“There has never been a more curious proposal of marriage.” #kafkasothertrial #20BOS26 Book 32

While I was reading Kafka’s “The Castle” recently, I checked out the bibliography in the back and saw mention of an interesting sounding title – “Kafka’s Other Trial” by Elias Canetti. The latter is an author I’ve only started reading relatively recently, and I was most impressed with his “The Book Against Death“; so I wondered what this title was about and had a little noodle around online. The book is often subtitled “The Letters to Felice” (and is translated by Christopher Middleton); so I was intrigued enough to send off for a copy. I’m very glad I did, because it turned out to be the perfect book to read during my Kafka book hangover. Felice Bauer was Kafka’s fiancee – twice, in fact – and although her letters to him did not survive, she saved Kafka’s to her, selling them to his publisher five years before her death. They were first published in 1967, following from “Letters to Milena” and a collection of correspondence with friends, family and publishers. Canetti’s book, which…