He was laying on his hard, as it werearmour-plated, back and when he raised hishead a little he could see his domelike browntummy separated into stiff arched parts on topof which the bed quilt could barely keep in placeand was about to slide off entirely.

His numerous legs, which were pitifully delicatecorresponded to the remainder of his bulk, waved helplessly before his eyes.With its stunning, eccentric, yet surprisinglyfunny first opening, Kafka begins hischef-d'oeuvre, The Metamorphosis.It is the story of a youthful man who, changedovernight into a giant beetle-like insect, evolvesan entity of disrepute to his family, a stranger inhis own home, a quintessentially alienated man.