Franz Kafka - The Metamorphosis

130 years ago today, in a world which no longer could be seriously understood as the effect or providence of the deliberate choice of a deity with a comprehensible, or even a coherent plan, one of the first men to viscerally understand and feel the essence of the absurdity of existence was born. His name was Franz Kafka. You may have heard of him...

Though not a philosopher himself, Kafka has become a literary icon and an inspiration to many philosophers, especially those of the existentialist persuasion. And to celebrate his birthday, here's one of his most famous and celebrated short works: The Metamorphosis

To get a sense of the absurdity of existence, you could hardly do better than stop by the Franz Kafka International Airport, previously described by The Onion as quite possibly the most alienating place in the world :)