The term is already used in everyday language to talk about something disturbing, but with certain connotations. It comes from the work of a writer who took aim at bureaucracy and seems to speak to us all.
By Aida Ruescas
[”The Metamorphosis”, by Kafka, can be downloaded for free from Bajalibros by clicking here.]
One day man wakes up and is no longer human, he is a insect. Everything is going to change, who he is, how they treat him, if they love him. But what she's worried about is... that he's going to be late for work. This is the argument of Metamorphosis, was written by the Czech Franz Kafka.
The man - another man, another book - is arrested one morning and he doesn't know why. There is no reason. He enters into an absurd, insane judicial process. He has to defend himself from something he doesn't know what it is. He wrote it too Kafka en The process.
What is there in common? The bureaucracy, arbitrary power, alienation and the impotence of the individual in the face of oppressive systems.
“Adelkhah's conviction is the product of a 'Kafkaesque trial' lacking the slightest judicial logic,” it said. a note from Infobae from 2020. Arbitrariness, impotence. A nonsense that crosses someone's life and transforms it. Is that what we are talking about when we say “Kafkaesque”?
“It applies to what is tragic, disturbing or absurd,” says the Larousse dictionary. But we go further.
The term “Kafkaesque”, derived from the surname of the Czech writer Franz Kafka (1883-1924), has transcended the barriers of time and literature to become a adjective universally recognized. Indeed, through his work, Kafka explored themes such as alienation, oppressive bureaucracy, existential frustration and the absurd complexity of modern societies. Today, “Kafkaesque” is used to describe situations that reflect these same sensations of irrationality, meaninglessness, and dehumanization by incomprehensible systems, whether bureaucratic, legal or social.
The popularization of the term is largely due to the enduring influence of Kafka in global culture. His novels like The process y Metamorphosis illustrate individuals trapped in bureaucratic labyrinths and incomprehensible transformations, respectively. These works not only resonate for their literary quality but also for their ability to reflect the uneasiness with seemingly arbitrary and oppressive institutions and structures that many individuals experience.
En Latin America and Spaina, the adjective “Kafkaesque” is frequently used to describe situations that seem taken from one of his novels. Examples of its use in these countries range from the description of endless administrative procedures to the feeling of helplessness in the face of judicial or government systems perceived as absurdly complex or unfair.
En ArgentinaFor example, the import and export process can be perceived as kafkaesque due to the complexity and the amount of bureaucratic procedures required. In Spain, the long waits and paperwork to get medical appointments in the public health system can be described with this adjective. In Peru, efforts to register property or start a business often run into a maze of requirements and procedures reminiscent of the scenarios described by Kafka. Mexico and Colombia are no strangers to this phenomenon, with their own versions of legal and government systems that sometimes seem to work more to confuse and discourage people than to assist them.
The contemporary relevance of the term Kafkaesque” lies in its ability to encapsulate disorientation and hopelessness in the face of systems that should serve the individual but often end up alienating them. Despite Kafka wrote a century ago, the universality of his themes allows his work to continue being a mirror in which many societies see themselves reflected today.