Kafka Americana is a 1999 collection of short stories by Jonathan Lethem and Carter Scholz based on the life (and alternate histories) and works of Franz Kafka. Originally published in a limited edition by Subterranean Press, it was released as a trade paperback by W. W. Norton & Company in 2001.
 First edition cover | |
| Author | Jonathan Lethem Carter Scholz |
|---|---|
| Cover artist | Jacket design by Zwetana Penova Cover illustration by Perry Hoberman |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Short stories, pastiche, parody |
| Publisher | Subterranean Press |
Publication date | November 1999 |
| Publication place | United States |
| Media type | Print (hardback & paperback) |
| Pages | 100 pp (first edition, hardcover) |
| ISBN | 1-892284-43-X (first edition, hardcover) |
| OCLC | 43333743 |
| Preceded by | Motherless Brooklyn |
| Followed by | The Fortress of Solitude (novel) |
The stories
edit- "Blumfeld, an Elderly Bachelor" (Scholz)
- A re-imagining of Kafka's uncompleted short story. First published in Crank! 1.
- "The Notebooks of Bob K." (Lethem)
- Batman is presented as Kafka's creation, with parodies of some of Kafka's famous aphorisms and stories, including "The Burrow", "A Crossbreed (A Sport)", and "The Vulture". A significantly different version of the story appeared in Gas 6.
- "Receding Horizon" (Lethem & Scholz)
- Kafka comes to America, changes his name to Jack Dawson, and writes screenplays in Hollywood. First published in Crank! 5.
- "The Amount to Carry" (Scholz)
- Kafka meets fellow insurance executives Wallace Stevens and Charles Ives. First published in Starlight 2.
- "K. is for Fake" (Lethem)
- Parody of The Trial. First published in McSweeney's Quarterly 4.