The Castle by Franz Kafka
This novel presents the story of a man who arrives in a village and struggles to gain access to the mysterious authorities who govern it from a castle. The protagonist, a surveyor, faces the constant frustration of his efforts to make contact with the elusive authorities and integrate into village society. The book explores themes of alienation, bureaucracy, the seemingly endless frustrations of man's attempts to stand against the system, and the futile pursuit of an unobtainable goal.
The 88th greatest book of all time
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Total Points: 2669
This book was first published in 1926
28 Lists
- score: 219 -- Biblioteca - 2008 (Weight: 190)
- score: 200 -- Top 100 Works in World Literature - 2002 (Weight: 200)
- score: 193 -- The 100 Best Books from 1900 to the Present - 2024 (Weight: 190)
- score: 190 -- 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die - 2006 (Weight: 180)
- score: 190 -- El Pais Favorite Books of 100 Spanish Authors - 2008 (Weight: 190)
- score: 177 -- Finest Works of Fiction - 1980 (Weight: 167)
- score: 169 -- Harenberg Buch der 1000 Bücher - 2005 (Weight: 160)
- score: 160 -- Books of the Century - 1999 (Weight: 160)
- score: 148 -- 1000 Novels Everyone Must Read - 2009 (Weight: 140)
- score: 141 -- The 100 Best Novels of the 20th Century - 1999 (Weight: 118)
- score: 140 -- Best German Novels of the Twentieth Century - 1999 (Weight: 140)
- score: 119 -- Fantasy and Horror: A Critical and Historical Guide - 1999 (Weight: 119)
- score: 94 -- Fifty French Writers Choose Their Favorite 10 Books - Honourable Mention - 2022 (Weight: 89)
- score: 86 -- The 100 Most Important Translations - 2018 (Weight: 80)
- score: 84 -- Books that Shaped the Century - 2020 (Weight: 80)
- score: 81 -- 100 Books of Classical and Modern Foreign Literature - 2013 (Weight: 80)
- score: 75 -- ZEIT-Bibliothek der 100 Bücher - 2009 (Weight: 71)
- score: 63 -- Harold Bloom's The Western Canon - 1994 (Weight: 60)
- score: 31 -- The New Lifetime Reading Plan - 1999 (Weight: 30)
- score: 30 -- In Which These Are the 100 Greatest Novels - 2011 (Weight: 30)
- score: 22 -- The 500 best books of all time from Culture Café users - 2008 (Weight: 20)
- score: 21 -- 100 Books From The Last 100 Years - 2024 (Weight: 20)
- score: 10 -- Masterpieces of World Literature - 1991 (Weight: 10)
- score: 10 -- Everything You Should Read without Being a Library Rat - 1972 (Weight: 10)
- score: 1 -- Our Users' Honorable Mention Favorite Books of All Time - 2024 (Weight: 1)
- score: 1 -- The Complete 500: OCLC - 2024 (Weight: 1)
- score: 1 -- 20 Posthumous Works You Should Read Before You Die - 2008 (Weight: 1)
- score: 1 -- 100 Must-Read Classics, as Chosen by our Readers - 2022 (Weight: 1)