Showing results by author "Knut Hamsun" in All Categories

Isak, a strong, stoical ‘tiller of the ground, body and soul’, makes his way into the Norwegian hinterlands and settles on an area of land that suits him, unaware that it belongs to the state. He fashions the land into a farm, named ‘Sellanraa’ by the enigmatic Lensmand Geissler, and builds a life for himself with his wife, Inger, and their children. Together they endure the seasons and the encroachment of industrialisation as they cultivate the land and make it fertile, proving that fulfilment lies with the soil.

Growth of the Soil, Hamsun's Nobel Prize winning novel, is a classic of Scandinavian literature. The farmer Isak scarcely acknowledges the values of modern living. Illiterate but capable of carrying out the business of running a farm, he has physical strength and works with his hands. Although initially amazed by Isak's prowess - his wife Inger, who came into contact with modern society when imprisoned for killing her infant due to its birth defect, return to the home much less impressed by the country life.

Verging on death, a starving, destitute writer navigates the cold and indifferent city of Kristiania in search of his next meal. Frenzied and fevered, he chews on stale bread, devours scraps of wood, and bites his own finger, sleeping under the stars in old, pungent blankets, until one day he is able to sell an article and buy some food - only for the cycle then to repeat itself....

Mysteries tells the story of Johan Nagel, an eccentric young man who arrives in a small coastal town in rural Norway one midsummer evening in 1891. Nagel’s garish yellow suit and peculiar demeanour attract the curious gazes of the townspeople, creating a whirlwind of intrigue and speculation among them. His presence disrupts their peaceful lives and acts as a catalyst for change, revealing the townspeople’s hidden impulses and desires.

In Pan, delve into the captivating summer of Lieutenant Glahn as he immerses himself in the serene, yet tumultuous, forest of northern Norway. Living in a quaint hut with his faithful dog Aesop, Glahns days are filled with the simple pleasures of hunting and fishing. Through the lyrical prose of Hamsun, experience the intricate dance of troubled souls, where love, jealousy, and power struggles unfold amidst the breathtaking backdrop of Nordlands nature. Encounter two intriguing narrators—Glahn himself and a hunting companion in the epilogue—who guide you through a narrative rich with ...

Knut Hamsun's Hunger, first published in 1890 and hailed as the literary beginning of the 20th century, is a masterpiece of psychologically driven fiction. The story of a struggling artist living on the edge of starvation, the novel portrays the unnamed first-person narrator's descent into paranoia, despair, and madness as hunger overtakes him. As the protagonist loses his grip on reality, Hamsun brilliantly portrays the disturbing and irrational recesses of the human mind through increasingly disjointed and urgent prose.

Knut Hamsun (1859-1952) was a Norwegian writer who published poetry, short stories, plays, essays, and more than 20 novels. In 1920, Hamsun won the Nobel Prize in Literature for the novel Growth of the Soil. First published in 1917, Growth of the Soil was immediately hailed as a masterpiece and has since been translated into many languages. It tells the story of Isak who leaves his village to build a farm and raise a family in the woodlands of rural Norway.

Hunger (Norwegian Sult) is a groundbreaking novel by Norwegian author Knut Hamsun, first published in its final form in 1890. Often considered the literary catalyst for the 20th century, this work exemplifies modern literature driven by psychological depth. With a unique blend of intrigue and humor, Hamsun explores the irrationality of the human mind through the lens of his own experiences. Set against the backdrop of late 19th century Kristiania, the story follows a starving young man whose grip on reality begins to unravel in the shadows of a bustling metropolis. As he desperately attempts ...

Throughout the long centuries of human history is the want, and the need, to share information, to exchange ideas and for that knowledge and experience, for curiosity and learning, to be the basis of a civil society. In this volume we offer up a small selection of talents whose time has now come again.

Growth of the Soil (Markens Grøde) is a remarkable novel by Norwegian author Knut Hamsun, for which he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1920. As beautifully articulated by English translator W.W. Worster in his footnote from December 1920, the story chronicles the life of a man in the wilderness, exploring the origins and gradual development of a homestead—a microcosm of humanity—set against the untouched landscapes of the Norwegian Highlands. This epic tale captures the enduring bond between man and nature, showcasing the strength and simplicity that define their relationship...

