Josef K is thirty years old. He lives in rented accommodation in a large town and works for a bank. One day, although he has done nothing wrong, he is arrested. Two guards appear and start to intimidate him. He is not told the nature of the charge. And so begins a nightmare of successive scenes – an irregular magistrate's office, a bizarre court appearance, his arresting guards being flogged... Franz Kafka began this piercing vision of state control versus the individual in 1914 and, finished by a friend after his death, it became one of the most prescient and influential novels of the 20th century. Franz Kafka, born in Prague in 1883, is one of the most influential writers of the early 20th century. His writing tends to focus on individuals trapped in a nightmarish world. He worked as an insurance officer and factory manager as well as a writer. He died in Austria aged 40. Rupert Degas can be heard reading True History of the Kelly Gang, PS I Love You, Lord Loss and The Saga of Darren Shan. He has lent his voice to numerous cartoons, including Mr. Bean, Robotboy and Bob the Builder. He spent eighteen months in the West End performing in the comedy Stones in his Pockets.

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Excerpted from The Trial by Franz Kafka
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