synopsis:

The Trial is the surreal story of Joseph K., a man who is accused of nameless charges that can never be fully refuted and about which he can get no firm information. The book goes on to explore one man's unfortunate encounter with what seems to be an irrational yet all-powerful legal system. Joseph K struggles to find out why he is under arrest, what crime he is accused of committing, and who is accusing him, all the while feeling overpowered and trapped by both a sinister and dehumanized bureaucracy.

on this book:

The trial, perhaps kafka's most famous work, has been interpreted in thousands of ways. for instance, it can be seen as a complaint against a dehumanized bureaucratic world, as a metaphor for man's universal 'guilt' to god, and as yet another attempt of the author to get into the clear with the memory of his tyrannical father, the legal system (like the castle) representing an impermeable, sinister authority. Joseph k.'s lonely quest has often been described as dream-like, and this may be the reason why so many people see so much different allegorical meanings in the story. the term 'kafkaesque', inspired by the trial, is still being used to describe any absurd but ruthless bureaucracy, even by people who never read the book.

many films based on this novel were made.see also: * kafka [movies]