The Metamorphosis / Die Verwandlung

This edition contains the English translation and the original text in German.

"The Metamorphosis" (German: "Die Verwandlung", also sometimes translated as "The Transformation") is a novella by Franz Kafka, first published in 1915. It has been cited as one of the seminal works of fiction of the 20th century and is studied in colleges and universities across the Western world. The story begins with a traveling salesman, Gregor Samsa, waking to find himself transformed (metamorphosed) into a large, monstrous insect-like creature. The cause of Samsa's transformation is never revealed, and Kafka never did give an explanation. The rest of Kafka's novella deals with Gregor's attempts to adjust to his new condition as he deals with being burdensome to his parents and sister, who are repulsed by the horrible, verminous creature Gregor has become.

"Die Verwandlung" ist eine im Jahr 1912 entstandene Erzählung von Franz Kafka, die in seinem Gesamtwerk eine herausragende Stellung einnimmt. Der Text wurde zunächst 1915 im Oktoberheft der Zeitschrift "Die Weißen Blätter" unter der Redaktion von René Schickele veröffentlicht. Die Erstausgabe in Buchform erschien im Dezember 1915 in der Reihe "Der jüngste Tag", herausgegeben von Kurt Wolff.