Late evening on St Nicholas Street, Prague. The family flat has finally fallen silent and Franz’s parents and sisters have gone to bed. Only he is wide awake, sitting at his desk, where he hastily scribbles down a disturbing tale. From its very first sentence, this masterpiece has captivated millions of readers: “When Gregor Samsa awoke one morning from troubled dreams, he found himself trans­formed in his bed into a monstrous insect.”

This exquisite edition features both the original text from 1915 and the sequel to Kafka’s “bug story”, written by his contem­porary Karl Brand plus an expert and lavishly illustrated afterword on how the story came to be written. Published in Prague, the author’s own city, it is a must have for dedicated Kafka fans, and a delight for those who are yet to discover his work.