🎧 Audiobook Excerpt from Franz Kafka's The Metamorphosis. Read by Chapter Breaks – Short Literary Escapes. Classic audio pills for your commute, bedtime unwind, or a break anytime. At Chapter Breaks, we carefully select and curate iconic passages from classic novels — timeless opening chapters, dramatic turning points, or unforgettable finales. Each episode is around 20–30 minutes, designed to let you dip into great literature without the commitment of a full audiobook. The Metamorphosis – Franz Kafka – Chapter 1 | The Awakening. “When Gregor Samsa awoke one morning from uneasy dreams, he found himself transformed in his bed into a monstrous insect.” Franz Kafka’s The Metamorphosis opens with one of the most haunting and unforgettable scenes in modern literature. In this first chapter, Gregor — a dutiful travelling salesman and sole provider for his family — wakes to find his body grotesquely altered, yet his first thoughts are not of horror, but of missed trains, sales quotas, and disappointing his employer. As the morning unfolds, Gregor struggles to move his unfamiliar body, while his anxious family and suspicious manager gather outside his locked bedroom door. What begins in quiet confusion slowly becomes a nightmare of alienation, guilt, and quiet despair — rendered in Kafka’s precise, unsettling prose. This chapter is the perfect entry into Kafka’s world: absurd yet painfully human, darkly humorous yet deeply tragic. Now settle in and let the world slip away as the disturbing transformation of Gregor Samsa starts to unfold. New episodes every week. Listen, Follow and Share to help us bring more classics to life! Music and visuals are in the public domain or licensed via Pictory – full licence available on their website.