Franz Kafka is one of the greatest writers of the 20th century, the most widely read and most enigmatic, 'the incomprehensible master and ruler of the realm of the German language' (H. Hesse). His works were initially published in tiny print runs, which, moreover, sold with difficulty. Today, they sell millions of copies around the world, but Brecht's observation remains true that in Kafka's work, 'a key to everything, like a secret script, is needed.' Perhaps this key can be found in the writer's diaries, the most expressive pages of which are presented in this edition. They contain literary ideas, fragments and versions of stories, reflections on life and art, excerpts from letters and dreams. In addition to the diaries, the book includes aphorisms, a letter to his father, and the writer's original will.