Even if the iconic German-language writer Franz Kafka doesn’t cross your mind on a regular basis, you may still hear the adjective “Kafkaesque” from time to time and think: gloomy, nonsensical. But a St. Louis translator says Kafka was darn near a jolly, optimistic fellow. In our latest Cut & Paste podcast , we talk with Washington University professor Kurt Beals, who recently translated a book about the author’s life. He tells us Kafka foresaw modern media, was interested in fitness and