Kafka – Doors, Death & Texts

Franz Kafka died on June 3, 1924 at the age of 40. To mark the 100th anniversary of his death, the exhibition tells the story of Kafka's work and the fascination that his texts still arouse today. At the center of the exhibition is the threshold moment of the „door“: as a pivotal point and ambiguous symbol that connects the inner conflicts of Kafka's characters with the inscrutable logic of the power structure in his stories.

Kafka works as an insurance clerk during the day and sits at his desk at night. Kafka led this exhausting double life for many years until his retirement due to illness. He „consists of literature“, he wrote in 1913 in one of his countless letters to his first fiancée Felice Bauer in Berlin: writing is his way of existing - he can only express himself through language.

Always in search of the right, perfect language, much of what Kafka began to write remained fragments; only little was published during his lifetime. But today his texts - from „The Metamorphosis“ to the posthumously published „The Trial“ - are among the most widely received works of world literature.

It only took a moment, and K. already had one of the men to his right and left and, as if there were no other means of communication, was silently but forcefully pulled towards the door.

Franz Kafka, „The Castle“

The exhibition opens up access to various aspects of Kafka's work and his afterlife. In the first part, Kafka himself has his say: selected quotes from letters and diaries provide brief glimpses into Kafka's inner world and selected passages from his most important texts revolve around the motif of the door in an audio installation. In the second part, the year of his death forms a threshold: on one side there are biographical details and answers to questions about his life and on the other side there is a short tour through the Kafka exegesis of the last hundred years.

https://strauhof.ch/ausstellungen/kafka/

Opening hours:

Tuesday/Wednesday/Friday 12:00 - 18:00, Thursday 12:00 - 22:00, Saturday/Sunday 11:00 - 17:00

Tickets on site

Admission: 10/6 CHF