Franz Kafka (3 July 1883 – 3 June 1924) is widely regarded as one of the major figures of 20th-century literature.
Oxford University is encouraging awareness of the enduring global legacy of Kafka through a variety of academic and cultural activities for university and public audiences.
The programme will include a free public exhibition Kafka: Making of an Icon, public installations, talks, dance and theatre, and to mark the 100-year anniversary of Kafka’s death on Monday 3 June, a collective public reading of Metamorphosis will be held at the Sheldonian Theatre.
Richard Ovenden, Bodley’s Librarian and Director of Gardens, Libraries and Museums at Oxford University, said: ‘100 years after his death, younger generations continue to learn from and be fascinated by Kafka’s life and works – many of which are held in the Bodleian archives. We therefore saw this as a perfect opportunity to celebrate his legacy and enduring influence.’
Find out more about the programme of events below:
Exhibitions
Kafka: Making of an Icon
30 May–27 October, 2024
ST Lee Gallery, Weston Library
Free admission
Find out more: Kafka: Making of an Icon | Visit the Bodleian Libraries (ox.ac.uk)
Metamorphosis
11 May–29 June, 2024
Oxford University Museum of Natural History
A pop-up exhibition titled Metamorphosis will be held at the Oxford University Museum of Natural History.
Special events
Public readings
Monday 3 June, 2024 (6pm-7.30pm)
Sheldonian Theatre
For tickets and further information, please visit: Oxford Reads Kafka | Visit the Bodleian Libraries
Talks
Insects and the Psychology of Disgust and Repulsion
Thursday 23 May, 7pm-8pm
Oxford University Museum of Natural History
Panel discussion: Humans have a widely held disgust for insects. Is this disgust innate, or even universal? Are there good evolutionary reasons for it? Or is it just learnt behaviour? And how did Franz Kafka exploit this sense of disgust so successfully in Metamorphosis?
Find out more and book tickets: Insects and the Psychology of Disgust and Repulsion | Oxford University Museum of Natural History
Hunger Artistry: Kafka and the Art of Starvation
Thursday 30 May, 5pm-6pm
Sir Victor Blank Lecture Theatre, Weston Library
This event is free but booking is essential. A number of tickets are reserved for alumni; please use the code 'alumni2024'. Book online.
CRISPR Gene Editing and Metamorphosis: a panel discussion
Monday 3 June, 10am-11am
Sir Victor Blank Lecture Theatre, Weston Library
'Time traveling with Gregor Samsa, or what you can do with six legs' a keynote address on disability with Professor Rosemarie Garland Thomson
Monday 3 June, 2pm-3pm
Sir Victor Blank Lecture Theatre, Weston Library
A keynote lecture from prominent disability scholar Rosemarie Garland-Thomson Accompanying this lecture will be a site-specific installation by artist Tessa Farmer.
Extraordinary Bodies, Disability Justice, and Metamorphosis: a panel discussion
Tuesday 4 June, 10am-11am
Sir Victor Blank Lecture Theatre, Weston Library
Display and talk on insects by entomologist Dr George McGavin
Wednesday 5 June, all day
Oxford University Museum of Natural History
Monstrosities and Metamorphosis in More-Than-Human Worlds
Wednesday 5 June, 2pm-3.30pm
Sir Victor Blank Lecture Theatre, Weston Library
Tuberculosis: vaccines, diagnostics and experience
Wednesday 5 June, 6pm-7pm
Sir Victor Blank Lecture Theatre, Weston Library
Professor Helen McShane and the NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre, a partnership between the OUH NHS Foundation Trust and the University of Oxford, will focus on Kafka as a sufferer of TB. The session will cover vaccines (Helen McShane), diagnostics (Philip Fowler) and a TB patient will share their experience with the disease.
Franz Kafka and the Truths of Leadership - 'In Conversation' with the author Leah Tomkins with LBC Journalist Shelagh Fogarty
Friday 7 June, 5pm-7pm
Chen Kar Sun Digital Hub, Jesus College
Dance and Theatre
Kafka's Ape and Words and Music
May 10-12 (7pm and 9pm)
Old Fire Station, Oxford
Book tickets here, including a special reduced ticket for the double bill.
Music
- May 24 (6pm-10pm): Kaleidoscope Chamber Collective concert at the Sheldonian, Oxford from 7.30pm with a pre-concert talk at 6pm. (Organised by the Cultural Programme.)
- October 12: Kafka at the Oxford International Song Festival. Morning: ‘Kafka’s Prague’. Public lecture by Professor Carolin Duttlinger; lunchtime concert: world premiere, Can Bilir, Missed Songs of Josefine; Late night concert, New College, Kurtág, Kafka Fragments. (Organised by the Oxford Kafka Research Centre.)
Book releases
