Oppressively bizarre, illogical, or nightmarish — reminiscent of Franz Kafka's fiction where individuals are trapped in absurd, dehumanizing systems.
From Franz Kafka (1883–1924), Czech-born German-language writer. His novels The Trial and The Metamorphosis depict protagonists crushed by incomprehensible bureaucracies. The adjective emerged in the 1940s after his posthumous fame.
Kafka asked his friend Max Brod to burn all his manuscripts when he died. Brod refused and published them instead, making Kafka one of the most influential writers in history. The most Kafkaesque thing about Kafka is that his legacy exists through a betrayal of his final wish.
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