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uncle_cosmo02:38 UTC15 Jun 2007

is how Franz Kafka allegedly described Prague.

I've been thrashing about in the Net trying (& failing) to find the exact quote, in the original language (I don't know where or when he wrote it or for that matter what language he wrote it in, German or Czech).

Can anyone help me out with the quote, or a link? (I've tried Wiki & most of the links from there & from Google.)

(Thanx in advance, & happy trails...)

sndr02:50 UTC15 Jun 2007

"Prag lässt nicht los. Uns beide nicht. Dieses Mütterchen hat Krallen."

I am not really familiar with Kafka and his work, but think he wrote in German. He wrote that quote in a letter to a friend, though, so he may have written it in another language.

istvan04:59 UTC15 Jun 2007

At Kafka's time, at least until his mid-30s, Czechoslovakia was part of the Austrian Empire. His native tongue was German, but like his parents he was was fluent in Czech too. He went to German schools in Prague, and later to the German University of Prague. He is known as one of the most influential German language writers, so I assume he wrote most of his work in German. The friend he wrote that letter to, was Kafka's classmate at the German high school and a collegue at the university. I've scanned through several German language websites, and I haven't found any reference that he might have written the letters in a language other than German. Still, I don't know for sure.

vinnyd05:10 UTC15 Jun 2007

It's from a letter to a school friend, Oskar Pollak. As far as I know, Kafka wrote only in German, even the letters to Milena Jesenská, whose native language was Czech . But that's only as far as I know and I wouldn't say that's very far. He did know Czech.

aliled06:41 UTC15 Jun 2007

His "work" was written exclusively in German. His Czech was meant to be fairly good, and beyond this he knew some French, Yiddish and had (apparently) begun studying some biblical Hebrew. I've studied him fairly in depth and haven't even heard anecodatal stories about any correspondence in Czech, so I'm sure the quote was originally in German.

novazembla05:07 UTC16 Jun 2007

He wrote to Milena mostly in German, but I think she responded in Czech.

"Dear little mother with claws" Interest forums / Speaking in Tongues
uncle_cosmo02:38 UTC15 Jun 2007	is how Franz Kafka allegedly described Prague. I've been thrashing about in the Net trying (& failing) to find the exact quote, in the original language (I don't know where or when he wrote it or for that matter what language he wrote it in, German or Czech). Can anyone help me out with the quote, or a link? (I've tried Wiki & most of the links from there & from Google.) (Thanx in advance, & happy trails...)
sndr02:50 UTC15 Jun 2007	"Prag lässt nicht los. Uns beide nicht. Dieses Mütterchen hat Krallen." I am not really familiar with Kafka and his work, but think he wrote in German. He wrote that quote in a letter to a friend, though, so he may have written it in another language.	1
istvan04:59 UTC15 Jun 2007	At Kafka's time, at least until his mid-30s, Czechoslovakia was part of the Austrian Empire. His native tongue was German, but like his parents he was was fluent in Czech too. He went to German schools in Prague, and later to the German University of Prague. He is known as one of the most influential German language writers, so I assume he wrote most of his work in German. The friend he wrote that letter to, was Kafka's classmate at the German high school and a collegue at the university. I've scanned through several German language websites, and I haven't found any reference that he might have written the letters in a language other than German. Still, I don't know for sure.	2
vinnyd05:10 UTC15 Jun 2007	It's from a letter to a school friend, Oskar Pollak. As far as I know, Kafka wrote only in German, even the letters to Milena Jesenská, whose native language was Czech . But that's only as far as I know and I wouldn't say that's very far. He did know Czech.	3
aliled06:41 UTC15 Jun 2007	His "work" was written exclusively in German. His Czech was meant to be fairly good, and beyond this he knew some French, Yiddish and had (apparently) begun studying some biblical Hebrew. I've studied him fairly in depth and haven't even heard anecodatal stories about any correspondence in Czech, so I'm sure the quote was originally in German.	4
novazembla05:07 UTC16 Jun 2007	He wrote to Milena mostly in German, but I think she responded in Czech.	5

&quot;Dear little mother with claws&quot;

"Dear little mother with claws"