Metamorphosis
by Franz Kafka
Top 25
A traveling salesman wakes up transformed into an insect and watches his family's love change. A short, strange, and quietly devastating novella. Read the full description
Best for: Readers who want a short, strange classic
Metamorphosis is #24 on BookWard's Top 100 books for September 2026, with a BookWard Score of 76 out of 100.
Metamorphosis: reading interest over the past 12 months
Sources: Open Library’s public reading-log and ratings data (dump of 2026-08-31), Wikipedia page views and Wikidata. Monthly counts are exact; they show relative interest among readers of these public sources, not total readership.
Ranked against the other books on this list, Metamorphosis’s reading interest has run from #7 to #41 over these 12 months. Interest rank blends shelf adds, Wikipedia page views and rating activity, each compared with the other 99 books that month.
Shelf adds by month
Metamorphosis was added to Open Library readers’ shelves 1,092 times in the past 12 months, peaking in February 2026 with 109 (20% above its monthly average of 91). Over the latest three months (Jun 2026 to Aug 2026) shelf adds were down 7% on the three months before. 79% of the adds were “want to read”, 7% “currently reading” and 13% “already read”.
Want to read Currently reading Already read
Wikipedia page views
Its Wikipedia article was viewed 796,443 times in the past 12 months, peaking in December 2025 with 80,218 views. The latest three months were down 13% on the three before.
Source: Wikimedia monthly page views for the article The Metamorphosis.
What the data says about Metamorphosis
- Steady demand. Monthly shelf adds for Metamorphosis stayed within a narrow band around 91, which is what a book with a constant stream of new readers looks like.
- Busiest and quietest months. February 2026 was its busiest month (109 adds), about 1.6 times its quietest, December 2025 (69).
- A book people finish. Only 79% of its shelf adds are “want to read”, against 86% across the Top 100, so more of its activity comes from readers logging books they have read or are reading.
- Attention and shelf adds move independently. Its Wikipedia views and its shelf adds did not rise and fall together over these 12 months (correlation -0.23).
- Against its genre. It had 18% more shelf adds than the average Classics book on this list.
- Share of the list. It accounts for 1.0% of all shelf adds recorded for the Top 100 over these 12 months, #26 of 100.
- Its age. First published in 1915 (111 years ago), it is older than 95% of the books on the list.
Each finding is computed from the public data above and shown only when the numbers support it.
Metamorphosis on the Top 100: rank history
First charted in September 2026. The chart gains a point with every monthly update, so its peak, climbs and falls will show here as they happen.
| Month | Rank | Score |
|---|---|---|
| September 2026 | #24 | 76 |
Is Metamorphosis rising or falling?
Holding steady Its weekly, monthly and yearly ranks are close together, so interest is steady rather than spiking.
On Open Library, Metamorphosis ranks #12 this week, #20 this month, and #28 over the past year. A longer bar means a higher position. Comparing the three windows shows whether readers are arriving faster than the book's long-term pace. Readings as of 2026-09-30.
Why Metamorphosis made the Top 100
Metamorphosis made the list mainly on momentum (+32.3 points) and being read right now (+17.5 points). Its smallest contribution is rising (+0.3). The BookWard Score blends five public signals, each scored from 0 to 100 and weighted as shown.
The reading-now, rating and rank signals come from Open Library’s public data, not from BookWard’s own readers. The score measures reading interest, not quality or sales. How the score works.
Open Library reader stats for Metamorphosis
Source: Open Library public reading logs, as of 2026-09-30. BookWard’s own monthly snapshots are added to the picture, and anonymous BookWard reader data will be layered in as the community grows.
More readers have Metamorphosis open right now than 45% of the other books on this list. These counts come from one public source, so they show relative interest rather than total readership.
Where it sits among Classics books
It is #4 of the 11 Classics books on this month’s list.
About Metamorphosis
A traveling salesman wakes up transformed into an insect and watches his family's love change. A short, strange, and quietly devastating novella.
Why it’s here: At under a hundred pages, it is a classic anyone can finish in one sitting.
Best for: Readers who want a short, strange classic
At a glance
- First published
- 1915-10
- Genre
- Classics
- Also described as
- epic literature, absurdist literature, body horror literature
- Length
- about 88 pages (the median across its editions)
- Original language
- German
- Languages
- editions in 10 languages listed on Open Library
- Editions
- 957 on Open Library
From Open Library and Wikidata public records. Missing rows mean the records do not list that fact.
Themes
- Alienation
- Family obligation
- Identity
What reading it is like
Short, strange and darkly comic.
At about 88 pages it is a short read: roughly 2 hours at an average reading pace (about 250 words a minute, 300 words a page). Audiobook and edition lengths vary.
Good to know
A novella, so it can be read in one sitting. The translation affects the tone.
The premise
Salesman Gregor Samsa wakes up one morning transformed into a giant insect. The story follows how his family reacts, and how they change as he can no longer support them.
What you’ll get
- A short, strange novella
- Themes of isolation and duty
- Endlessly discussed
You might skip it if you dislike unsettling, open-ended stories.
Pairs well with: The Stranger
Keep exploring the chart
Also on the chart at #23 and #25
Questions about Metamorphosis
What rank is Metamorphosis on the Top 100 books?
Metamorphosis is #24 on BookWard's Top 100 books for September 2026, with a BookWard Score of 76 out of 100.
Is Metamorphosis rising or falling?
Holding steady. Its weekly, monthly and yearly ranks are close together, so interest is steady rather than spiking. On Open Library, Metamorphosis ranks #12 this week, #20 this month, and #28 over the past year.
Why is Metamorphosis on the Top 100?
Metamorphosis made the list mainly on momentum (+32.3 points) and being read right now (+17.5 points). Its smallest contribution is rising (+0.3).
How many people are reading Metamorphosis right now?
Open Library's reading logs show 262 readers currently reading Metamorphosis, 3,491 who want to read it and 438 who have logged it as read (as of 2026-09-30). These are counts from one public source, not all readers.
How much interest has Metamorphosis had over the past year?
1,092 Open Library shelf adds in the past 12 months (peak February 2026, 109); latest three months down 7% on the prior three; 796,443 Wikipedia views in the past 12 months (down 13% over the latest three months). Figures come from Open Library and Wikipedia public data.
Who is Metamorphosis best for?
Readers who want a short, strange classic.
Ask a question about Metamorphosis
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How we know
This page is built from public data: Open Library’s dated reading-log and ratings dumps, Wikipedia page views, Wikidata, and BookWard’s own monthly Top 100 snapshots. The interest rank blends shelf adds (45%), Wikipedia page views (30%), rating activity (10%) and, for months where a snapshot exists, BookWard’s own score (15%), each as a percentile among the Top 100 books. Every month shown is real data; nothing is estimated. Rankings reflect reading interest, not quality or sales, and can be affected by data gaps. Last updated September 2026. Read the full methodology.
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