The author then asks the readers if they have ever read a book that had such a profound impact on them. The readers are prompted to reflect on how such a book affected them and what reading it did to them. The quote from Kafka is cited from a letter to Oskar Pollak, dated 27th January 1904.
Key takeaways:
- Kafka believes that one should only read books that provoke a strong emotional response, akin to a disaster or personal tragedy.
- He argues that if a book does not 'wake us up with a blow to the head', it is not worth reading.
- Books that merely make us happy could be written by ourselves, but we need books that challenge us and stir deep emotions.
- A book, according to Kafka, must be like an axe that breaks the frozen sea within us, implying that literature should have the power to transform and awaken us.