Brain Snacks: Tasty Tidbits of Knowledge
Kafka's relationship with women was conflicted to say the least. He sought to remain pure but couldn't resist the occasional brothel visit. His relationships with Felice Bauer, Grete Bloch, and Dora Diamant are all characterized by promises of marriage, which were eventually withdrawn, as he feared that marriage would take time away from his writing. (Source)
Kafka had a thing about air – he always kept his windows open, even in the coldest weather. No wonder he made the court office air in The Trial so muggy, and in the novel, he makes a special effort to point out that the court officials rarely open their windows. (Source)
Kafka's father made fun of his job as an insurance adjuster by calling it a "Brotberuf" (translation: "bread job") – one that just pays the bills, but is disappointing to overachieving parents. (Source: Preece, Julian. The Cambridge Companion to Kafka. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 2002. 91.)
Kafka's Trial is partly informed by his own studies in law. He received his law degree in 1906, and spent the next year as a law clerk. He later went on to work for the Workers' Accident Insurance Institute for the Kingdom of Bohemia. (Source)