Franz Kafka (1883-1924) is the most influential German-speaking writer of the 20th century. His work is still considered the epitome of ambiguity and a prime example of aesthetic modernism. This handbook provides an overview of all his works and the diverse interpretative approaches: it begins with chapters on his life and personality, as well as the contextualization of Kafka's work in various contexts, such as the Prague Circle, Judaism/Zionism, philosophy, psychoanalysis, and film. It presents all of Kafka's important works and fragments, as well as his diaries and letters, and attempts to arrive at personal interpretations through detailed text descriptions. Special emphasis is placed for the first time on the developmental history of Kafka's work. A synthesizing section at the end examines the complete works under central thematic and formal aspects, such as Kafka.