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Griselda Alvarado

Professor Angie Kirk

English 305

9 October 2015

A Hunger Artist: Short story vs. Graphic Novel

Franz Kafkas short novel A Hungry Artist is such a remarkable story that many

adaptations have been made including a short stop motion animated film by Tom Gibbons and a

theatrical play by Jason Lindner. Each adaptation has been made from the artists interpretation

of the original story. One can compare and contrast ideas and themes speculated to be perceived

by Kafka. However, a closer comparison pertaining to literature would be that of Robert D.

Crumb and David Z. Mairowitzs graphic novel interpretation. In both the original and the

graphic novel rendition of A Hungry Artist, the main character is the artist himself whose pride

and passion for recognition lead to a very sad and dissatisfied life. There are many gains and

losses in the graphic novel compared to the original story. Although there exists many

similarities in theme, main character, and emotional impact, the difference in style and language

provide the reader with a distinct experience that influences the readers interpretation of the

story.

Crumb and Mairowitzs graphic novel offer the reader visuals that convey horror and

sadness. The black and white only illustrations create a sense of horror to the reader. If visual art

can be Kafkaesque, Crumb and Mairowitz have accomplished it(Snow). Subtle symbols also

help express emotion such as the artists feet facing inward as he is being carried out of the cage

suggest shame. Another symbol is the woman with her hand on her mouth expressing fear as the

artist rattles his cage. Furthermore, the light and dark hue place focus on specific characters
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faces as they express emotion with the use of emanata. The setting and extra characters are

established in a way that portray the times and feelings about hunger artists. In addition to

creating a mood and setting, the graphic novel version is able to reach out to a younger audience.

Its simple language and helpful visuals help the reader follow the story with ease. The style in

which the wording was placed also helps the reader. The narrators voiceover boxes are very

different in font and style from the speech bubbles in order to differentiate and make the story

easier to follow. Most of the story is told from the narrators perspective although there are few

speech bubbles for characters.

The graphic novel is short and to the point, but simplicity comes with a big price.

Although visuals are the main attribution in a graphic novel, they are also the reason why

imagination is lost. Pictures are received information we need no formal education to get the

message. The message is instantaneous. Writing is perceived information. It takes time and

specialized knowledge to decode the abstract symbols of language(McCloud 49). The details in

the short story help the reader create an original setting in their mind. In the illustrated version,

the reader relies on what Crumb and Mairowitz thought was important to extract from the

original story and recreate it. Furthermore, by retelling the story from mainly the narrators

perspective, the main characters thoughts are decimated. The Artists thoughts and feelings are

at the core of many interpretations of the original story. The main character conveys horror and

passion while showing signs intelligence and insanity. Kafka expresses the artists frustrations

and dissatisfactions with the irresponsible guards with exaggerated language because nothing

was more tormenting to the hunger artist than such watchmen; they made him miserable; they

made his fasting seem terribly difficult (Kafka 323). Similar wording is use to show his

frustrations with his selfish manager and what he believes to be an ignorant public. The artists
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desperation for recognition and realization of his life situation also noted through his actions

when he decided to sign with the circus, but in order to spare his own feelings, he avoided

reading the terms of his contract(Kafka 326). These actions allure to the readers sympathy for

the artist. The language and style used by Kafka give the main character more than one

dimension and the reader more than one theme.

Crumb and Mairowitzs graphic novel is an excellent tribute to Franz Kafka. They were

able to illustrate the essence of the story and provide the reader with a platform for greater

understanding using a different mode of art. Although imagination, detail, and perspectives were

lost from a literary standpoint, the graphic novels lasting images will help the story reach a

wider public and help the public remember it.

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Works Cited

Charters, Ann., and Charters Samuel, eds. Literature and its writers: An Introduction to Fiction,

Poetry, and Drama. Boston: Bedford/St. Martins, 2013. Print.

Crumb, Robert Dennis., Mairowitz, David Zane. A Hunger Artist. Charters and Charters 330-

339.

Kafka, Franz. A Hunger Artist. Trans. Ann Charters. Charters and Charters 322-328.

McCloud, Scott. Understanding Comics. Ed. Mark Martin.1993. New York: Harper Collins

Publishers Inc., 1994. Print.

n.p. Graphic Novel/ Comics Terms and Concepts. International Reading Association/ NCTE,

2008. Web. 7 Oct. 2015.

Philpot, Brad. Graphic Novel. In Thinking, n.d. Web. 7 Oct. 2015.

Snow, Sarah [sosnowy]. A Writers Reading Room; A library of reflections and musings.

Wordpress. Wordpress. 9 January 2010. Web. 9 October 2015.