"The Helmsman" (German: "Der Steuermann") is a short story by Franz Kafka, written sometime between 1917 and 1923.
[1][2] The story deals with a man who is deposed from his role as a helmsman and complains that his shipmates refuse to help him regain his rightful position.
It first appeared in Beschreibung eines Kampfes (Prague: Verlag Heinrich Mercy Sohn, 1936).
An English translation by Tania and James Stern was first published in Description of a Struggle (New York: Schocken Books, 1958).
A comic-book adaptation of the story, illustrated by Peter Kuper, is included in Give It Up!.