Franz Kafka: Deep Cuts by Bold Tendencies

In collaboration with Bold Tendencies, on 3rd July we celebrated what would have been Kafka’s 141st birthday with actor Kristin Scott Thomas reading from a selection of his works to a sell-out crowd in Peckham.

The event aimed to explore the communities at the fringes of Kafka’s writing, with deep cuts from his archive of short stories including Children on a Country Road, Unhappiness and A Hunger Artist, one of the last stories Kafka edited before he died. The event also included phenomenal versions of the parable An Imperial Message and the short story The Bridge. Kristin Scott Thomas discussed and even combined different translations to great expressive effect.

Alongside curating the evening's readings, in the afternoon Carolin Duttlinger and Barry Murnane led a community reading group with members from the local Southwark and Peckham public libraries; they also discussed the various collaborations with our creative partners on Kafka's Transformative Communities and introduced the exhibition "Kafka: Making of an Icon" in a pre-show panel discussion.

In the centenary year of Kafka’s death, it was an inspiring way to celebrate and bring to life his work. We would like to thank Bold Tendencies for putting on such an unforgettable evening.