wide/deep.	coll
Sämtliche Erzählungen	1973-00-00	Franz Kafka	Fischer Taschenbuch ( Fischer Taschenbücher^?Fischer Taschenbuecher #1078)	3-436-01062-6	DM 5.80^?DM: German (Deutsche) mark. ISO code: DEM in 1948-1999	406	pb^?Paperback. Typically 7" by 4.25" (18 cm by 11 cm) or smaller, though trimming errors can cause them to sometimes be slightly (less than 1/4 extra inch) taller or wider/deeper.	coll
La metamorfosi: e altri racconti	1976-03-06	Franz Kafka	Einaudi (Biblioteca giovani #39)			153+ [7]	tp^?Trade paperback. Any softcover book which is at least 7.25" (or 19 cm) tall, or at least 4.5" (11.5 cm) wide/deep.	coll	Max Ernst
Antología de la literatura fantástica	1977-00-00	ed. Adolfo Bioy Casares, Jorge Luis Borges, Silvina Ocampo	Edhasa + Sudamericana (Pocket Edhasa #8)	84-350-0165-2		435	pb^?Paperback. Typically 7" by 4.25" (18 cm by 11 cm) or smaller, though trimming errors can cause them to sometimes be slightly (less than 1/4 extra inch) taller or wider/deeper.	anth
Das Urteil und andere Erzählungen^?Das Urteil und andere Erzaehlungen	1977-06-00	Franz Kafka	Fischer Taschenbuch ( Fischer Taschenbücher^?Fischer Taschenbuecher #19)	3-436-00030-2	DM 2.80^?DM: German (Deutsche) mark. ISO code: DEM in 1948-1999	137	pb^?Paperback. Typically 7" by 4.25" (18 cm by 11 cm) or smaller, though trimming errors can cause them to sometimes be slightly (less than 1/4 extra inch) taller or wider/deeper.	coll	Franz Kafka
Wedding Preparations in the Country and Other Stories	1978-00-00	Franz Kafka	Penguin Books (Penguin Modern Classics)				tp^?Trade paperback. Any softcover book which is at least 7.25" (or 19 cm) tall, or at least 4.5" (11.5 cm) wide/deep.	coll	Edvard Munch
Fiction of the Absurd: Pratfalls in the Void	1980-12-00	ed. Dick Penner	Mentor / New American Library	0-451-61904-8	$3.50^?$: US dollar. ISO code: USD	339	pb^?Paperback. Typically 7" by 4.25" (18 cm by 11 cm) or smaller, though trimming errors can cause them to sometimes be slightly (less than 1/4 extra inch) taller or wider/deeper.	anth	René Magritte^?Rene Magritte
Stories 1904-1924	1981-00-00	Franz Kafka	Macdonald & Co.	0-354-04639-X	£7.95^?£: UK pound. ISO code: GBP	271	hc^?Hardcover. Used for all hardbacks of any size.	coll
I racconti	1982-00-00	Franz Kafka	De Agostini (Capolavori della narrativa)	26134		xii+ 204	tp^?Trade paperback. Any softcover book which is at least 7.25" (or 19 cm) tall, or at least 4.5" (11.5 cm) wide/deep.	coll	Max Ernst
The Complete Stories	1983-00-00	Franz Kafka	Schocken Books	0-8052-3863-8	$22.50^?$: US dollar. ISO code: USD	xxi+ 486	hc^?Hardcover. Used for all hardbacks of any size.	coll
Das Urteil und andere Erzählungen^?Das Urteil und andere Erzaehlungen	1983-05-00	Franz Kafka	Fischer Taschenbuch ( Fischer Taschenbücher^?Fischer Taschenbuecher #19)	3-596-20019-3	DM 3.80^?DM: German (Deutsche) mark. ISO code: DEM in 1948-1999	137	pb^?Paperback. Typically 7" by 4.25" (18 cm by 11 cm) or smaller, though trimming errors can cause them to sometimes be slightly (less than 1/4 extra inch) taller or wider/deeper.	coll	Franz Kafka
Wedding Preparations in the Country and Other Stories	1984-00-00	Franz Kafka	Penguin Books (Penguin Modern Classics)	0-14-004441-8	£2.95^?£: UK pound. ISO code: GBP	190	tp^?Trade paperback. Any softcover book which is at least 7.25" (or 19 cm) tall, or at least 4.5" (11.5 cm) wide/deep.	coll	Edvard Munch
Wedding Preparations in the Country and Other Stories	1987-00-00	Franz Kafka	Penguin Books (Penguin Modern Classics)	0-14-004441-8	£3.95^?£: UK pound. ISO code: GBP	190	tp^?Trade paperback. Any softcover book which is at least 7.25" (or 19 cm) tall, or at least 4.5" (11.5 cm) wide/deep.	coll	Edvard Munch
