Franz Kafka The Trial
Dramatised for Radio by Hanif Kureishi Joseph K. is an unexceptional man. He lives a quiet life and works in a bank. But one ordinary morning he is woken by two men. and finds himself under arrest. What is his crime? From that moment on, Joseph K. enters a strange, bewildering world of nightmare. Joseph K:……Mike Gwilym Willem:…….David Peart Franz:……..Stuart Organ Frau Grubach:……..Madi Hedd Inspector:…….Simon Hewitt Nelghbour:………Eva Stuart Block:……..Michael Bilton Woman in courtroom:………Rosalind Adams The Advocate:……..Nigel Graham Examining magistrate:……..Edward Cast Secretary:…….Jean Trend Girl:……..Wendy Murray Representative of Enquiries Department:……..Ray Jones Bank clerk:………Robin Browne Uncle:…….Stephen Thorne Leni:……..Miriam Margolyes Titoralli/The Whipper:……….Jim R The Monday Play: The Trial Mon 29th Nov 1982, 20:00 on BBC Radio 4 FM The Trial is a novel written by Franz Kafka between 1914 and 1915 and published posthumously on 26 April 1925. Stripped of the variations which Kafka improvises round it, the story of The Trial is both simple and mysterious. Josef K., the hero, wakens one morning to find that he is under arrest, without having done anything to deserve it. He is called before certain curious tribunals, of whose purpose and competence he is quite ignorant. He engages advocates whose status he cannot discover; he seeks the advice of experts who really know nothing about the case; indeed nobody knows, except by hearsay. He cannot discover what his offence was, nor if his trial has any hope of a reasonable end. He is told that there are only three courses he can follow: ask that his case should be lingered out as long as possible, so that the verdict may be indefinitely delayed; sue for ' ostensible pardon,' which is easy to win but lasts only for a short time, after which he will be arrested again; or demand real pardon, of which nothing is known, except in ancient history. In this strange fable, even stripped like this to its skeleton, it is not hard to see a fantastic image of human life. Edwin Muir
This recording is part of the Old Time Radio collection.
Chapters
| The Trial | 1:28:36 |
Reviews
Surprise Ending
John B. Stewart
This is a book I had always planned to read. Initially I couldn't locate a copy but when I found the radio play with full professional cast (including the incredible Miriam Margalese!) I was delighted. It's a brilliant ensemble cast production very different to the usual parade of volunteer readers, which frankly can be a bit hit and miss. As usual with Kafka you're never sure where you are or what era. But the common thread is an erstwhile ordinary man caught in a dystopian nightmare. In this case a bank executive charged with a crime. We're not made aware of what crime he has committed and the labyrinthine bureacracy he must negotiate to resolve his nightmare and prove his innocence while still trying to cope with his demanding job and complicated relationship is the basis of the story of 'The Trial'. The ending I found unexpected and a bit disappointing, but overall I loved this telling of Kafkas seminal work and can highly recommend you give it a listen.
Mind Bending Pioneer
Sean O'Shannessy
Kafka has been followed by so many writers over the past century who have expanded on his themes and echoed his style that it would be reasonable to expect his original work to have been surpassed by now, but it is still shockingly impactful. Beautifully dramatised!
Robert Maxwell
Very well done.Enjoyed! Very time relevant