Modern Literature: Eastern Europe & Central Asia

(Franz) Kafka

• He was a Jewish Czech writer who was born in Prague, Austria-Hungary, in 1883. He wrote and published most of his books in the 1910’s.

• He writes in expressionism, realism, and surrealism, and explores themes of alienation, and loneliness.

• His most known novels are The Trial, which is about a man charged with an unnamed crime, and The Metamorphosis, where the protagonist wakes up as an insect.

(Fyodor) Dostoevsky

• He was a Russian novelist who was born in Moscow, Russia, in 1883. He wrote and published most of his acclaimed books in the 1860’s.

• He writes in psychological fiction, literary fiction, philosophical fiction, and theological fiction, often incorporating elements of crime fiction, satire, and the political novel. His work is associated with the literary movement of Realism, and his profound exploration of the human psyche, morality, and existential themes has deeply influenced existentialism and 20th-century psychology

• His most known novels are The Trial, which is about a man charged with an unnamed crime, and The Metamorphosis, where the protagonist wakes up as an insect.