When teaching literature, a well-chosen edition is of the essence. Apart from general editorial care, one crucial consideration is that editions necessarily have to balance editorial faithfulness with reader-friendliness. Regardless of specific editorial decisions taken on the relevant variables, any reliable edition for reading or study purposes must be based on the standards of editorial philology. The present article discusses how consideration of these standards affects textual interpretation through the example of Kafka’s ‚Ein Kommentar‘, a parable known as ‚Gib’s auf!‘ ever since it was first published by Max Brod. While Kafka’s text undeniably leaves room for interpretation, its dialogical relationship with a sonnet by Franz Werfel is highlighted as a particularly convincing reading.

Keywords: edition, textual interpretation, Franz Kafka, Franz Werfel, ‚Ein Kommentar‘