Franz Kafka (3 July 1883 – 3 June 1924) was a German-speaking Bohemian Jewish novelist and short-story writer, widely regarded as one of the major figures of 20th-century literature. His work, which fuses elements of realism and the fantastic, typically features isolated protagonists facing what are now called "Kafkaesque" circumstances: bizarre or surrealistic predicaments complicated by incomprehensible bureaucracy. He explores themes of alienation, existential anxiety, guilt, and absurdity. His best-known works include The Metamorphosis, The Trial, and The Castle. Few of Kafka's works were published during his lifetime, and those that were received little public attention. In his will, he instructed his friend Max Brod to destroy his unfinished works, including three of his novels, but Brod ignored these instructions. Kafka's work has influenced a vast range of writers, critics, artists, and philosophers during the 20th and 21st centuries.

Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franz_Kafka

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

1778:

American Revolutionary War: Loyalists and Iroquois killed over 300 Patriots at the Battle of Wyoming in Pennsylvania. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Wyoming

1940:

Second World War: The Royal Navy attacked the French fleet, fearing that the ships would fall into German hands after the armistice between those two nations. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attack_on_Mers-el-K%C3%A9bir

1970:

The Troubles: The British Army imposed the Falls Curfew on Belfast, Northern Ireland, which resulted in greater Irish republican resistance. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Falls_Curfew

1979:

U.S. President Jimmy Carter signed a presidential finding, authorizing the CIA to secretly aid the mujahideen of Afghanistan against the Soviet Union. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Cyclone

2005:

Same-sex marriage became legal in Spain. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Same-sex_marriage_in_Spain

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

ambivert: (psychology) A person who is neither clearly extroverted nor introverted, but has characteristics of each. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/ambivert

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

One tells as few lies as possible only by telling as few lies as possible, and not by having the least possible opportunity to do so.   --Franz Kafka https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Franz_Kafka