The Metamorphosis

Beginning with one of the most shocking first sentences in all of literature, Franz Kafka details the horrific tale of an absurd life. Virtually imprisoned in his room, Gregor Samsa discovers that every aspect of his existence has amounted to nothing. Even the struggling, dysfunctional family he has sacrificed to support is thriving without his financial assistance. Slowly stripped of every bit of his humanity, Gregor realizes that no man’s life, especially his, actually matters.

First published in 1915, Kafka’s surreal novel about living in an indifferent universe has long been considered a seminal work of Existentialist literature.