The Trial

The Trial was written by Franz Kafka and first published in 1925. The classic story tells the tale of a terrifying psychological trip into the life of one Joseph K., an ordinary man who wakes up one day to find himself accused of a crime he did not commit, a crime whose nature is never revealed to him. Once arrested, he is released, but must report to court on a regular basis, an event that proves maddening, as nothing is ever resolved. As he grows more uncertain of his fate, his personal life, including work at a bank and his relations with his landlady and a young woman who lives next door becomes increasingly unpredictable. As Joseph K. tries to gain control, he succeeds only in accelerating his own excruciating downward spiral.