Franz Kafka’s Letter to Father can be seen as a key to understanding the Prague author’s life and work. The monologue is both accusatory and introspective in tone, describing a tyrannical and overbearing father and the complicated inner life of his sensitive son. A unique piece of literature, this crystal-clear psychological study of a painful estrangement can stand alongside Siegmund Freud’s analytical writings.

This devastating letter probably never reached its addressee, mostly likely thanks to Kafka’s mother taking steps to prevent it being delivered as planned.