Franz Kafka (1883-1924) Czech-born German-speaking writer. His major novels include The Trial (1925), The Castle (1926), and Amerika (1927).
Michael Hofmann is a poet. His most recent collection is Approximately Nowhere (Faber). As a translator his work includes Kafka's The Man who Disappeared (Amerika). He is the translator of six books by Joseph Roth and was awarded the PEN/Book-of-the-Month Club Prize for his translation of Roth's The String of Pearls. His latest book is Behind the Lines, a collection of essays.