Franz Kafka is the author of the writings included in the book, "The Basic Kafka." He was born in 1883 and grew up in Prague, then part of Austria-Hungary, with his middle-class, Jewish family. He was the son of Hermann and Julie Kafka, and the brother of Valli, Elli and Ottla Kafka. He died at age 40 in 1924 of tuberculosis. Kafka was a very influential writer and contributed much to Western literature. He never married, but was engaged twice to Felice Bauer, but their relationship ended before he contracted tuberculosis in 1917.