Franz Kafka is widely regarded as one of the most important figures in 20th-century literature. -EPA
A piece of writing by Prague-born author Franz Kafka considered to be his earliest known work still in existence is set to be auctioned.
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"There is a coming and a going. A parting and often no - reunion," reads the note in German. It is believed that Kafka wrote the inscription and signed it in an album in 1897, when he was just 14.
According to the auctioneer Bonhams, it is the earliest piece of writing by the acclaimed author that is known to exist.
The document was acquired by Bonhams in New York from the descendants of Kafka's school friend, Hugo Bergmann. It is scheduled to be auctioned next week with Bonhams estimating a selling price between $US10,000 and $US15,000 ($A16,000 -$A23,000).
Kafka is widely regarded as one of the most important figures in 20th-century literature, acclaimed for his novels, The Trial and Metamorphosis. He died of tuberculosis on June 3, 1924 at the age of 40.
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