In Kristiania, dem heutigen Oslo, kämpft ein junger Schriftsteller Ende des 19. Jahrhunderts um Anerkennung für seine Werke. Doch trotz großer Begabung reicht das Geld, das er verdient, kaum zum Leben. Obdachlos und halb verhungert schleppt er sich durch die Straßen der norwegischen Hauptstadt, mal voller Hoffnung, mal verzweifelt und dem Wahnsinn nahe.

Throughout the long centuries of human history is the want, and the need, to share information, to exchange ideas and for that knowledge and experience, for curiosity and learning, to be the basis of a civil society. In this volume we offer up a small selection of talents from the literary landscape of Continental Europe and its male authors whose time has now come again.

Ein Fremder trifft in einer kleinen norwegischen Hafenstadt ein. Johan Nilsen Nagel, der sich selbst als "Ausländer des Daseins", als "Fremdling unter Mitmenschen" bezeichnet, fällt durch ungewöhnliches und widersprüchliches Verhalten zwischen Bluff, Koketterie und tiefem Ernst auf. Er behauptet, Agronom zu sein und weist sich durch fingierte Telegramme als reicher Mann aus. In seinem gelben Anzug und stets einen Geigenkasten mit sich führend macht er jedoch den Eindruck eines Künstlers.

Short stories have always been a sort of instant access into an author’s brain, their soul and heart. They can lift our lives into locations, people and experiences with a sweep of landscape, narration, feelings and emotions that is difficult to achieve elsewhere. In this volume we come up against the definition of Northern Europe. There are many, each with plausibility and each so obvious. So, here’s ours.

"La Faim" de Knut Hamsun est une œuvre phare du modernisme littéraire qui plonge dans les profondeurs du désespoir humain et de la lutte acharnée pour la survie. Se déroulant à Christiania à la fin du XIXe siècle (aujourd'hui Oslo), le roman suit le protagoniste anonyme, un jeune écrivain affamé, alors qu'il erre dans les rues dans un état perpétuel de faim et de dénuement. Avec une honnêteté sans faille et une perspicacité psychologique remarquable, Hamsun dépeint la descente du protagoniste dans la folie, les hallucinations et la crise existentielle.

"Victoria" - et af Knut Hamsuns hovedværker - er en lille, men stor bog om kærlighed og et impressionistisk mesterværk, her i forfatteren Ida Jessens nyoversættelse. Møllersønnen Johannes har i mange år været forelsket i godejerdatteren Victoria. Men i Norge sidst i 1800-tallet er kærlighed mellem to børn af hver sin stand umulig. Det ved Victoria, der i lang tid ignorerer Johannes, og indvilliger i at lade sig gifte med rigmanden Otto, da hendes fader mangler penge. Johannes rejser til byen, bliver forfatter og vender hjem igen, hvor han forlover sig med Camilla.

Pan udkom første 1894 og er blevet betegnet som en digterisk triumf for Knut Hamsun. Det er beretningen om løjtnant Thomas Glahn og hans forhold til to kvinder; den hengivne Eva og den solbrune, lunefulde Edvarda.

Explore the human psyche's extremes in Knut Hamsun's renowned novel, "Hunger." Set in 19th-century Oslo, this modernist masterpiece follows a starving artist's struggle for survival and self-expression. The novel intricately portrays the protagonist's inner turmoil, balancing between sanity and madness, as he wanders through the city's streets, battling hunger and pursuing his artistic vision.

La crítica mundial la considera "Victoria" como el mayor exponente del talento de Knut Hamsun en su madurez, la obra en la que alcanza la perfección de la forma y en la que el análisis psicológico penetra en mayor extensión y con mayor profundidad en los actos de los protagonistas. Hamsun relata una historia de amor que podría no tener mayor trascendencia si no fuera porque, como él mismo dice, lo importante reside en los "secretos movimientos que se realizan inadvertidos en lugares apartados de la mente".

In this series we try to offer up tried and trusted ‘Top Tens’ across many different themes and authors. But any anthology will immediately throw up the questions – Why that story? Why that author? In this volume the once forgotten literary backwaters of Scandinavia, and its hinterland, reveal the storied works of their own literature. Some names are familiar, some decidedly not. But each has literary talents and compelling narratives.