Published on June 4, 2024 at 4:18 p.m.
Austro-Hungarian author Franz Kafka is becoming a real phenomenon among young people on TikTok.
On June 3, 1924, Franz Kafka died of tuberculosis. A century later, the Austro-Hungarian author is enjoying new fame on TikTok. The one who expressed the wish that all his unfinished works be destroyed after his death, becomes a real trend on the Web. Proof of this is that the hashtag #Kafka has more than a billion clicks on the Chinese social network. Thus, videos recommending his works, compiling quotes or showing young Internet users reading passages from “The Metamorphosis”, “The Trial” or even “The Castle” are pouring in. Fan accounts have even been created. Faced with this wave of popularity, Folio sales of Franz Kafka’s books have tripled in recent weeks.
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Themes that speak to Generation Z
But how can we explain such enthusiasm for this author from the end of the 19th century?e century among younger generations? His epistolary love life with Milena, a married woman, like the themes covered in his books seem to fascinate Internet users. Important subjects, such as mental health, loneliness or social relationships, which speak to Generation Z, who are very active on TikTok. “Today, we young people, with the Covid which has isolated us, all the political conflicts that we hear, we need to identify with characters who feel the same as us, particularly with regard to mental illnesses. We find all of this in Kafka’s books, with a unique pen, and that’s what speaks to me a lot,” explains a TikToker on the France Inter website. “Girls, never settle for the bare minimum. Remember that Franz Kafka literally wrote an entire book of letters to his beloved […] I simply won’t settle for anything less,” one young woman wrote on TikTok.
According to the “New York Times”, Franz Kafka also suffered from anorexia, body dysmorphia and personality disorder, among other things. So many evils that young people openly discuss on social networks.
@curiosidadtuya in 60s, the metamorphosis of Franz Kafka. #booktok #lametamorfosis #lametamorphose #kafka #literature ♬ original sound – laura
@23blaze guess it’s right. #poetry #poem #franzkafka #franzkafkaquotes #quotes #love #fyp ♬ original sound – Asis
@williampdozier a VERY short classic – you can read it in one sitting #booktok #bookrecommendations #franzkafka #themetamorphosis #classicbooks ♬ original sound – William Dozier
