Writing Back: Spanish Literature

Two important works of modern Spanish literature both take their cue from Kafka's letters to his companion, the Czech writer, journalist and translator Milena Jesenska. This podcast asks why these writers have turned to Kafka's "Letters to Milena" to explore themes of memory, loss and the post-Holocaust legacy in Spain.

Om Podcasten

Oxford Humanities explores approaches to Kafka and his most famous story "The Metamorphosis" through interviews with world experts, to mark the centenary of his death. We cover how "The Metamorphosis" has itself been transformed into new forms like ballet, theatre and comic books; how Kafka’s work has been read, from ecological insights to questions of illness, humour, feminism or race; how writers from across the world have responded to him from J. M. Coetzee to the 'Brazilian Kafka' Clarice Lispector or Marie NDiaye; and finally how artists have 'written back' to Kafka from their own time and place from the Czech Republic, Spain or even a viral Facebook novel in Russia. For the curious, a reading list associated with this series is available on ORLO (Oxford Reading Lists Online) - see Related links. For more on Kafka, the 'Oxford Kafka24' podcast series (https://podcasts.ox.ac.uk/series/oxford-kafka24) features lectures from across the University division, including a collective reading of 'Metamorphosis' with Lemn Sissay and Ben Okri, and talks on disability, discrimination, disease, insects and genetics.