Franz Kafka

[traumlied]

I guess it was mentioned in some places, but Kafka seems quite an influence on some Thomas Ligotti works.

And what about Arthur Machen?

[EemeliJ]

There's a mention of Machen at least in this interview. Not sure whether Machen had any influence on Tom's writing though. Then again, I haven't really given it thought. I like the term "degenerate incarnation of Sherlock Holmes tales". Somewhat relevant; I do sometimes like to sum Ligotti and his stories as sort of "nightmarish Kafka". But there's so much more to his tales, of course...

Quote

Ligotti: The first story I read that is usually classed as a specimen of weird fiction was Arthur Machen’s “The Great God Pan.” I didn’t fully understand the story, but I felt immediately captivated by it. There was a real whiff of evil behind the events of the narrative. I then read other stories by Machen — “The White People,” The Three Imposters—and sensed that I had found a world where I belonged: a kind of degenerate incarnation of the Sherlock Holmes tales I loved so much. Immediately after reading Machen, I read Lovecraft and recognized the resemblance between the two authors, no doubt because Lovecraft was influenced by Machen.  I was never enamored of the Weird Tales writers. There was nothing distinctive in their style, and their plots were embarrassingly conventional. Lovecraft wrote in one of his letters that he felt that writing for Weird Tales had a detrimental effect on the style of his later stories, and I think he was right.

[hopfrog]

This reminds me that I need to re-read "The Great God Pan" as part of preparation for the new novelette that I am writing. I've never thought of the Kafka connection and am intrigued about it. Not quite sure I fully understand what makes a tale Kafkaesque, and how that translates into Tom's work. Something to investigate.

[EemeliJ]

I feel that there are occasions with each of these authors—Ligotti, Kafka, Machen—in which their stories portray a similar kind of "transformation". Machen's The Three Impostors – or tranformations has such passages; mutation of landscape, or the rather unfortunate metamorphosis in the White Powder novella. Of Tom's work, I especially think of "The Shadow, the Darkness"—a transformation, a change or possibly a 'waking-up' of sorts, in more ways than one.

I haven't visited my copy of Kafka's collected tales for few years now, and am mostly drawn to his "Metamorphosis". I'm currently reading Amerika, and it feels different somehow, compared to the short stories and The Trial.

[MagnusTC]

I like your idea about transformations Eemilij! When I think back on Kafka's Amerika, the strange ending about the Nature Theatre of Oklahoma could also be seen as a kind of metamorphosis, perhaps even comparable to some of Machen's stories such as The Great Return (vision vs. collective hallucination)!?

[Sand]

Machen certainly is an influence on some of TL's stories. In fact, I was supposed to contribute an essay on Machen and Ligotti to the Dagon special issue on TL, but failed because I was too daunted. I do recall Tom telling me in correspondence that "The Medusa" resulted from, or was pervaded by, a reading of Machen and Cioran.

[sundog]

Quote Originally Posted by EemeliJ

I feel that there are occasions with each of these authors—Ligotti, Kafka, Machen—in which their stories portray a similar kind of "transformation". Machen's The Three Impostors – or tranformations has such passages; mutation of landscape, or the rather unfortunate metamorphosis in the White Powder novella. Of Tom's work, I especially think of "The Shadow, the Darkness"—a transformation, a change or possibly a 'waking-up' of sorts, in more ways than one. I haven't visited my copy of Kafka's collected tales for few years now, and am mostly drawn to his "Metamorphosis". I'm currently reading Amerika, and it feels different somehow, compared to the short stories and The Trial.

And let's not forget the transformation scene which takes place at the "culmination of every harlequinade". In more ways than one this brings to mind the metamorphosis that Gregor Samsa undergoes.

[MagnusTC]

Welles' 1962 film adaptation of The Trial has some quite Ligottian passages through dark corridors and abandoned buildings, and a scary scene with small kids with empty looking eyes, laughing insanely. It's a brilliant film, except perhaps for the ending which has always seemed to me a bit far out.

[Derek]

Michael Cisco (recently eulogised by Jeff VanderMeer as 'The Amerikan Kafka') has just finished blogging on the complete series of Kafka's Zurau Aphorisms.

Zurau Aphorisms

A bit too intense to read in one sitting, but well worth dipping into.

[bendk]

A couple of new books out on Kafka. A new translation of The Metamorphosis by Susan Bernofsky. It has an insightful nine page Introduction: The Beetle and the Fly by David Cronenberg, where he talks about aging and his famous film.

Susan Bernofsky writes a fine Afterword: The Death of a Salesman.

I haven't read the Cantor book yet.

http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/books/2014/01/kafka_books_susan_bernofsky_translation_of_the_met amorphosis_and_jay_cantor.html


And a Youtube vid that I like. David Foster Wallace on Franz Kafka.
(I can't remember if I have posted this before)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature...&v=SzEO0qFFzwI