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The Metamorphosis
- Narrated by: Ralph Cosham
- Length: 2 hrs and 3 mins
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The Metamorphosis
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Summary
With this startling, bizarre, yet surprisingly funny first sentence, Kafka begins his masterpiece, The Metamorphosis. It is the story of a young traveling salesman who, transformed overnight into a giant, beetle-like insect, becomes an object of disgrace to his family, an outsider in his own home, a quintessentially alienated man. Rather than being surprised at the transformation, the members of his family despise it as an impending burden upon themselves.
A harrowing - though absurdly comic - meditation on human feelings of inadequacy, guilt, and isolation, The Metamorphosis has taken its place as one of the most widely read and influential works of 20th-century fiction. As W. H. Auden wrote, “Kafka is important to us because his predicament is the predicament of modern man.”
FRANZ KAFKA (1883–1924), one of the major fiction writers of the twentieth century, was born to a middle-class German-speaking Jewish family in Prague. His unique body of writing, much of which is incomplete and was mainly published posthumously, is considered by some people to be among the most influential in Western literature, inspiring such writers as Albert Camus, Rex Warner, and Samuel Beckett.
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What listeners say about The Metamorphosis
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- martin white
- 31-01-22
short but sweet
A funny little tale, and I couldn't help feel sorry for the protagonist who wakes up as a bug. He reminded me of a shy dog/naughty child. The ending ends ambiguously as I am sure Kafka intended. I loved this cute, short and fun yarn and you can takeaway what you feel from it and not what you are told to think. A classic for a reason
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- David Bentley
- 15-07-24
clarity
liked it all it all it all it all it all it all it allit all it all need seven unique wods said the text below
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Megan
- 08-09-21
Beautifully read, captivating despite its fantastical premise
Beautifully read. It’s a strange and surreal story, but somehow psychologically compelling. It’s also a very short book!
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Anna
- 08-09-21
A not so exciting classic
Quick "read" but not too exciting, very well written but did not live up to the hype.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Ms. L. Benjamin
- 14-09-22
Well-narrated classic
It's a long time since I read this and I really liked it. An unusual book.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Kindle Customer.
- 21-06-23
Finally heard it!
I've been meaning to read this for some time and then recently somebody was saying it was one of their favourite books and then I noticed it on Audible so decided to try it as an audiobook. I think I was expecting something more like The Fly but it was nothing like it and I really enjoyed it.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- ryan bell
- 27-04-23
delightfully absurd!
Amazing to think this was written over 100 years ago, and the absolute absurdity given the times!! a fantastic book that I never tire of reading!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- GenKaan
- 09-02-15
Poor Gregor
Where does The Metamorphosis rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?
It was good, Id say top 5 because it was easy to consume and unlike anything else I've listened to.
Who was your favorite character and why?
Gregor because it seemed like there was no one who cared for him other than his sister.
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
This is the first book Id say you could finish in one sitting. Fairly lightweight, strange but interesting. A classic for good reason
Any additional comments?
Guess you can take a lot of different things from this but I felt like it was a interesting take on growing old, getting to a point where you are not as useful as you used to and people don't depend on you anymore. Or like how some one who ends up in a wheelchair could feel. Poor Gregor
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4 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 24-02-22
Masterpiece delivered perfectly
One of the most important and captivating tales ever told. Timeless-so much to say about human existence and the pain of isolation (perfects depicting Kafka's own emotional pain?). Delivered just as Kafka would have wanted it to be i'm sure. Thoroughly enjoyable and thought provoking.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Ispendtoomuch
- 26-05-22
Very interesting listen and open to interpretation
A relatively easy if slightly unsettling listen. Well written and narrated, I'd be interested to discuss in a book club what the meaning of the book is as it's very much up to your own interpretation.
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