First published in the German language as Die Herrlichkeit des Lebens.

In July 1923, Franz Kafka is convalescing by the Baltic Sea when he meets Dora Diamant and falls in love. Set over the last year of Kafka's life, the tale of Franz and Dora's fragile time together in a Germany juxtaposes the excitement and vitality of Weimar Berlin with Kafka's indecision and failing health. Mediated through letters, telegraphs, and the telephone, Michael Kumpfmuller captures the exhilaration of modernity and the essence of a friendship nourished by communication. "The Glory of Life" meditates on what really makes life worth living. A compelling combination of historical research and fictional reconstruction, this evocative and artful novel captures the inner life of one of the twentieth century's most influential and revered literary figures.

Translated from the German.