C. Day-Lewis and the Kafkaesque

In July 2024, to mark the centenary year of Franz Kafka's death, Wadham Library acquired a first edition of The Trial, published in 1937. This was the first English translation of Kafka's landmark novel.

The copy we bought was previously owned by former Poet Laureate and Wadham alumnus, C. Day-Lewis. But the connections between Kafka and Day-Lewis turned out to be far more intertwined.

In fact, Wadham post-doctoral researcher, Dr Ian Ellison, discovered that Day-Lewis has the earliest recorded use of the word 'Kakfa-esque'.

In this video, Dr Ellison discusses the overlap between Kafka and Day-Lewis with David Whiting, the Co-Literary Executor of the Cecil Day-Lewis Estate.