What version of Kafkas “The Metamorphosis” should I read?
Willa and Edwin Muir are usually chosen by my university’s German department when teaching to an English-speaking audience. In general they seem to sacrifice specific words (“Ungeziefer” is indeed translated as “insect”) in favor of retaining some of the essential flavor of German. Having read and adored Kafka’s stories in their original forms, I do enjoy their translations. A professor of mine is fond of this discussion of the technical differences between the various choices for The Metamorphosis. It compares each translator’s specific choices and lets you appreciate merits of them all even if you ultimately choose only one. In any case, be sure to check out Peter Kuper’s wonderful graphic novel (spoilers!).
