In the Penal Colony (Franz Kafka)

"In the Penal Colony" is a short story by Franz Kafka written in German in October 1914, revised in November 1918, and first published in October 1919. As in some of Kafka's other writings, the narrator in this story seems detached from, or perhaps numbed by, events that one would normally expect to be registered with horror.

Author:: Franz Kafka
Narrator:: Mark Bowen
Content:: Unabridged (chapter list)
Length:: 1:22 h
Format:: MP3 download (56 MB)
Language:: English
Publisher:: Strelbytskyy Multimedia Publishing (2025)
Genres:: Classics, Science
Rating:

Tags:: No tags

01 - In the Penal Colony - Intro	0:10	1 MB
02 - In the Penal Colony	42:09	29 MB
03 - In the Penal Colony Continuation	38:54	26 MB
04 - In the Penal Colony - Outro	0:18	1 MB

Customers also like

Audiobook The classic of German literature - Franz Kafka - Mark Bowen — The classic of German literature – Franz Kafka Mark Bowen

Audiobook The Classic Collection of Franz Kafka. Novellas and Stories - Franz Kafka - Peter Coates — The Classic Collection of Franz Kafka. Novellas and Stories – Franz Kafka Peter Coates

Audiobook 25+ The World's Greatest Short Stories. Vol. 2 - Washington Irving - Kenneth Eliot — 25+ The World's Greatest Short Stories. Vol. 2 – Washington Irving Kenneth Eliot

Audiobook Existentialism: Philosophical and Literary Works - Fyodor Dostoevsky - Peter Coates — Existentialism: Philosophical and Literary Works – Fyodor Dostoevsky Peter Coates

Audiobook 50+ Great Novellas and Short Stories. Vol.1 - Washington Irving - Paul Gibson — 50+ Great Novellas and Short Stories. Vol.1 – Washington Irving Paul Gibson

Audiobook 50+ Great Novellas and Short Stories. Vol.2 - Washington Irving - Kenneth Elliot — 50+ Great Novellas and Short Stories. Vol.2 – Washington Irving Kenneth Elliot

Audiobook A Report for an Academy - Franz Kafka - Peter Coates — A Report for an Academy – Franz Kafka Peter Coates

Hoerbuch Gesammelte Werke Kurzgeschichten, Erzählungen und Novellen - Franz Kafka - Marco Neumann — Gesammelte Werke Kurzgeschichten, Erzählungen und Novellen – Franz Kafka Marco Neumann

Audiobook The Metamorphosis - Franz Kafka - Peter Coates — The Metamorphosis – Franz Kafka Peter Coates

Audiobook Josephine the Songstress - Franz Kafka - Peter Coates — Josephine the Songstress – Franz Kafka Peter Coates

Audiobook The Great Wall of China - Franz Kafka - Peter Coates — The Great Wall of China – Franz Kafka Peter Coates

Audiobook A Hunger Artist - Franz Kafka - Peter Coates — A Hunger Artist – Franz Kafka Peter Coates

Summary

"In the Penal Colony" is a short story by Franz Kafka written in German in October 1914, revised in November 1918, and first published in October 1919.

As in some of Kafka's other writings, the narrator in this story seems detached from, or perhaps numbed by, events that one would normally expect to be registered with horror. Internal clues and the setting on an island suggest Octave Mirbeau's The Torture Garden as an influence.

The story is set in an unnamed penal colony and describes the last use of an elaborate torture and execution device that carves the commandment that the condemned prisoner has transgressed on his skin as he slowly dies over the course of twelve hours. As the plot unfolds, the reader learns more and more about the machine, including its origin and original justification.

User rating and reviews (0)

Current rating:

Overall:: 0.00 out of 5
Performance:: 0.00 out of 5
Story:: 0.00 out of 5

Your rating:

Overall:: 0 out of 5
Performance:: 0 out of 5
Story:: 0 out of 5

For each good and approved review you get 100 loyalty points. Points can be exchanged for discount or credit.