The Book of Fantasy	1988-11-00	ed. Jorge Luis Borges, A. Bioy Casares, Silvina Ocampo	Viking	0-670-82393-7	$19.95^?$: US dollar. ISO code: USD	384	hc^?Hardcover. Used for all hardbacks of any size.	anth
The Book of Fantasy	1988-11-00	ed. Jorge Luis Borges, A. Bioy Casares, Silvina Ocampo	Xanadu	0-947761-44-6	£14.95^?£: UK pound. ISO code: GBP	384	hc^?Hardcover. Used for all hardbacks of any size.	anth
The Book of Fantasy	1989-06-00	ed. Jorge Luis Borges, A. Bioy Casares, Silvina Ocampo	Viking / QPBC		$9.95^?$: US dollar. ISO code: USD	384	tp^?Trade paperback. Any softcover book which is at least 7.25" (or 19 cm) tall, or at least 4.5" (11.5 cm) wide/deep.	anth
The Book of Fantasy	1990-08-00	ed. Jorge Luis Borges, A. Bioy Casares, Silvina Ocampo	Black Swan	0-552-99401-4	£5.99^?£: UK pound. ISO code: GBP	523	tp^?Trade paperback. Any softcover book which is at least 7.25" (or 19 cm) tall, or at least 4.5" (11.5 cm) wide/deep.	anth	Stephen Player
The Book of Fantasy	1990-09-00	ed. Jorge Luis Borges, A. Bioy Casares, Silvina Ocampo	Carroll & Graf	0-88184-656-2	$10.95^?$: US dollar. ISO code: USD	384	tp^?Trade paperback. Any softcover book which is at least 7.25" (or 19 cm) tall, or at least 4.5" (11.5 cm) wide/deep.	anth
The Little Book of Horrors	1992-04-00	ed. Sebastian Wolfe	Xanadu	0-947761-45-4	£6.99^?£: UK pound. ISO code: GBP	126	tp^?Trade paperback. Any softcover book which is at least 7.25" (or 19 cm) tall, or at least 4.5" (11.5 cm) wide/deep.	anth	Tony Johannot
The Dedalus / Ariadne Book of Austrian Fantasy: The Meyrink Years 1890-1930	1993-01-00	ed. Mike Mitchell	Dedalus (European Literary Fantasy Anthologies)	0-946626-93-6	£8.99^?£: UK pound. ISO code: GBP	416	tp^?Trade paperback. Any softcover book which is at least 7.25" (or 19 cm) tall, or at least 4.5" (11.5 cm) wide/deep.	anth	Gustav Klimt
The Dedalus / Ariadne Book of Austrian Fantasy: The Meyrink Years 1890-1930	1993-01-00	ed. Mike Mitchell	Ariadne Press (Studies in Austrian Literature, Culture, and Thought: Translation Series)	0-929497-63-5		416	tp^?Trade paperback. Any softcover book which is at least 7.25" (or 19 cm) tall, or at least 4.5" (11.5 cm) wide/deep.	anth	Gustav Klimt
Collected Stories	1993-09-16	Franz Kafka	Alfred A. Knopf (Everyman's Library)	1-85715-145-3		503	hc^?Hardcover. Used for all hardbacks of any size.	coll
Sämtliche Erzählungen	1994-01-00	Franz Kafka	Fischer Taschenbuch ( Fischer Taschenbücher^?Fischer Taschenbuecher #1078)	3-596-21078-X	DM 14.90^?DM: German (Deutsche) mark. ISO code: DEM in 1948-1999	406	pb^?Paperback. Typically 7" by 4.25" (18 cm by 11 cm) or smaller, though trimming errors can cause them to sometimes be slightly (less than 1/4 extra inch) taller or wider/deeper.	coll	Franz Kafka
Drucke zu Lebzeiten	1994-10-00	Franz Kafka	S. Fischer	3-10-038155-6	DM 68.00^?DM: German (Deutsche) mark. ISO code: DEM in 1948-1999	457	hc^?Hardcover. Used for all hardbacks of any size.	coll
Ein Landarzt: Kleine Erzählungen	1994-10-00	Franz Kafka	Wagenbach	3-8031-3577-X	DM 48.00^?DM: German (Deutsche) mark. ISO code: DEM in 1948-1999	79+ [1]	hc^?Hardcover. Used for all hardbacks of any size.	coll	Franz Kafka
Ein Landarzt und andere Drucke zu Lebzeiten	1994-11-00	Franz Kafka	Fischer Taschenbuch ( Franz Kafka: Gesammelte Werke in zwölf Bänden^?Franz Kafka: Gesammelte Werke in zwoelf Baenden #1)	3-596-12441-7	DM 14.90^?DM: German (Deutsche) mark. ISO code: DEM in 1948-1999	370+ [3]	pb^?Paperback. Typically 7" by 4.25" (18 cm by 11 cm) or smaller, though trimming errors can cause them to sometimes be slightly (less than 1/4 extra inch) taller or wider/deeper.	coll	Irina Ionesco
