Franz Kafka (1883–1924) was a German-language writer of novels and short stories, and is regarded as one of the most influential authors of the 20th century. His works, such as "Die Verwandlung" ("The Metamorphosis"), Der Process (The Trial), and Das Schloss (The Castle), are filled with themes and archetypes of alienation, brutality, parent–child conflict, and mystical transformations. Kafka was born into a middle-class Jewish family in Prague, then part of the Austro- Hungarian Empire. He trained as a lawyer and worked for an insurance company, writing in his spare time – he complained all his life about his lack of time to write. Kafka wrote hundreds of letters to family and close female friends, including his fiancée Felice Bauer. Only a few of Kafka's stories appeared during his lifetime in story collections and literary magazines. His novels and other unfinished works were published posthumously, mostly by his friend Max Brod, who ignored his wish to have the manuscripts destroyed. Albert Camus and Jean-Paul Sartre are among the writers influenced by Kafka's work; the term Kafkaesque has entered the English language to describe surreal situations like those in his writing.

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

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

1844:

The last known pair of Great Auks (specimens pictured), the only modern species in the genus Pinguinus, were killed in Eldey, off the coast of Iceland. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Auk

1863:

Pickett's Charge, a futile Confederate infantry assault against Union Army positions, occurred during the final and bloodiest day of fighting in the Battle of Gettysburg, marking a turning point in the American Civil War. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pickett%27s_Charge

1970:

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

1988:

United States Navy warship USS Vincennes shot down Iran Air Flight 655 over the Persian Gulf, killing all 290 people aboard. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iran_Air_Flight_655

2005:

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

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

Panglossian: 1. (pejorative) Naively or unreasonably optimistic. 2. (pejorative) Of or relating to the view that this is the best of all possible worlds. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Panglossian

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

What is this life if, full of care, We have no time to stand and stare.   --William Henry Davies https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/William_Henry_Davies