“You can’t achieve anything with this kind of body. I shall have to get used to its continuous failings.”

Nicholas Mahler in this unique graphic novel tells the life story of Franz Kafka.

This felt like such a strange yet interesting way to read his biography. The timeline of events which took place in Kafka’s life are told through snippets of dialogue and viewpoints from Kafka perspective.

What I liked were the simple illustrations which spoke volumes as his life story was being told.

His iconic works are discussed and critic reviews are shared along the way, his own battle with self doubt and how he tried to overcome his writer’s block.

This was a unique way to explore his life which made for an enjoyable read.

This is a very artistic presentation of the life of Kafka. It is not an easy read as some of the phrases are rather advanced. So, maybe it is more suitable for KS3 students.

4/5 Stars
Completely Kafka is a short little comic biography about Franz Kafka, and it was so much better than I expected it to be. The artstyle is weird and wonderful and matches so well with the weirdness of Kafka’s life and work. I absolutely adored this book, but I wish it had been a bit longer and a bit more detailed (I get that it’s a comic biography, so it can’t be as detailed as a ‘normal’ biography, but still, I wouldn’t have minded this being 50 pages longer). Anyway, this book definitely made me want to go back and reread some of Kafka’s work.

What an odd little book about the life of Franz Kafka! The artwork is simple, little undetailed drawings like the political newspaper ones from decades ago. There are snippets of dialogue that sound deranged but since you don't have the entire conversation to go by, may or may not indicate a weird personality. I compared his biography against Wikipedia and everything seems to mesh up however this book tells it in such a way that it feels like acts in a play. This unusual biography will appeal to fans of Franz Kafka's writing, it is quirky and offered like him.

Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.