Franz Kafka's The Metamorphosis, first published in 1915, has been cited as one of the seminal works of fiction of the twentieth century. The story begins with a traveling salesman, Gregor Samsa, wakes up one morning to find himself transformed into a gigantic insect. This extraordinary tale of imagination was written by Kafka against the backdrop of increasing turmoil in central Europe and remains not just an affecting tale but a disturbing allegory.