Franz Kafka (1883-1924) was a Czech-born, German-speaking author of some of the most important literature of the twentieth century, including Metamorphosis (1912), The Trial (1925), and Amerika (1927).
J. A. Underwood (translator; 1930-2018) was recognized by the Society of Authors for his translation of The Castle and has translated a wide variety of modern authors, among them Elias Canetti, Jean-Paul Sartre, Julien Green, and Alain Robbe-Grillet. Idris Parry (introduction; 1916-2008) was a professor and scholar of modern German literature at the University of Manchester.