Franz Kafka's 1915 novella, filled with inexplicable terror and nightmarish transformation, has become a global classic and remains, a century later, one of the most recognizable works of literature. The story follows traveling salesman Gregor Samsa, who wakes up one morning to find himself transformed into a monstrous insect. This work, significant for its influences on writers such as George Orwell, Albert Camus, Jorge Luis Borges, and Ray Bradbury, continues to unsettle millions of readers. In Susan Bernofsky's new translation of Kafka's masterpiece, she strives to capture both the humor and humanity in this macabre tale, highlighting how Gregor Samsa's grotesque transformation is merely the physical manifestation of his ongoing spiritual poverty.