El Círculo de Bellas Artes Casa Europa On March 21st, the activities comprising the Kafka Year were presented, a program commemorating the centenary of the writer's death with dozens of events throughout 2024 that will remember the author of "The Metamorphosis." The presentation included representatives from the various institutions organizing this tribute: the Czech Center in Madrid, the Austrian Cultural Forum, the Goethe-Institut Madrid, the University Institute of Modern Languages ​​and Translators, the Sephardic-Israeli Center, and Soy de la Cuesta.

The European writer Franz Kafka, who died in 1924 at the age of forty, is considered by many to be one of the founders of modern literature. A Jewish author who wrote in German, was born and lived within the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and witnessed the birth of Czechoslovakia from his home in Prague, Kafka is an author who transcends borders; a universal writer on par with Cervantes, Dante, or Goethe, who explored the human condition and existence, and whose texts not only remain relevant over time but also contribute to shaping a rich transnational European culture.

The aim of the Kafka Year is to understand in depth the transnational and transdisciplinary nature of the writer, which we will approach through different artistic avenues, from literature to the visual arts, including film and the performing arts, and giving prominence to educational activities and creative formats for young people.

The Kafka Year consists of around 30 activities that will form the backbone of a multidisciplinary program that includes everything from exhibitions that delve into the writer's more artistic side, with works by Roberto Maján and Nikolas Mahler, to conferences and workshops that explore the relationship between Kafka and Spain or his socio-political context.

Image credits: Collage based on Loose leaves (1901-1907) Franz Kafka, on loan from Galaxia Gutenberg.