Kafka and Aira, Authors Down the Same Road.

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Kafka and Aira, Authors down the same road. “He took a step and thought: Why did this have to happen to me? Why me? There were hundreds of men, women and children milling around on the square and in the head of everyone, an iridescent brain seemed to be flashing out the mocking refrain, “not me,” “not me.”(p.10) Although separated by time, literary novices Franz Kafka and Cesar Aira have demonstrated their individual style through each of their work; making them a platform of influence for many authors to come. Each author is notorious for basing the characters in their novels off of themselves. Kafka, having written his late piece The Trial, wrote the book in order to depict his thoughts that he pondered only in his head. In search of an answer that was no-where to be found, one can find a trace in his workings of his fiction novels. There are similarities even within the style of Kafka’s writing and personal life that parallel the protagonist of his story, K. In contrast, Aira’s novel Varamo has a fluidity and movement that is not only reflected in the style of his writing, but also his character’s advancement throughout the story. Above all, the overarching theme of progress is demonstrated in both novels. Both Aira’s writing style as well as his characters quickly progressive solution to solving his initial anxieties is a direct antithesis to Kafka as well as his protagonist’s insoluble, and digressive situation to which there is no solution. Without his singular past, Kafka never would have developed his singular style. Born in Prague to middle-class Jewish parents, his upbringing was what shaped his life and tone in writing. His father was the son of a village butcher, and while he did not have a very good education, his ambition made up for it. Kafka was the first born, and his childhood memories consist of the bitter relationship between him and his
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