About the Book: Franz Kafka’s first novel, Amerika, follows Karl Rossman, a young man banished by his parents to America after a family scandal. Armed with unwavering optimism, Karl navigates a series of strange encounters and unsettling experiences as he journeys deeper into the vast and unfamiliar continent. Begun in 1911 and left unfinished, this distinctive novel combines Kafka’s surreal imagination with an unusually bright and playful tone. This lyrical translation returns to Kafka’s original manuscript, revealing a compelling allegory of modern life, displacement, identity and the search for belonging.