Christine Estima

about

A sweeping, tragic romance and feminist adventure about translator and resistance fighter Milena Jesenská’s torrid love affair with Franz Kafka.

In 1919, Milena Jesenská, a clever and spirited twenty-three-year-old, is trapped in an unhappy marriage to literary critic Ernst Pollak. Since Pollak is unable to support the pair in Vienna’s post-war economy, Jesenská must supplement their income by working as a translator. Having previously met her compatriot Franz Kafka in the literary salons of Prague, she writes to him to ask for permission to translate his story The Stoker from German to Czech, becoming Kafka’s first translator. The letter launches an intense and increasingly passionate correspondence. Jesenská is captivated by Kafka’s energy, intensity, and burning ambition to write. Kafka is fascinated by Jesenská’s wit, rebellious spirit, and intelligence.

Jesenská and Kafka meet twice for lovers’ trysts, but can such an intense connection endure beyond a fleeting affair? In her remarkable debut novel, Christine Estima weaves little-known facts and fiction into a rich tapestry, powerfully portraying the struggles of a woman forced to choose between the roles of wife, lover, and intellectual.

Praise & Book reviews

“This vibrant imagining of [Milena Jesenska’s] life shines a light on this intrepid and singular woman too long in shadow. An indelible portrait of a no-longer-invisible figure.” - THE TORONTO STAR, November 2025

“This book crackles with wit. […] Estima creates characters with such dimension that, among the cinematic backdrop she has constructed with precise prose, no previous knowledge of Franz Kafka or Milena Jesenska is required. Just sit back and let this book take you on a journey.” - THE MIRAMICHI READER, October 2025

“A richly imagined work of historical fiction!” - Steven Beattie, THAT SHAKESPEARIAN RAG, October 2, 2025

“Estima's debut novel, Letters to Kafka, shares Jesenská's story and gives voice to a woman often overshadowed in history.” - CBC, September 2025

“A luminous novel of charged defiance and potent desire … brimming with creative energy … the emotive, highly stylised prose […] builds to a rewardingly layered, compulsive rhythm. - MAISONNEUVE MAGAZINE, Fall 2025 issue

“A richly imagined and deeply felt narrative […] Letters to Kafka is a powerful blend of history and fiction, and a worthy reminder of the great women who have lived too long in the shadows of great men,” ZOOMER MAGAZINE, Nov. 2025

“A wholly engaging narrative of a woman who’s powerful, risk-taking, vulnerable, and in full control of her own life and liberty.” -49TH SHELF, September 2025

“Christine Estima’s novel, LETTERS TO KAFKA, isn’t just a love letter to Milena Jesenská, it’s a reclaiming of her legacy. It’s the story of a woman who deserves to be remembered - and celebrated - for her own achievements, not just through the memories of the men she touched.” —BOOK RIOT, September 2025

“In Estima’s hands, Milena Jesenská, the Czech journalist who took the writer Franz Kafka as her paramour, is an irresistible melange of contradictions, defiance, and humour. A historical novel full of verve and interest.” —SCOUT MAGAZINE, October 2025

“Beautiful and amazing. Author Christine Estima has written an epic literary work that is part biography, part romance, part historical fiction, and part tragedy. It’s hard to see where fact and fiction separate in this work. Estima climbs into the heart of Milena and finds and shares her strength as she stands up to the Nazis and presents Milena’s heart in the same way that Milena shares Kafka’s heart through her translations of his work.” — LOOKING FOR A GOOD BOOK, August 2025

“What an extraordinary world Christine Estima has created for her readers! … I adored every word of this novel and could not put it down.” —Heather O’Neill, author of The Capital of Dreams

“A stunning achievement in historical fiction.” —Saeed Teebi, author of Her First Palestinian

“Letters to Kafka is an enthralling debut novel that is both ambitious in scope and rich in character.” —Waubgeshig Rice, author of Moon of the Turning Leaves

“Deftly imagined and passionately felt … This is a luminous debut novel by a gifted writer.” —Corinna Chong, author of Bad Land

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LETTERS TO KAFKA hit the bookshelves, the library, and the e-readers on September 9, 2025! AVAILABLE WHEREEVER YOU BUY BOOKS, but here are some popular bookseller links below to secure your copy today!

CANADA
Indigo
Amazon (Canada)
Flying Books (Toronto)
Book City (Toronto)
Another Story (Toronto)
Queen Books (Toronto)
Ben McNally Books (Toronto)
Argo Bookshop (Montreal)
Drawn & Quarterly (Montreal)
Bertrand Bookstore (Montreal)
Saint Henri Books (Montreal)
Massy Books (Vancouver)
Cross & Crows (Vancouver)
Upstart & Crow (Vancouver)
Hager Books (Vancouver)

USA
Barnes and Noble
Target
Apple Books
Google Books
Amazon US
Books-a-Million
Thriftbooks
Better World Books
Greenlight Bookstore (Brooklyn, NYC)
Moby The Great (Ohio)
Hudson Booksellers (New Jersey)

INTERNATIONAL
Waterstones (UK)
Foyles (UK)
Hatchards (UK)
WH Smith (UK)
Amazon UK
Salted Books (Lisbon, Portugal)
Bertrand Livreiros (Portugal)
WOOK (Portugal)
Amazon Spain
Amazon Japan
Kinokuniya (Japan)
Booktopia (Australia)
The Nile (Australia)
Shakespeare & Company (Paris, France)
iMUSIC (France)
Thalia (Vienna, Austria)
Morawa Wollzeile (Vienna, Austria)
Megabooks (Prague, Czech Republic)
Hugendubel (Germany)
Schweitzer (Germany)
Ex Libris (Switzerland)
Buchhaus (Switzerland)
iMUSIC (Denmark)
William Dam (Denmark)
PlusBog (Denmark)
Bookline (Hungary)
Platekompaniet (Norway)
Fantastic Fiction (worldwide)