Tradurre Kafka

Abstract

As most of Franz Kafka’s work was handed down in manuscript form and only published posthumously, it was initially problematic to produce a text that strictly adhered to the manuscripts. In this contribution, stemming from an extensive translation project, I propose principles to govern the ecdotics of Kafka’s texts when translated into other languages. In particular, I emphasise the importance of providing readers with all translatable manuscript variants in the strictest possible form. I examine some specific cases, particularly from The Trial, and provide guidance on the use of existing critical editions of Kafka’s works.