German-speaking Jewish writer from Prague working for an Italian insurance company…
No, that’s not how one can describe the author of The Metamorphosis. At least, that’s not how Kafka would describe himself.

“I never wish to be easily defined. I’d rather float over other people’s minds as something strictly fluid and non-perceivable; more like a transparent, paradoxically iridescent creature rather than an actual person.”

This man is one of the best writers the world has ever known. Yet, he never knew it. Franz Kafka could never acknowledge his quality. He was convinced everything he wrote was bad and not worth publishing. The very act of writing was only a way of his own salvation. Turbulent childhood and feeling of not belonging are among the reasons he constantly underestimated himself and his writing. 

“As Gregor Samsa awoke one morning from uneasy dreams he found himself transformed in his bed into a gigantic insect.”

― Franz Kafka, The Metamorphosis

The Metamorphosis, in fact, can be considered as an autobiographical novel where the symbol of the insect represents Kafka’s existence.
Published in 1915, The Metamorphosis is one of Kafka’s most popular works, yet it is one of the many books that brought him fame only after his death.

It is well-known that Kafka had only one wish on his deathbed: He asked his friend Max Brod NOT to publish his books. 

Guess what Max Brod did?

He published everything! Even his letters. And it was absolutely the best decision he ever made.

Does this make him a bad friend? I believe that every Kafka’s fan is eternally grateful for his decision not to respect his friend’s last wish.