Uncovering Kafka's Prague

the House "Zur Minute"

In search of my second book, I went to the bookstore on Wenceslas Square and walked the four flights up to the English section, panting by the time I arrived at the mediocre selection. There were the titles by Kundera and Kafka, but since I already chose Kundera’s The Unbearable Lightness of Being for my first book, I was looking for something a little bit different. I browsed for a bit, picking up various books and thumbing through them before settling on Harald Salfellner’s Franz Kafka and Prague.

The book operates on the idea that to understand Kafka, you have to understand Prague. In attempting to rebuild Kafka’s Prague, Salfellner launches condensed history lessons that, to someone who currently lives here and does not possess an extensive knowledge of its history, are quite fascinating. He weaves together Kafka’s personal history, citing his works and letters, with that of the city, presenting the information as if it were a travel diary. One of the chapters of the book is titled “Kafka’s Prague Itinerary,” and in it, Salfellner lists all the places connected to Kafka, whether it be a place of residence, a hangout, a home of someone dear to him, or a spot making cultural waves at the time. Whatever it is, Salfellner recounts Kafka’s past through location, detailing the history, often times complex beyond belief, and its imprint on Kafka.

The vast majority of them are in the Old Town, where most of us NYU students spend a great amount of time in, walking to and from class. As I made my way through the list, I was greeted with black-and-white photographs of familiar buildings but from a completely different time, decades or a century ago. And then one jumped out at me. The building is located between the small square where NYU is located and Old Town Square, near the Astronomical Clock. The façade is covered with white paintings that jump out against the coal-colored background. It turns out that the first floor of this building, called the House “Zur Minute” in German, was home to the Kafkas for seven years. The accompanying picture, taken in 1900, is quite amazing as well, but unfortunately I cannot find it online. Now, some of the white paintings are gone and the passageways that lie below the building have undergone renovations, but the building is instantly recognizable. The House “Zur Minute” has obviously changed in the last century, but the number of features that have been kept are astounding. It really comes to show just how wonderfully preserved Prague is. And it is so strange to think that the house in which Kafka once lived is mere steps away from NYU in Prague, a bustling Starbucks, and various shops selling the best Bohemian crystal, and that the streets he once walked now faces a barrage of tourists.

The book then goes on to speculate the routes that Kafka might have taken while on his frequent promenades and the sources of inspiration different landmarks may have provided for his works. Salfellner presents an absolute wealth of information that is endlessly fascinating and drives in an underlying point – to understand Kafka, you need to understand Prague. There is no divorcing the two.