Customer Reviews (1)

Hamsun's follow-up novel in his twin-novel against modernity
We are brought back to Segelfoss in this sequel to "Children of the Age" (Børn av tiden). The old farmlands that once graced the scenery have now been replaced by a budding new town. The lieutenant is nothing but a distant memory now; money and the struggle of the classes rule the day. The half-Mexican children of Herr Holmengrå (the unofficial owner of the town) have become grown ups, and lead their lives here. Felix, the son, has moved back to Mexico to become a sailor amongst his tribe, and Mariane, the daughter, has become an ill-fitting part amongst the upper classes of Segelfoss. Willatz Holmsen the fourth (the son of the aristocratic lieutenant in the prequel) has become an artist, and is a fine representative of the self-destructive will and life that many irresponsible aristocrats lead in the early 20th century.

There's not too much more to say about the tale, it details in Hamsun's wonderful prose the rise and fall of unbridled capitalism. Where the aristocracy once ruled paternalistic and secure to the benefit of all, the age of capitalism has turned the once harmonic society into a respect less battle of all against all. This is Hamsun's second "political" novel, and I must say it is absolutely great in its critique of European society and modernity. The book is a bit longer than its prequel, but well worth your time. Two thumbs up for this wonderful tale from Norway's greatest author, the anti-modern "right-wing" conservative Knut Hamsun.

(I read a different edition) ... Read more

Product Description
Publisher: London [etc.] : GyldendalPublication date: 1921Notes: This is an OCR reprint. There may be typos or missing text. There are no illustrations or indexes.When you buy the General Books edition of this book you get free trial access to Million-Books.com where you can select from more than a million books for free. You can also preview the book there. ... Read more

Product Description
This is an EXACT reproduction of a book published before 1923. This IS NOT an OCR'd book with strange characters, introduced typographical errors, and jumbled words.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A splendid glimpse of Norwegian nature and culture in the late 1800's
The book is about lieutenant Glahn that spends a summer in a hunting-cabin in Northern-Norway, living off what he can hunt and generally enjoying nature. He becomes something of a typical Germanic man, at ease in nature, but feeling estranged by the meaninglessness of the modern "West". The descriptions of the nature in coastal Northern-Norway in summertime are quite famous and magnificent. He takes long strolls with his dog, and sleeps out in the wild when he feels like it. He is slowly dragged into the local bourgeois life of the tiny town nearby, and falls in love with the lovely Kielland. The book then takes many strange twists and turns, and I won't reveal much of it. The book is one of his very best, and therefore naturally some of the best literature of Norway. The fact that it's written by one of the few Scandinavian "right-wing" anti-modern conservatives makes it even more of a classic. I don't think you'll find anyone that has read Hamsun that will disagree when I say that this is one of his 5 best books. Highly recommended!

(I read a different edition)
... Read more

Product Description
This is an EXACT reproduction of a book published before 1923. This IS NOT an OCR'd book with strange characters, introduced typographical errors, and jumbled words.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A splendid glimpse of Norwegian nature and culture in the late 1800's
The book is about lieutenant Glahn that spends a summer in a hunting-cabin in Northern-Norway, living off what he can hunt and generally enjoying nature. He becomes something of a typical Germanic man, at ease in nature, but feeling estranged by the meaninglessness of the modern "West". The descriptions of the nature in coastal Northern-Norway in summertime are quite famous and magnificent. He takes long strolls with his dog, and sleeps out in the wild when he feels like it. He is slowly dragged into the local bourgeois life of the tiny town nearby, and falls in love with the lovely Kielland. The book then takes many strange twists and turns, and I won't reveal much of it. The book is one of his very best, and therefore naturally some of the best literature of Norway. The fact that it's written by one of the few Scandinavian "right-wing" anti-modern conservatives makes it even more of a classic. I don't think you'll find anyone that has read Hamsun that will disagree when I say that this is one of his 5 best books. Highly recommended!

