The evening began with an introductory speech given by the Ambassador Libor Sečka together with the Ambassador of Israel Mark Regev. The audience then watched a short film summarising Kafka’s life, works and his significance in world literature. The evening continued with an expert panel discussion led by Mr. Thomas Salamon, emeritus rabbi of the Westminster Synagogue. The following authors and experts then proceeded with thematic presentations:

Ms. Judita Matyášová (Lidové noviny) - “Journeys with Franz Kafka”

Mr. William Pimlott (University College London) - “Kafka and his views on the Yiddish & Hebrew languages”

Ms. Anat Marcus (Cambridge University) - “Architectural imagery in Kafka’s short stories”

The last part of the programme was a very interesting public debate between the panellists and the audience, followed by a reception at the representational hall of the Embassy, accompanied by traditional Jewish songs played live by the pianist Mr. Alex Knapp, a special guest of the Westminster Synagogue.

Franz Kafka- a name that resonates throughout the world of literature and is synonymous with literary genius. Kafka was a German-writing author born in 1883 in Prague whose work has been classed amongst the most prominent of the 20^th century. In his writing, Kafka mainly explores and focuses on themes of life experience and absurdity whilst skilfully depicting the interplay between daily life and the extent of human creativity. This is reflected in many of his most significant literary works, such as ‘The Metamorphosis’ or ‘The Trial’, in which he transcends the line between reality and human imagination, exploiting the human psyche and consciousness. Kafka’s unique writing style gave rise to the new term ‘Kafkaesque’. This term is often used to refer to the self-perpetuating and innately absurd nature of bureaucracy, as well as the frustration and struggle of the people to fight such frameworks from within using the same bureaucratic laws and procedures.