Two important works of modern Spanish literature both take their cue from Kafka's  letters to his companion, the Czech writer, journalist and translator Milena Jesenska. This podcast asks why these writers have turned to Kafka's "Letters to Milena" to explore themes of memory, loss and the post-Holocaust legacy in Spain.

Two Czech Reflections on Greta Samsa

Oxford Humanities explores approaches to Kafka and his most famous story "The Metamorphosis": how the text has itself been transformed into new forms like ballet, theatre and comic books; how Kafka’s work has been read, from ecological insights to questions of illness, humour, feminism or race; how writers from across the world have responded to him from J. M. Coetzee to the 'Brazilian Kafka' Clarice Lispector or Marie NDiaye; and finally how artists have 'written back' to Kafka from their own time and place from the Czech Republic, Spain or even a viral Facebook novel in Russia.

For the curious a reading list associated with this series is available on ORLO (see Related Links).