Kafka's porno has been found

Ender · Post by **Ender** » 2008-08-23 10:52am

A collection of pornography belonging to Franz Kafka has been discovered in the British Library in London and the Bodleian in Oxford. It appears that the stash had been concealed by scholars in an attempt to preserve the writer's image. The naughty material was unearthed by the academic James Hawes, whose forthcoming book, "Excavating Kafka," will reveal some of the pornographic material. "These are not naughty post-cards from the beach," Mr. Hawes was quoted as saying in the Times of London, to counter any objections that Kafka would never have gone in for this sort of thing. "They are undoubtedly porn, pure and simple. Some of it is quite dark. It's quite unpleasant."

As for the long-standing secret of Kafka's tastes, Mr. Hawes said: "Academics have pretended it did not exist. The Kafka industry doesn't want to know such things about its idol." Mr. Hawes was also quoted in the Times as saying there are more dissertations written on Kafka than on any other author except Shakespeare. The number should only increase with these findings.

This will bring a whole new level of meaning to the word "kafkaesque"

The Grim Squeaker · Post by **The Grim Squeaker** » 2008-08-23 10:56am

So...
Anything involving beastiality and giant cockroaches in there?

Zixinus · Post by **Zixinus** » 2008-08-23 11:06am

So the man watched porn? Did he write against porn and called it evil?

I mean, can't we as a collective society move on regarding the realization that people have sexual organs and an urge to use them?

DaveJB · Post by **DaveJB** » 2008-08-23 11:24am

If these were your run of the mill early 20th century cock rags, this wouldn't be such a huge story. However, I'm guessing that these particular discoveries are in some way going to tell us a lot about the kind of person Herr Kafka was, and maybe a bit about what went into his writing as well.

Buddha · Post by **Buddha** » 2008-08-23 12:31pm

How is this newsworthy that some guy had a stash of porn? Did he have any cocaine or pot in a safe somewhere? Who is this man?

Bounty · Post by **Bounty** » 2008-08-23 12:39pm

Buddha wrote:How is this newsworthy that some guy had a stash of porn? Did he have any cocaine or pot in a safe somewhere? Who is this man?

You don't know Kafka?

It's news, partly because it's a neat story - employees of the British Library of all places stashing porn? - and partially because any paper record of a historical figure is a potential goldmine for historians and biographers. That porn stash is a unique insight into the mind of Kafka, and a glimpse into a seldom-seen part of early 20th century culture. It's not a big news item, but for those in the field it sure as hell is a fascinating one.

I do hope the stash was hidden a long time ago, because obscuring texts is certainly not becoming of a modern-day scholar.

Patrick Degan · Post by **Patrick Degan** » 2008-08-23 12:50pm

Buddha wrote:How is this newsworthy that some guy had a stash of porn? Did he have any cocaine or pot in a safe somewhere? Who is this man?

Franz Kafka —author of The Trial, The Castle, and The Metamorphosis; works commenting upon the horrors of alienation and dehumanisation in modern life. The Trial particularly highlights these themes in the plight of protagonist Joseph K, who finds himself under arrest and accused of a crime nobody will specify or even name, and who finds his efforts to seek justice thwarted by secrecy and bureaucracy at every turn. Kafka was one of the most influential authors of the 20th century and his works inspired or influenced Joseph Heller, Patrick McGoohan, Thomas M. Disch, Rod Serling and Orson Welles among others. The very word Kafkaesque, describing a situation of twisted secrecy and convoluted evasion, has passed into the English language as a result of the man's writings.

CaptainChewbacca · Post by **CaptainChewbacca** » 2008-08-23 01:56pm

Maybe its a giant penis slowly stroking a small naked man.

FSTargetDrone · Post by **FSTargetDrone** » 2008-08-23 03:32pm

Buddha wrote: Who is this man?

I weep for the future.

Mr. Hawes wrote:"They are undoubtedly porn, pure and simple. Some of it is quite dark. It's quite unpleasant."

That is sort of wide-sweeping as a description, eh? Hopefully, whatever it is, it doesn't involve minors or some other similar horror. Though I suspect if it did involve children, that would have come out by now.

Vendetta · Post by **Vendetta** » 2008-08-23 04:16pm

Buddha wrote:How is this newsworthy that some guy had a stash of porn? Did he have any cocaine or pot in a safe somewhere? Who is this man?

Kafka was an extremely fucked up individual. Chances are his porn will also be fucked up. This will allow archaeopornographers to discover further just how fucked up late 19th and early 20th century porn got.

UCBooties · Post by **UCBooties** » 2008-08-25 04:13pm

If the goal was to help preserve his good name, why keep it at all? If you were holding onto a stash of porn specifically to keep it from getting out that Kafka was into porn, why not just toss it or burn it?

Col. Crackpot · Post by **Col. Crackpot** » 2008-08-25 07:43pm

Vendetta wrote: archaeopornographers

Not to veer off topic, but "archaeopornographers"? Is that even a word? If so can that word even be said with a straight face? "Yes, I chair the archaeopornography department in the College of Arts and Sciences at Betty Paige University."

phred · Post by **phred** » 2008-08-25 09:46pm

Some weird writer was into porn!!!

Surprise surprise.
Im guessing S&M. It probably would have mentioned it if it was kiddie porn.

