SOURCE: Mathäs, Alexander. “Copying Kafka's Signature: Martin Walser's Die Verteidigung der Kindheit.” Germanic Review 69, no. 2 (spring 1994): 79-91.

In the following essay, Mathäs investigates the influence of Franz Kafka on Walser's Die Verteidigung der Kindheit, comparing the themes and protagonists of the novel with Kafka's literary works.

In their initial reactions to Martin Walser's novel Die Verteidigung der Kindheit, many critics emphasized the continuity in Walser's works. Consequently, these critics stressed the psychological similarities of Walser's protagonists.¹ Those critics who interpreted Walser's novel in terms of the author's position toward German unification were either disappointed or had to concede that historical events remained in the background.² After Martin Walser had almost singlehandedly and vociferously promoted German unity, it seemed only natural for certain critics to focus on the novel's historical dimension and its significance for Germany's contemporary political situation (see for example Martin Lüdke). The fact...