Franz kafka the son of julie lowy and hermann kafka a merchant was born into a prosperous middle class jewish family after two brothers died in infancy he became the eldest child and remained for the rest of his life conscious of his role as elder brother ottla the youngest of his three sisters became the family member closest to him kafka strongly identified with his maternal ancestors because of their spirituality intellectual distinction piety rabbinical learning melancholy disposition and delicate physical and mental constitution he was not however particularly close to his mother subservient to her overwhelming ill tempered husband and his exacting business she shared with her spouse a lack of comprehension of their sons unprofitable and they feared zip and quite this shit