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In the Penal Colony

"In the Penal Colony" is a short story by Franz Kafka written in German in October 1914, revised in November 1918, and first published in October 1919.

As in some of Kafka's other writings, the narrator in this story seems detached from, or perhaps numbed by, events that one would normally expect to be registered with horror. Internal clues and the setting on an island suggest Octave Mirbeau's The Torture Garden as an influence.

The story is set in an unnamed penal colony and describes the last use of an elaborate torture and execution device that carves the commandment that the condemned prisoner has transgressed on his skin as he slowly dies over the course of twelve hours. As the plot unfolds, the reader learns more and more about the machine, including its origin and original justification.


Author:

  • Franz Kafka

Narrator:

  • Mark Bowen

Format:

  • Audiobook
  • E-book

Duration:

  • 1 h 21 min
  • 27 pages

Language:

English

Categories:

  • Fiction
  • Short stories

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    Franz Kafka

    Franz Kafka was born in Prague in 1883, where he lived until his death in 1924. Widely esteemed as one of the twentieth century's most important writers, he is the author of the novels The Trial and The Castle.

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