Celebrate Franz Kafka’s Birthday with a Google Doodle & Free Books

By Maryann Yin 

Google has created a Google Doodle to celebrate Franz Kafka’s 130th birthday. Follow these links to download a free copy of The Metamorphosis and The Trial.

The designers drew inspiration from The Metamorphosis. Published in 1915, the famous novella follows the surreal ordeal of a salesman named Gregor Samsa. Here’s more from TIME magazine:

The drawing shows a lighter take on Kafka’s absurdist work, portraying a cockroach coming home from a day at work. The Doodle even includes a nod to the plot by including a small, sepia-toned apple, referring to the apples that the poor salesman’s father threw at him when he found his son transformed into the creepy-crawler.

In the past, Google has crafted doodles to honor many writers including The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy author Douglas Adams, Pride & Prejudice author Jane Austen, and Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea author Jules VerneHere’s a video from Google headquarters spotlighting the artists behind the doodles.