Submitted by the Orcas Island Library.

Would you like to learn more about an author whose narratives begin like this: “One morning, upon awakening from agitated dreams, Gregor Samsa found himself, in his bed, transformed into a monstrous vermin”?

Or like this: “Someone must have slandered Josef K., for one morning, without having done anything truly wrong, he was arrested.”

And like this: “Honored Members of the Academy! You have done me the honor of inviting me to give your Academy an account of the life I formerly led as an ape.”

If so, join us for “A Discovery of Kafka.” All aspects of his works and life will be explored in the historical and social context of early 20th-century central Europe. We will read a wide selection from his novels, such as “The Trial,” short stories like “The Metamorphosis” and “In the Penal Colony,” parables and aphorisms and diaries and letters. We will discuss the delight and difficulty of reading Kafka, his posthumous reception as a world author and his relevance today.

The course will meet at the Orcas Island Public Library on Thursdays, from 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m., beginning on March 7. Sign up at the library or by emailing Jens Kruse at jkruse@wellesley.edu.