You are the knife that I turn within myself.

Franz Kafka's letters to his former muse, Milena Jesenska, offer an intimate glimpse into the desires and hopes of the most significant and prophetic writer of the twentieth century.

Kafka first met Milena Jesenska in 1920 when she translated his early short prose into Czech. Their relationship quickly developed into a deep bond. His feelings for her were so strong that Kafka showed her his diaries, laying bare his heart and conscience.

While Milena's vibrant spirit temporarily gave Kafka new life energy, it ultimately drained him, and their relationship lasted just over two years. Kafka died in 1924 in a sanatorium near Vienna, and Milena was killed by the Nazis in 1944, leaving these letters as a poignant testament to their relationship.