What do I have in common with the Jews? I don't even have anything in common with myself.' Alienated from his roots, his family, his surroundings, and primarily from his own body, Kafka created a unique literary language in which to hide away, transforming himself into a cockroach, an ape, a dog, a mole or a circus artiste who starves himself to death in front of admiring crowds. Introducing Kafka helps us to see beyond the cliché 'Kafkaesque' and to peer through the glass wall at the unique creature on display there.