Book · 1925
The Trial
- mentions
- 14
- people
- 10
- podcasts
- 6
- episodes
- 10
- critical mentions
- 0
There's a story literally about the situation that he wrote, perhaps predicted, called The Trial, where a person is arrested for no reason that anybody can explain and is stuck in the judicial system for a long time.
Lex Fridman · Lex Fridman Podcast · Oct 2025 Listen at 1:00:10 What they say about it
- Recommend the book“recommend this short book”4
- Living in Kafka's world“we live in Kafka's world”3
The best things said about it
I highly recommend this short book, and I'll probably talk about it even more in the future.
Lex Fridman Lex Fridman Podcast · Oct 2025 We live in Kafka's world, you know, so I would probably say The Trial or The Castle or both of them.
And I certainly love The Trial.
I'd like to use this opportunity to talk about Franz Kafka, one of my favorite writers. The reason he has been on my mind is that his work, "The Trial," and the case of Pavel Duro in France has, let's say, eerie parallels, both metaphorically and literally.
Lex Fridman Lex Fridman Podcast · Oct 2025 In this novel, the main character, Josef K, is a successful bank officer, and he's arrested on his birthday for an unspecified crime by a kind of amorphous court.
Lex Fridman Lex Fridman Podcast · Oct 2025 In The Trial by Kafka, the first scene is two police officers turning up at his house and he says what have I done wrong, we cannot tell you that, you do not need to know that.
Jordan Peterson The Jordan B. Peterson Podcast · Dec 2024 Where and when it comes up
Mentions per year
How it comes up
Most mentions, by podcast
10 people who brought it up
Why people recommend it
Franz Kafka's renowned novel "The Trial" tells the chilling story of Josef K., a respectable bank officer who is abruptly arrested on his birthday for an unspecified crime by an amorphous, incomprehensible judicial system. The book received high praise and commentary across multiple podcast appearances. Lex Fridman strongly recommended the short novel on the Lex Fridman Podcast, returning to it in his monologue to draw eerie metaphorical and literal parallels between the book's absurd bureaucratic entrapment and modern legal situations, such as the arrest of Telegram founder Pavel Durov in France. Fridman noted that Kafka remains one of his favorite writers and that he expects to discuss the work further. Similarly, Salman Rushdie championed the novel on both The Book Review and The Ezra Klein Show, asserting that humanity currently inhabits Kafka's world and specifically highlighting "The Trial" alongside "The Castle" as essential reading from one of the great twentieth-century masters. Colm Toibin also expressed a deep fondness for the book during his appearance on The Book Review. Additionally, Andrew Doyle referenced the novel on The Jordan B. Peterson Podcast to critique contemporary police tactics in the United Kingdom regarding the presumption of innocence. Listeners and commentators continually return to the text to illuminate themes of institutional alienation, power, and the terrifying weight of faceless authorities operating without transparency or clear accountability.
Every mention
Salman Rushdie I mean I think you know of the three great masters of the 20th century Joyce Bru and kfka we live in kafka'… 2
“I mean I think you know of the three great masters of the 20th century Joyce Bru and kfka we live in kafka's world you know so I would probably say the trial or the castle or both of them”
“we live in kafka's world you know um so would probably say the trial or the castle or both of them”
Lex Fridman I highly recommend this short book, and I'll probably talk about it even more in the future. 4
“There's a story literally about the situation that he wrote, perhaps predicted, called "The Trial," where a person is arrested for no reason that anybody can explain and is stuck in the judicial system for a long time.”
“I'd like to use this opportunity to talk about Franz Kafka, one of my favorite writers. The reason he has been on my mind is that his work, "The Trial," and the case of Pavel Duro in France has, let's say, eerie parallels, both metaphorically and literally.”
“But here, lemme talk about another of his work, "The Trial." In this novel, the main character, Josef K, is a successful bank officer, and he's arrested on his birthday for an unspecified crime by a kind of amorphous court...”
“I highly recommend this short book, and I'll probably talk about it even more in the future.”
Colm Toibin and I certainly love the trial 1
“and I certainly love the trial”
Andrew Doyle now you'll know the novel The Trial no presumption of innocence right 1
“now you'll know the novel The Trial no presumption of innocence right”
Charlie Walker i'd actually fallen asleep reading kafka the trial this guy getting arrested and not knowing what it's all… 1
“i'd actually fallen asleep reading kafka the trial this guy getting arrested and not knowing what it's all about”
Hannah Claire Brimelo is just like Kafka it's I mean it's just like the trial 1
“is just like Kafka it's I mean it's just like the trial”
Jack Posobiec kafka's book um the trial in the original in the original German the title is dear process and the main cha… 1
“kafka's book um the trial in the original in the original German the title is dear process and the main character”
Jordan Peterson now you'll know the novel The Trial no presumption of innocence right cuz who needs that exactly exactly bu… 1
“now you'll know the novel The Trial no presumption of innocence right cuz who needs that exactly exactly but in the trial by Kafka the first scene is two police officers turning up at his house and he says what have I done wrong we cannot tell you that you do not need to know that”
Libby Emmons so i read this in high school um and i had to convince them to let me read it but whatever so this guy uh k… 1
“so i read this in high school um and i had to convince them to let me read it but whatever so this guy uh kaye ends up on trial”
Tim Pool that whole that whole kafka book that the trial was about that like if you admit it you're guilty 1
“that whole that whole kafka book that the trial was about that like if you admit it you're guilty”
