The Metamorphosis begins as its protagonist, Gregor Samsa, wakes up one morning to find that he has become a huge insect. This change is understandably difficult for Gregor, not to mention his family and business. It ends up costing him his life.

The story has been interpreted as everything from religious allegory to psychoanalytic case history, but works because, though written nearly a century ago, Kafka's fantastic imaginings convey a reality of their own. We surrender to Gregor's experience, which in a way becomes ours.

Also included are stories by Guy de Maupassant: "The Englishman", "The Piece of String", "The Necklace", "A Crisis", "The Will", "Love", "The Inn" and "Was it a Dream".

Translated by Stanley Appelbaum.