Franz Kafka was born on July 3, 1883 in the Jewish ghetto of Prague. Prague's Jews were doubly outsiders because they spoke German-the official language of the Hapsburg Empire-in a Czech city, yet they were neither Germans nor Czechs. Moreover, as an "assimilated" non-believer, Kafka was an outsider even in the Jewish community.
Partly under his father's influence and partly because he did not believe in making a profession out of writing, Kafka took a law degree and became a clerk for an accident insurance office. The office job provided Kafka with an income and some self-confidence, and he was responsible for a number of policy changes that saved the lives of many workers. Much of...Join Now to View Premium Content
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