January 13, 2026
Metamorphosis into merch
Kafka Inc
Prague’s Kafka craze: watches, museums, and one very on-brand hummus
TLDR: Prague’s gone all-in on commodifying Franz Kafka—from pricey watches to tourist traps—sparking a thread that argues he’d despise the branding. Comments split between “honor vs. exploitation,” with jokes, a Borges nod, and techies clarifying this is the writer, not the software tool.
Prague has turned Franz Kafka into a full-blown brand: a $2,500 signature watch, a giant rotating steel head swarmed by selfie sticks, and yes—“Kafka Hummus Café.” The article walks the grave-lined streets and whispers, “He would hate this,” and the crowd roars back in agreement. The strongest sentiment? This is the most Kafkaesque thing of all—capitalism devouring a writer who begged for his pages to be burned. One commenter deadpanned that the city repaid Max Brod’s betrayal by “turning Kafka into a hummus cafe,” and the thread lit up with eye-rolls at Prague’s merch machine.
But the fight isn’t all snark. A thoughtful contingent linked “Borges and I” to unpack the split between the private man and the public brand—are we honoring Kafka’s work, or just feeding Kafka™? Meanwhile, tech folks rushed in with a clarifier: “The author not the message broker”—cue a mini-meme war between literature buffs and software engineers. Jokes flew about The Metamorphosis becoming The Monetization, beetle trinkets as official merch, and the kinetic statue spinning faster every time someone says “brand synergy.” The drama lands on one question: is this reverence or a retail labyrinth worthy of Kafka himself?
Key Points
- •Kafka is buried at Prague’s New Jewish Cemetery, adjoining Olšany Cemetery, with memorial items often left at his headstone.
- •Max Brod, Kafka’s literary executor, has a nearby plaque; Kafka had instructed him to burn his works “unread.”
- •Kafka’s name is widely commercialized in Prague across museums, shops, accommodations, and eateries, including a $2,500 limited-edition watch.
- •A notable public artwork is David Černý’s kinetic “Head of Franz Kafka,” located in the Quadrio shopping center courtyard in New Town.
- •Kafka’s legacy fuels extensive output: dozens of biographies (including Reiner Stach’s trilogy), 13 film adaptations, and recent productions like the 2024 TV series “Kafka” and the biopic “Franz.”