An Imperial Message by Franz Kafka, 1919
The magic trick:
Establishing a sad and bitter premise very quickly
F is for Franz.
This has to be among the – if not the – shortest Kafka story. He still delivers a punch though, in one paragraph. There is sadness in the setup. Word is the emperor has a message for “you alone, his pathetic subject” from his deathbed. The notion that you will ever receive this message seems unlikely. That you will live on in hopes of receiving it is even sadder.
And that’s quite a trick on Kafka’s part.
The selection:
The Emperor—so they say—has sent a message, directly from his death bed, to you alone, his pathetic subject, a tiny shadow which has taken refuge at the furthest distance from the imperial sun. He ordered the herald to kneel down beside his bed and whispered the message in his ear. He thought it was so important that he had the herald speak it back to him. He confirmed the accuracy of verbal message by nodding his head.
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