Kafka the early years

Book title: Kafka the early years Author: Rainer Stach Publisher: Books Khan for Publishing Book category: Novel Number of pages: 798 About the book: "Kafka remembers the family conversation at the dining table about the 'last day,' that is the last day of the month’s work, which in the business world was called 'Alteemo.' It was the time to pay the rent for the apartment, shop, and warehouse, as well as wages for workers in the shop and home, in addition to the amounts for regular purchases. It is the day to open the safe wide open, and its evening ends with clear figures of the remaining balance. Kafka instinctively knew as a child – long before he understood the calendar – that the parents did not await this day with only anxiety, but also with clear fear, as if they were facing an exam, because in their understanding, 'Alteemo' was not just an economic statement, but also an ethical and social one. The 'last day' determined whether they succeeded or failed, whether they succeeded in the race of life. It is the day of truth, the day of reckoning in the broadest sense, which even after phases of stability made the Kafka family sweat." About the last day of the work month - from the book "Kafka: The Early Years" - Rainer Stach