Selected Stories
translated and edited short-story collection · First published 2024
Author guide
Mark Harman Books in Order
Mark Harman is an Irish-American literary translator, Kafka scholar, and professor emeritus of German and English at Elizabethtown College in Pennsylvania. His major book publications include translations of Franz Kafka, Hermann Hesse, and Rainer Maria Rilke, as well as the edited and co-translated collection Robert Walser Rediscovered. His translation of Kafka's The Castle received the Modern Language Association's Lois Roth Award.
literary translationGerman literatureKafka studiesmodernist literature
Catalog record updated .
Mark Harman's Newest Book
Not sure where to begin?
Start with one of these
The Castle: A New Translation, Based on the Restored Text
Harman's award-winning Kafka translation and his best-known book-length work.
Letters to a Young Poet
A concise introduction to Harman's translation of German literary prose and letters.
Outside the series
Bibliography by category
Novels (2)
- The Castle: A New Translation, Based on the Restored Text
translated novel · 1998
The Castle (original title: "Das Schloß") is the story of K., the unwanted Land Surveyor who is never to be admitted to the Castle nor accepted in the village, and yet cannot go home. As he encounters dualities of certainty and doubt,…
- Amerika: The Missing Person: A New Translation, Based on the Restored Text
translated novel · 2008
Edited works (2)
- Robert Walser Rediscovered: Stories, Fairy-Tale Plays, and Critical Responses
edited and co-translated collection · 1985
- Selected Stories
translated and edited short-story collection · 2024
Other (2)
- Soul of the Age: Selected Letters of Hermann Hesse
translation · 1991
- Letters to a Young Poet
translation · 2011
Frequently asked questions about Mark Harman
Who is Mark Harman?
Mark Harman is a Dublin-born literary translator and Kafka scholar who taught German and English at Elizabethtown College in Pennsylvania; he is now identified as professor emeritus. He has also taught at Dartmouth, Oberlin, Franklin & Marshall, and the University of Pennsylvania.
Sources: americanacademy.de (opens in a new tab)calendar.uga.edu (opens in a new tab)
What led Mark Harman to become a literary translator?
Harman has said that reading Robert Walser’s stories in German in the early 1980s first prompted him to translate because he felt English-language readers needed more of Walser. Kafka later became a formative influence, especially after Harman studied The Castle as an undergraduate at University College Dublin.
What is Mark Harman known for in his career?
He is best known for scholarship and translations involving modern German and Irish literature, particularly Franz Kafka. His career has combined literary translation, criticism, and teaching across several American colleges.
Sources: americanacademy.de (opens in a new tab)news.etown.edu (opens in a new tab)
Did Mark Harman win any awards?
Yes. His translation of Kafka’s The Castle received the Modern Language Association’s Lois Roth Award, which was first presented for a literary translation in 1999.
Sources: act.mla.org (opens in a new tab)loisrothfoundation.org (opens in a new tab)americanacademy.de (opens in a new tab)
What is Mark Harman’s lasting contribution to Kafka translation?
Harman helped bring restored-text editions of Kafka to English readers while preserving the original’s ambiguity, rhythm, irony, and humor. His approach is especially associated with The Castle, whose publisher says the translation reveals comedy, energy, and visual power that earlier English readers had not fully encountered.
Sources: nereview.com (opens in a new tab)penguinrandomhouse.com (opens in a new tab)