The Metamorphosis: An Adaptation of Franz Kafka’s Short Story

“Acclaimed graphic artist Peter Kuper presents a brilliant, darkly comic reimagining of Kafka’s classic tale of family, alienation, and a giant bug. Kuper’s electric drawings—which merge American cartooning with German expressionism—bring Kafka’s prose to vivid life, reviving the original story’s humor and poignancy in a way that will surprise and delight readers of Kafka and graphic novels alike. 

’A brilliant illustrated adaptation of Franz Kafka’s famous story. It’s a real pleasure to read and one in which everyone will recognize the existential drama and uncanny wit of the original text.’

—Susan Bernstein, associate professor of comparative literature and German studies, Brown University“

Broadway Books // Paperback // Reprint edition : July 20, 2004 // ISBN 9781400052998

6.1 x 0.2 x 9.1 inches / 80 pages

Praise for The Metamorphosis

“The ride from book to comic can be bumpy. Mr. Kuper navigates the transition with precision.”

—New York Times

“Kafka’s anguished archetypal characters are easily rendered into visual equivalents and given new life in Kuper’s raw, expressionistic graphic style.”

—Publishers Weekly

“Darkly appropriate . . . Kuper’s work rivals that of Art Spiegelman.”

—Chicago Sun-Times

“Bubbling beneath the surface is a caustic batch of black humor that is as much unsettling as it is absurd. This is the magic of Kafka. And Kuper gives it a postmodern edge here, with an intriguing dance of picture and text.”

—Gannett News Service

“Kuper’s scratchboard style is reminiscent of the German expressionist artists and his cartoony approach accentuates Kafka’s dark humor.”

—Booklist