Franz Kafka wanted much of his writing to be burned. One story, however, he wanted saved. It was called, “The Hunger Artist.”
This short tale was an autobiographical story about a man who made his living by professional fasting.
“He is the practitioner of a once venerated profession. Seated on straw in his small barred cage, he is marveled at by throngs of people. After 40 days, his fasts were terminated in triumph. His manager would make a speech, the band would play, and one of the ladies would lead him staggering in his weakened state out of the cage.
"However, the day arrived when fasting was no longer understood or appreciated by the people. He lost his manager and had to join a circus. His cage was placed next to the animals. He became depressed by the smell, the restlessness of the animals at night, the raw flesh carried past him and the roaring at feeding time. The people barely glanced at him in their hurry to see the animals. Even the circus attendants failed to limit his fast by counting the days.
"Finally, he was discovered lying in the straw, and in his dying breaths he told his secret: “I have to fast,” he whispered. “I can’t help it. I couldn’t find the food I liked. If I had found it, believe me, I should have made no fuss and stuffed myself like you or anyone else".”
What's it all about? Art Lindsley, theologian, observed in the telling of the story that the parable is not about physical hunger but spiritual hunger. And Kafka knew he was starving to death spiritually but could find no nourishment.
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