the metamorphosis

The Metamorphosis, also known simply as Metamorphosis (German: Die Verwandlung) is a fantasy novella written by Franz Kafka which was first published in 1915.

One of Kafka's best-known works, Metamorphosis tells the story of young deserting and unemployed salesman Gregor Samsa, who due to lack of money lives with his parents and wakes one morning to find himself inexplicably transformed into a huge insect (German: ungeheueres Ungeziefer, lit. "monstrous vermin") and subsequently struggles to adjust to this new condition.

The novella has been widely discussed among literary critics, with differing interpretations being offered. In popular culture and adaptations of the novella, the insect is commonly depicted as a cockroach. The Japanese translation's title would inspire the coining of henshin in tokusatsu contexts.