The Meowmorphosis
By Franz Kafka & Coleridge Cook
Paperback | Kindle
Quirk Classics
Release date: May 10, 2011

I’m a big fan of the Quirk Classics line of literary mash-ups and every time I’ve reported the news on another new title being released, I’ve done so with great enthusiasm. It all started with their insertion of zombies into Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, and it’s been the infusion of humor, absurdity, preposterousness into otherwise serious, dramatic stories that has keep me coming back for more.

What also keeps me intrigued with this imprint is how they reveal their new titles. It all starts with just the name of the upcoming book — when you hear a title like Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, you immediately think, “I have to check this out!” Then, they hit you with the book’s cover, and while you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, let’s face it, the cover is a big part of what grabs your attention.

Last year, when I read that their new offering would be called The Meowmorphosis, I thought, “Uh-oh, are they putting cats into Kafka’s The Metamorphosis?” and as it turns out, that’s just what they did.