The Trial by Franz Kafka

In Prague at the start of the 20th century, Josef K. finds himself caught in a bewildering legal process. The Trial follows the strange and surreal journey K. is subjected to by faceless authorities and forces he can hardly begin to comprehend.

Kafka’s writings, with The Trial at the forefront, stand among the most essential portrayals of modern state and society. Bureaucracy wields its impersonal power from an unreachable distance, leaving the individual isolated in the face of vast systems. Beneath the bleakness runs Kafka’s signature irony and surreal humour, reflecting his own familiarity with the workings of law and justice.

This edition includes a section on Franz Kafka and his era, featuring an essay by the esteemed literary critic Walter Benjamin. Designed in Helsinki by Anna-Mari Tenhunen, the book combines black binding board, white serigraphic details, and a cloth-covered spine.

“Someone must have been telling lies about Josef K., he knew he had done nothing wrong but, one morning, he was arrested.”

• Author(s): Franz Kafka, with design by Anna-Mari Tenhunen
• Language: English
• Size: 137 x 200mm with 264 pages
• Hardcover – binding board

The Finnish Book Art Committee has awarded Aatos books The Trial and Wuthering Heights with the ‘Beautiful book’ distinctions, placing the two among their selection of the most beautiful books released in Finland in 2024!