Conversations with Kafka by Janouch Gustav

Author:Janouch, Gustav
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780811221023
Publisher: New Directions
Published: 2012-01-25T16:00:00+00:00

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‘Jews and Germans have much in common,’ said Kafka, in a conversation about Dr Karel Kramář.54 ‘They are energetic, able, industrious, and thoroughly detested by everyone else. Jews and Germans are outcasts.’

‘Perhaps they are hated for the very qualities you mention,’ I said.

But Kafka shook his head.

‘Oh, no! There is a much deeper reason. In the end, it is a religious reason. In the case of the Jews, this is clear. In the case of the Germans, it is not so apparent, because their temple has not yet been destroyed. But that will come.’

‘What do you mean?’ I said in bewilderment. ‘After all, the Germans are not a theocracy. They have no national God in a temple of his own.’

‘So most people think, but in fact it is not so,’ said Kafka. ‘The Germans have the God, who made the iron grow. His temple is the Prussian General Staff.’

We laughed. Franz Kafka, however, declared that he was perfectly serious and only laughed because I did. His laughter was only an infection.

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