Franz Kafka commemorative event launched in Taipei

Taipei, Sept. 14 (CNA) An exhibition in commemoration of renowned German-language novelist Franz Kafka that kicked off in Taipei on Saturday will allow visitors to explore Kafka's works "in a modern way," said Markéta Záhumenská, head of the Czech Centre Taipei.

At the opening ceremony, Záhumenská said Kafka, best known to Taiwanese readers for his novels "Metamorphosis" and "The Trial," remained "an enduring part of Prague's spirit" as the Czech capital contains numerous tributes to him.

Kafka was born in 1883 in Prague, which was then in Austria-Hungary.

"We often imagine Kafka as a shy man, closed off in a world of writing and office work," said Záhumenská, whose organization was established in June to promote cultural exchanges between the Czech Republic and Taiwan.

In reality, however, he was a socially active man with many interests, Záhumenská said, adding that "at his core, he was a person like any of us, and was definitely a man of his time and ours."

The exhibition, featuring a display of posters, a virtual reality show and a video game, all of which were inspired by Kafka's works, allows visitors to "experience Kafka's work in a modern way," she added.

The exhibition marking the centennial of Kafka's death in 1924 will run through Oct. 13 at the Taiwan Literature Base.

In addition, two talks, two dance performances and one painting workshop will be held over the weekend, said Theresa Hümmer, director of the Goethe-Institut in Taipei.

Meanwhile, Chen Ying-fang (陳瑩芳), director of the National Museum of Taiwan Literature (NMTL), said the commemorative event was part of the museum's efforts to "bring literature into people's lives" through the use of multiple literary and artistic approaches.

The event was organized by the NMTL in cooperation with the Czech Centre Taipei, the Goethe-Institut in Taipei, and the Czech Republic and Germany's foreign missions in Taiwan.

Chen expressed hope that the event would pave the way for more collaborations between the museum and other foreign cultural organizations, as well as opportunities to promote Taiwanese literature overseas.