Kafka's Metamorphosis: The annotated audiobook

Listen #1 | When I woke this morning from uneasy dreams I found myself transformed in my bed into a monstrous book guide.

Each Friday, I roll into your inbox with a little tangent from my life, reading or writing. Today, I have a slightly different offering: the first in a series I’m calling Listen – a celebration of audiobooks and listening to stories. Here I want to spotlight a recently published audiobook that I helped produce: Franz Kafka’s Metamorphosis from Audrey.

The fate of the animals by Franz Marc (1913)

I love audiobooks. I love classics. I love footnotes.

So I knew I was going to love the Audrey app: an exciting new project that pairs a classic audiobook with an expert literary guide.

The aim of the app is to make classics more accessible and enjoyable to listeners and readers. The guide creates bite-sized notes to accompany each chapter, giving you the opportunity to pause and think about the story. Less university lecture, more friendly footnotes – an informed and enthusiastic reading partner.

When I announced this year’s read along of War and Peace, people told me they were

• intimidated by Tolstoy

• found classics difficult

• didn’t think they were clever enough to read War and Peace.

My priority in organising Whisky and Perseverance was to alleviate these concerns. I wanted to show that War and Peace is for everyone. And at the start of the year, almost one thousand readers joined us. Nine months on, people have told me incredible things: that this is now one of their favourite novels, that it wasn’t at all what they were expecting, and that reading it has transformed what and how they read.

So when Lucy Rand at Audrey got in touch with me, I could see we were on the same page. Classics for everyone, with short lively notes that bring the story to life.

I have now created notes for two audiobooks in the Audrey library: Leo Tolstoy’s The Death of Ivan Ilyich. And now, Franz Kafka’s Metamorphosis.

Why Metamorphosis?

It has one of the most famous opening lines in literature. And the story just gets weirder. I had my own uneasy dreams while writing this guide, I’d challenge anyone not to be troubled by it. A travelling salesman wakes up trapped in a strange bug body. He and his family try to accommodate this unfortunate transformation. But co-existence and existence prove impossible for Gregor Samsa.

Written in 1915, Die Verwandlung is famously difficult to translate with numerous different attempts at that tricky first sentence. What does Gregor turn into? No one is exactly sure. Which is rather the point. And there is little agreement about what the story means. One book lists over 130 different interpretations.

I talk about some of these in the Audrey notes. But the interpretation that matters most should be your own. It is an uncomfortable, unnerving book, that makes you think and makes you feel. Pay attention to how you respond to it and perhaps notice how it plays a part in your own metamorphosis.

What is an Audrey audiobook?

The Audrey app takes listening to books to the next level. Wherever you are in the story, you can click on three buttons at the bottom of the screen: recaps, characters and guide.

Recaps gives you a quick summary of the story so far, chapter by chapter. Perfect for picking up the book after a few days away, and reminding yourself of the plot.

Characters does something similar, but for each main character. It updates as you continue reading, reminding you of important details and connections between characters.

Guide is where all the really good stuff lives. At the end of every chapter, you can read and listen to a series of unique and thoughtfully prepared notes. There are also images, videos and links to articles and podcasts. Questions to think about and quotes to linger on.

There is also a custom-made playlist of music to accompany the book and further recommendations to continue your reading and listening. And each book is beautifully illustrated by a specially commissioned illustrator. Metamorphosis has been exquisitely brought to life by Julie Ann Monks.

All in all, it’s a rather extraordinary treasure trove of material to make listening to a book even better than it already is.

I am delighted with how Metamorphosis has turned out, and I am very excited to be contributing to this new way of making audiobooks.

You can find the full list of books on the Audrey website. It is a relatively new project but one you should keep an eye on, as their library continues to grow.

If you have already tried out the Audrey app, let me know what you think in the comments.

Until next time,

Simon

AI: turn the first line of Metamorphosis into a creepy etching.

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In case you missed it…

Here’s the most recent War and Peace post:

Here’s my most recent Friday Fireside on Hilary Mantel:

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