Reflections on Kafka's "Letters to Milena"

This letter is part of Nina's epistolary blog 'Nina's Diary', where she shares letters with her inner circle of close girlfriends. She overthinks films, books, and heritage sites to make sense of life.

The French House, London

November 10th, 1959

Dear Billie,

I finally finished the Kafka letters I mentioned. I have to admit, it was a much harder "nut to crack" than I expected.

When I first picked it up, I was looking for a grand, 20th-century romance. You know, the kind of sweeping love story we usually go for. But "Letters to Milena" is much more slippery than that. Half the time I wasn’t sure if Franz was even writing to Milena, or if he was just talking to himself in a dark room. It’s less of a conversation and more of a long, lonely monologue.

It’s strange, isn't it? Their whole world lived on paper, safely shielded from real life. I couldn't help but wonder if he just needed someone to hear him so he wouldn't disappear, and if she just needed a distraction from the mess of her own life.

Maybe I’m being a bit cynical, but it felt more like a rescue mission than a courtship.

The parts that really got to me, though, weren't the "love" parts. It’s the way his fear as a Jewish man just... simmers under the surface. You can feel the world closing in on him.

I actually did a bit of digging into what happened to Milena afterward. Billie, she was incredible. She was a writer, too, and so brave... She died in a concentration camp for standing up to the fascists. Knowing that makes the letters feel so much heavier.

It’s not a "happy" book, and it’s certainly not resolved, but it’s been haunting me all week. I’d love to know if it gets under your skin the way it did mine.

With love,

Nina

Bookish Crush 💖💖

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