A Hunger Artist

"A Hunger Artist" ("Ein Hungerkünstler") is a short story by Franz Kafka first published in "Die neue Rundschau" in 1922. The story was also included in the collection "A Hunger Artist" ("Ein Hungerkünstler"), the last book Kafka prepared for publication, printed by "Verlag Die Schmiede" after Kafka's death. The protagonist, a hunger artist who experiences the decline in appreciation of his craft, is an archetypical creation of Kafka: an individual marginalized and victimized by society at large. The title of the story has been translated also to "A Fasting Artist" and "A Starvation Artist".