Beer, Pizza, and … Kafka?: Franz Kafka, “A Country Doctor” (1919)

Recently (ok, it was a few months ago, 23 November 2009), I sat down with a beer, pizza, and … Kafka? Yes, Kafka. I had time for a short story, so I decided to read Franz Kafka’s “A Country Doctor” (1919). How did I come to choose that particular short story? Well, I was reading an article in the New York Times by Benedict Carey called “How Nonsense Sharpens the Intellect.” In the article, Carey reviews recent research that analyzes the impact of the absurd, the illogical, the unexpected, and the disorienting on how we think about and respond to the world around us. The resulting sensation – unease or creepiness, really – apparently primes the brain, allowing it to potentially discern patterns that we might otherwise miss as it strives to impose order, meaning, and coherence. Kafka’s “Country Doctor” is proffered as one such example of the absurd that prompts the brain to think differently. I was intrigued, and thus motivated to read it. A strange, surreal, and twisted story, indeed!

To read the story, click here or here or here.

For an excellent rendering of the story into Japanese anime by Koji Yamamura, The Country Doctor (2007), click here (the YouTube version is in three parts, about six minutes each) – Part 1/3, Part 2/3, Part 3/3.