The Complete Stories	1995-10-00	Franz Kafka	Schocken Books (Schocken Kafka Library)	0-8052-1055-5	$15.00^?$: US dollar. ISO code: USD	xxi+ 486	tp^?Trade paperback. Any softcover book which is at least 7.25" (or 19 cm) tall, or at least 4.5" (11.5 cm) wide/deep.	coll
Ein Landarzt: Kleine Erzählungen	1999-00-00	Franz Kafka	Wagenbach	3-8031-1182-X	DM 24.80^?DM: German (Deutsche) mark. ISO code: DEM in 1948-1999	viii+ 85+ [3]	hc^?Hardcover. Used for all hardbacks of any size.	coll
The Dedalus Book of Austrian Fantasy: 1890-2000	2003-04-00	ed. Mike Mitchell	Dedalus	1-903517-13-3	£11.99^?£: UK pound. ISO code: GBP	401	tp^?Trade paperback. Any softcover book which is at least 7.25" (or 19 cm) tall, or at least 4.5" (11.5 cm) wide/deep.	anth	Friedensreich Hundertwasser
The Complete Short Stories	2005-00-00	Franz Kafka	Vintage (UK) (Vintage Classics)	978-0-7493-9946-7	£9.99^?£: UK pound. ISO code: GBP	vii+ 486	tp^?Trade paperback. Any softcover book which is at least 7.25" (or 19 cm) tall, or at least 4.5" (11.5 cm) wide/deep.	coll	Anna Crone
Metamorphosis and Other Stories	2007-01-25	Franz Kafka	Penguin Books (Penguin Modern Classics)	978-0-14-118812-6	£8.99^?£: UK pound. ISO code: GBP	xvi+ 299	tp^?Trade paperback. Any softcover book which is at least 7.25" (or 19 cm) tall, or at least 4.5" (11.5 cm) wide/deep.	coll	Jacob Sutton
Antologia della letteratura fantastica: nuova edizione	2007-11-27	ed. Adolfo Bioy Casares, Jorge Luis Borges, Silvina Ocampo	Einaudi (ET #34)	978-88-06-18635-7 / 18635	€17.80^?€: Euro. ISO code: EUR	xxx+ 530	tp^?Trade paperback. Any softcover book which is at least 7.25" (or 19 cm) tall, or at least 4.5" (11.5 cm) wide/deep.	anth	Luigi Serafini
The Complete Stories	2012-10-24	Franz Kafka	Schocken Books	978-0-307-82945-0	$12.99^?$: US dollar. ISO code: USD		ebook^?Used for all electronic formats, including but not limited to EPUB, eReader, HTML, iBook, Mobipocket, and PDF.	coll
Cuentos completos (Textos originales)	2014-10-00	Franz Kafka	Valdemar (El Club Diógenes #204)	978-84-7702-672-3 / CD-204		662	hc^?Hardcover. Used for all hardbacks of any size.	coll	Alfred Kubin
Collected Stories	2015-01-28	Franz Kafka	Everyman's Library	978-0-375-71269-2	$12.99^?$: US dollar. ISO code: USD		ebook^?Used for all electronic formats, including but not limited to EPUB, eReader, HTML, iBook, Mobipocket, and PDF.	coll
The Metamorphosis and Other Stories	2015-04-30	Franz Kafka	Broadview Press	978-1-55481-224-0	C$13.95^?C$: Canadian dollar. ISO code: CAD	170	tp^?Trade paperback. Any softcover book which is at least 7.25" (or 19 cm) tall, or at least 4.5" (11.5 cm) wide/deep.	coll
Selected Stories	2024-05-21	Franz Kafka	Belknap Press / Harvard University Press	978-0-674-73798-3	$29.95^?$: US dollar. ISO code: USD	xvi+ 304	hc^?Hardcover. Used for all hardbacks of any size.	coll	Franz Kafka
Collected Stories	date unknown	Franz Kafka	Alfred A. Knopf	978-0-679-42303-4			ebook^?Used for all electronic formats, including but not limited to EPUB, eReader, HTML, iBook, Mobipocket, and PDF.	coll
Les chefs-d'œuvre de l'épouvante^?Les chefs-d'oeuvre de l'épouvante	date unknown	ed. Jacques Bergier, Alex Grall, Jacques Sternberg	Planète (Anthologie Planète)			472	hc^?Hardcover. Used for all hardbacks of any size.	anth	Gourmelin

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Reviews

Review by Hartmut Binder (1993) in
"Vor dem Gesetz": Einführung in Kafkas Welt^?"Vor dem Gesetz": Einfuehrung in Kafkas Welt
Review [English] by Peter Young (2015) in Big Sky, #5: Hotel Catatonia