Kafka Unveiled
Guilt, Desire and the Law
4 classes and readings
When Franz Kafka died at the age of 40, just over 100 years ago, almost no one was familiar with his few published works. Today, he is one of the most revered fiction writers of the past several hundred years, a philosophical social critic who drew on his unique worldview and his Jewishness to create timeless stories and parables.
In this course from My Jewish Learning, you will delve into the unfulfilled longings and moral dilemmas that haunt some of Kafka’s iconic texts. Leading Kafka scholar Benjamin Balint — author of “Kafka’s Last Trial,” which won the prestigious Sami Rohr Prize for Jewish Literature in 2020 — guides you through short stories and some of Kafka’s famous aphorisms, analyzing how the famed novelist navigated guilt, desire and the law.
Your purchase comes with short texts — such as Kafka’s most chilling story, “In the Penal Colony,” and the legendary parable “Before the Law” — to read before each class video.
Don’t hesitate to dive deep into the Kafka-esque universe — because all these years later, Kafka’s work is as vital as ever.
Purchases of this course are non-refundable.
About Your Teacher
Benjamin Balint is the author "Kafka's Last Trial," which won the 2020 Sami Rohr Prize for Jewish Literature and has been published in more than a dozen languages. He is also the author of "Bruno Schulz: An Artist, a Murder, and the Hijacking of History," which won the 2024 National Jewish Book Award in biography. A fellow at the Van Leer Institute, Balint has taught at Dartmouth College and at the Bard College humanities program in Jerusalem.
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About My Jewish Learning
My Jewish Learning is the internet's leading pluralistic Jewish education resource. We offer thousands of articles, videos, live classes and other resources to help you navigate all aspects of Judaism and Jewish life — from Jewish ritual and practice to texts to history and culture.
My Jewish Learning is geared toward all backgrounds and levels of knowledge and is a part of 70 Faces Media, the largest Jewish digital media organization in North America.