Who was Felice Bauer and how did she influence Franz Kafka’s life?

Felice Bauer was a secretary whom Franz Kafka met in 1912 at the home of his friend Max Brod. Their relationship was a significant, albeit turbulent, period in Kafka’s life, marked by two separate engagements—first in 1914 and again in 1917—before they permanently parted ways later that year.12

Bauer served as a primary correspondent for Kafka, and their exchange of daily letters provides deep insight into his creative process and personal struggles. During the early stages of their relationship, Kafka was actively writing his famous novella, The Metamorphosis, and he frequently shared his progress, frustrations, and anxieties about the work with her.1

Ultimately, their relationship was strained by Kafka’s neurotically disturbed personal life and his inability to balance his demanding office job with his intense commitment to writing. His inhibition and the conflicting inclinations of his personality made intimacy difficult, illustrating the broader themes of isolation and alienation that defined both his life and his literary work.21