"A fine guide, especially recommended for students....Provide[s]
concise overviews.... Makes an easily digested introduction."Bookwatch

"Succinct and easy-to-read synopsis of the unusual-even dysfunctional-life."
Foreword Magazine

A handsome recluse, plagued by indecision and hypochondria, Kafka nonetheless
exhibited an extraordinary strength. He developed the uncanny ability to observe
himself with cool objectivity, and he cultivated this ability in his writing, where it
appeared in increasingly original metaphorical form. His works became among the
greatest of the twentieth century, and his influence permeated far and wide,
transcending literature. His descriptions of his attempts to escape from a self-made
tyranny are his great works of art.

In Kafka in 90 Minutes, Paul Strathern offers a concise, expert account of
Kafka's life and ideas and explains their influence on literature and on man's struggle
to understand his place in the world. The book also includes selections from Kafka's
writings, a list of his chief works in English translation, a chronology of Kafka's life
and times, and recommended reading for those who wish to delve deeper.

Paul Strathern earned a degree in philosophy at Trinity College, Dublin, and has lectured in philosophy and mathematics. A Somerset Maugham prize winner, he has written books on history, philosophy, and travel as well as five novels. His articles have appeared in numerous publications, including the Observer (London) and the Irish Times. He lives and writes in London.

Earphones Awards recipient Robert Whitfield was born in England and worked for the BBC for ten years as a radio news announcer and also worked as a narrator for the Royal National Institute for the Blind in London. In addition to narrating for Blackstone Audiobooks, he involves himself in numerous stage-acting projects in the United States and Europe.