This Week in History In these videos, find out what happened this week (or any week!) Britannica Explains In these videos, Britannica explains a variety of topics and answers frequently asked questions. in history. Franz Kafka Biography. Britannica Classics Check out these retro videos from Encyclopedia Britannica’s archives. In Franz Kafka: Kafka and his father …an den Vater (written 1919; Letter to Father), a letter that never reached the addressee, Kafka attributed his failure to live, to cut loose from parental ties and establish himself in marriage and fatherhood, as well as his escape into literature, to the prohibitive father figure, which instilled in him…. Read More Franz Kafka was born into a middle-class, German-speaking Jewish family on July 3, 1883 in Prague, Bohemia, now the Czech Republic. In The Metamorphosis the son, Gregor Samsa, wakes up to find himself transformed into a monstrous and repulsive insect; he slowly dies, not only because of his family’s shame and its… Other articles where The Judgment is discussed: Franz Kafka: Works: Thus, in The Judgment a son unquestioningly commits suicide at the behest of his aged father. Franz at the age of 5 Franz was the eldest of six children.