In the Penal Colony

For the chamber opera by Philip Glass, see In the Penal Colony (opera).
See also: The Penal Colony (disambiguation)
"In the Penal Colony"
Short story by Franz Kafka
In the Penal Colony
Original titleIn der Strafkolonie
TranslatorEugene Jolas (1941)
CountryWeimar Germany
LanguageGerman
GenreShort story
Publication
PublisherKurt Wolff Verlag
Media typebook (hardcover)
Publication dateOctober 1919
Published in English1941

"In the Penal Colony" ("In der Strafkolonie") (also translated as "In the Penal Settlement") is a short story by Franz Kafka written in German in October 1914, revised in November 1918, and first published in October 1919.

The story is set in an unnamed penal colony and describes the last use of an elaborate torture and execution device that carves the name of the offense that the condemned prisoner committed on his skin as he slowly dies over the course of twelve hours. As the plot unfolds, the reader learns more and more about the machine, including its origin and original justification.

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