Cover of The Trial

The Trial

by Franz Kafka

First published
1925
Reading level
Plain English
Price
Free

About the book

"The Trial" by Franz Kafka is a novel written in 1914 and 1915. It follows Josef K., a bank clerk who is arrested and prosecuted by a mysterious, unreachable authority. Neither he nor the reader ever learns what crime he has committed. As Josef navigates an absurd legal system filled with bizarre encounters and inexplicable procedures, his case consumes his life while remaining perpetually unresolved. The novel, never completed by Kafka, was published posthumously in 1925.

  • Allegories
  • Trials

Updated September 2026. Public domain in the USA. Text and summary from Project Gutenberg eBook #7849. The Trial on Wikipedia.

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