Knut Hamsun

Hunger

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Produktbeschreibung

Hunger (Norwegian: Sult) is a novel by the Norwegian author Knut Hamsun published in 1890. Extracts from the work had previously been published anonymously in the Danish magazine Ny Jord in 1888. The novel has been hailed as the literary opening of the 20th century and an outstanding example of modern, psychology-driven literature. Hunger portrays the irrationality of the human mind in an intriguing and sometimes humorous manner. Written after Hamsun's return from an ill-fated tour of America, Hunger is loosely based on the author's own impoverished life before his breakthrough in 1890. Set in late 19th-century Kristiania (now Oslo), the novel recounts the adventures of a starving young man whose sense of reality is giving way to a delusionary existence on the darker side of a modern metropolis. While he vainly tries to maintain an outer shell of respectability, his mental and physical decay are recounted in detail. His ordeal, enhanced by his inability or unwillingness to pursue a professional career, which he deems unfit for someone of his abilities, is pictured in a series of encounters which Hamsun himself described as "a series of analyses". In many ways, the protagonist of the novel displays traits reminiscent of Raskolnikov in Crime and Punishment; the author, Fyodor Dostoevsky, being one of Hamsun's main influences. The influence of naturalist authors such as Émile Zola is apparent in the novel, as is his rejection of the realist tradition. Hunger encompasses two of Hamsun's literary and ideological leitmotifs: His insistence that the intricacies of the human mind ought to be the main object of modern literature: Hamsun's own literary program, to describe "the whisper of the blood and the pleading of the bone marrow", is thoroughly manifest in Hunger. His depreciation of modern, urban civilization: In the opening lines of the novel, he ambivalently describes Kristiania as "this wondrous city that no one leaves before it has made its marks upon him." The latter is counterbalanced in other Hamsun works, such as Mysteries (Mysterier, 1892) and Growth of the Soil (Markens Grøde, 1920), which earned him the Nobel prize in literature but also brought about claims of his being a proto-National Socialist Blut und Boden author. (wikipedia.org)

Produktdetails

• Verlag: Bibliotech Press
• Seitenzahl: 164
• Erscheinungstermin: 10. Februar 2022
• Englisch
• Abmessung: 229mm x 152mm x 9mm
• Gewicht: 248g
• ISBN-13: 9781636377377
• ISBN-10: 1636377378
• Artikelnr.: 63493480

Autorenporträt

Knut Hamsun, a towering figure in Norwegian literature, is celebrated for his profound insights into the human condition and the complexities of rural life, as exemplified in his masterpiece "Growth of the Soil." With an unparalleled ability to capture the essence of the Norwegian landscape and the rhythms of rural existence, Hamsun crafts a narrative that transcends mere storytelling to become a poignant exploration of human nature and society. In "Growth of the Soil," Hamsun traces the life of Isak, a pioneering farmer, as he grapples with the challenges of taming the wilderness and building a life from the soil. Through vivid prose and richly drawn characters, Hamsun illuminates the interconnectedness of humanity and the natural world, offering profound insights into the bonds that tie us to the land and to each other. Hamsun's novel is more than a tale of agrarian life; it is a meditation on the timeless themes of identity, community, and the search for meaning in a rapidly changing world. Through his masterful storytelling, Hamsun invites readers to contemplate the fundamental aspects of human existence and the enduring power of the land to shape our lives and our destinies.