"The Trial" by Franz Kafka

Hitchin Book Club invites you to join us for some light hearted discussion about the book. This event is a great introduction to the book club (especially if you have never been to a book club before). We always welcome new members of any level of reading experience.

Book Name: The Trial
Book Author: Franz Kafka
Genre: Dystopian Fiction / Philosophical Fiction
Published: 1925
Word Count: 84k
Read Time Estimate: 5h36m

Date: Wednesday 20th August 2025
Start Time: 19:30pm
End Time: approx 21:30pm
Location: The Albert Inn, 50 Walsworth Rd, Hitchin SG4 9SU - sitting at one of the tables inside. Any updates to location I will post in comments on the day.

Structure:
- Brief introduction and what you thought about the book
- Discussions based on a set of pre-prepared questions as prompts
- 5 to 10 minute break half-way through, option to join whatsapp group
- Opportunity to ask any questions to the group
- Closing thoughts and provide a rating for book out of 10
- Book club formally ends - feel free to leave or stick around for general conversations

About book (from Goodreads):
Written in 1914 but not published until 1925, a year after Kafka’s death, The Trial is the terrifying tale of Josef K., a respectable bank officer who is suddenly and inexplicably arrested and must defend himself against a charge about which he can get no information. Whether read as an existential tale, a parable, or a prophecy of the excesses of modern bureaucracy wedded to the madness of totalitarianism, The Trial has resonated with chilling truth for generations of readers.