Kanastrous · Post by **Kanastrous** » 2008-08-25 10:01pm

Col. Crackpot wrote:
Vendetta wrote: archaeopornographers
Not to veer off topic, but "archaeopornographers"? Is that even a word? If so can that word even be said with a straight face? "Yes, I chair the archaeopornography department in the College of Arts and Sciences at Betty Paige University."

I think I could cheerfully kill, skin, clean, marinate, roast and eat the last member of an endangered species, for a crack at being chair of the Archaeopornography Department at a major university.

/mostly kidding

Buddha · Post by **Buddha** » 2008-08-25 10:40pm

Kanastrous wrote: I think I could cheerfully kill, skin, clean, marinate, roast and eat the last member of an endangered species, for a crack at being chair of the Archaeopornography Department at a major university.

I hear that many of the animal's meat is either rough on the stomach or it's poisonous. Stick with the deer you hit with your car on the way back from the dentist or the mall. Eating an animal you killed with your several ton weapon of destruction (tm) is better than any endangered animal. Even polar bears are still not cool as eating a deer from a roadkill.
It's not worth jail to be the chair of the Archaeopornography Department. It's okay to do so however if you say "I did it for the lulz" when asked why. then you are an hero of a non suicidal sort. the only thing that is dead is your career and future employabilty.

FSTargetDrone · Post by **FSTargetDrone** » 2008-08-25 10:50pm

Buddha wrote:
Kanastrous wrote: I think I could cheerfully kill, skin, clean, marinate, roast and eat the last member of an endangered species, for a crack at being chair of the Archaeopornography Department at a major university.

I hear that many of the animal's meat is either rough on the stomach or it's poisonous. Stick with the deer you hit with your car on the way back from the dentist or the mall. Eating an animal you killed with your several ton weapon of destruction (tm) is better than any endangered animal. Even polar bears are still not cool as eating a deer from a roadkill.
It's not worth jail to be the chair of the Archaeopornography Department. It's okay to do so however if you say "I did it for the lulz" when asked why. then you are an hero of a non suicidal sort. the only thing that is dead is your career and future employabilty.

Wow. I do believe Kanastrous was joking.

Ryushikaze · Post by **Ryushikaze** » 2008-08-25 10:52pm

phred wrote:Some weird writer was into porn!!! :shock:
Surprise surprise.
Im guessing S&M. It probably would have mentioned it if it was kiddie porn.

Naw. Utterly vanilla. That's why they were worried about it getting out. It totally ruins his street cred.

Actually, that'd be pretty hilarious if true.

Bounty · Post by **Bounty** » 2008-08-26 04:43am

Col. Crackpot wrote:
Vendetta wrote: archaeopornographers
Not to veer off topic, but "archaeopornographers"? Is that even a word? If so can that word even be said with a straight face? "Yes, I chair the archaeopornography department in the College of Arts and Sciences at Betty Paige University."

I went to an archaeopornography exhibit two years ago. They didn't call it that, of course, but it was about the archaeological record of the ancient Roman sex industry, so the word is quite correct.

Invictus ChiKen · Post by **Invictus ChiKen** » 2008-08-26 08:23am

I two have never heard of this fellow EVER.

That said he is now on my to read list.

Vendetta · Post by **Vendetta** » 2008-08-26 10:01am

Col. Crackpot wrote:
Vendetta wrote: archaeopornographers
Not to veer off topic, but "archaeopornographers"? Is that even a word? If so can that word even be said with a straight face? "Yes, I chair the archaeopornography department in the College of Arts and Sciences at Betty Paige University."

I do believe that even if it wasn't a word when I started typing, the general acceptance shows that it damn well should be.

FSTargetDrone · Post by **FSTargetDrone** » 2008-08-26 10:12am

Invictus ChiKen wrote:I two have never heard of this fellow EVER.

That said he is now on my to read list.

Seriously? I don't know your age or where you live, but I thought Kakfa was just one of those things people naturally come across in high school, if not college. We read The Metamorphosis in high school.

ray245 · Post by **ray245** » 2008-08-26 10:39am

Never heard of him here at all...

Gil Hamilton · Post by **Gil Hamilton** » 2008-08-26 10:58am

Wait wait wait. Wait. You mean to tell me that the author of "The Metamorphosis" was into some weird kinky shit? Holy crap! You could knock me over with a feather!

Bounty · Post by **Bounty** » 2008-08-26 11:22am

FSTargetDrone wrote:
Invictus ChiKen wrote:I two have never heard of this fellow EVER.

That said he is now on my to read list.
Seriously? I don't know your age or where you live, but I thought Kakfa was just one of those things people naturally come across in high school, if not college. We read The Metamorphosis in high school.

Kafka wasn't on my mandatory reading list, but his works and concepts are sufficiently well-established that I'm genuinely surprised people haven't heard of him. Who here honestly hasn't used the word Kafkaesque?

Darmalus · Post by **Darmalus** » 2008-08-26 11:38am

Bounty wrote:Kafka wasn't on my mandatory reading list, but his works and concepts are sufficiently well-established that I'm genuinely surprised people haven't heard of him. Who here honestly hasn't used the word Kafkaesque?

I've heard of "Kafkaesque" but I had always thought it one of those words English took from some other language and then mutated the spelling. I never realized there was a person attached to the word, never heard of the books.