(I read a different edition)
... Read more

Product Description
The book has no illustrations or index. Purchasers are entitled to a free trial membership in the General Books Club where they can select from more than a million books without charge. Subjects: Norway; ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A splendid glimpse of Norwegian nature and culture in the late 1800's
The book is about lieutenant Glahn that spends a summer in a hunting-cabin in Northern-Norway, living off what he can hunt and generally enjoying nature. He becomes something of a typical Germanic man, at ease in nature, but feeling estranged by the meaninglessness of the modern "West". The descriptions of the nature in coastal Northern-Norway in summertime are quite famous and magnificent. He takes long strolls with his dog, and sleeps out in the wild when he feels like it. He is slowly dragged into the local bourgeois life of the tiny town nearby, and falls in love with the lovely Kielland. The book then takes many strange twists and turns, and I won't reveal much of it. The book is one of his very best, and therefore naturally some of the best literature of Norway. The fact that it's written by one of the few Scandinavian "right-wing" anti-modern conservatives makes it even more of a classic. I don't think you'll find anyone that has read Hamsun that will disagree when I say that this is one of his 5 best books. Highly recommended!

(I read a different edition)
... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A highly overrated book from the Master himself
Before I started reading this book, I had quite high expectations, considering the level of fame and fuzz this book has caused in Norway. I was quickly disappointed. The main-character of the book, Benoni Hartvigsen (later on, it changes to "Hartwich", once he becomes delusional enough) is extremely annoying and megalomaniac. He is just a postal-worker and fisherman in the small fishing-village of Northern Norway where the setting is, at first. Then, after a random happening involving a Sami, the priest's daughter Rosa and rumours, he's suddenly elevated to a big-shot in the village. His luck goes up and down, and he is taken under the wings of the shopkeeper and mini-king Mister Mack. From there on his rise in the village is ever increasing, but along with it, his extreme tendency to annoy the reader. I won't reveal much more of the book, since I believe its better you read it, if so inclined. The book is very decadent, with infidelity and promiscuity going rampant throughout.

I can't say I really enjoyed the book, and I don't see what all the fuzz was about. It's the first of a twin-book, the second part being "Rosa". It's quite meaningless to read just one of them, but if you want to read good Hamsun-books, then just avoid both of them, since you won't be missing anything great. All in all, one of the books from our anti-liberal "right-wing" conservative author, that you can safely leave out.

(I read a different edition) ... Read more

Product Description
This is an EXACT reproduction of a book published before 1923. This IS NOT an OCR'd book with strange characters, introduced typographical errors, and jumbled words.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

A Norwegian masterpiece
This book is one of Norway's best pieces of literature. It's written by Knut Hamsun, the world-famous author of so many great works. It centres on a young artist; a writer, and his struggle to uphold himself in every way. The book is largely autobiographical from what I can deduce, although we never learn the protagonist's name, and it mirrors the challenges Hamsun himself had as a young author in Norway's capitol. As most of Hamsun's books, it has a lot of bizarre episodes and dialogues, but contrary to what many people seem to think, it's also hilarious. It made me laugh out loud several times, when the main character invents all these surreal ideas and thoughts in his head. As the book progress his hunger takes more and more control over him, and in an unforgettable situation he tries to eat his own finger. He is in a steady decline throughout the book, but I won't reveal much more than that. I love the book, and the fact that it's written by a "right-wing" anti-modern conservative, makes it even better in my view. Hamsun got the Nobel Prize for his later work "The growth of the soil", but this is almost alongside that book in quality. Great, just great!

(I read a different edition of the book)

A Norwegian masterpiece
This book is one of Norway's best pieces of literature. It's written by Knut Hamsun, the world-famous author of so many great works. It centres on a young artist; a writer, and his struggle to uphold himself in every way. The book is largely autobiographical from what I can deduce, although we never learn the protagonist's name, and it mirrors the challenges Hamsun himself had as a young author in Norway's capitol. As most of Hamsun's books, it has a lot of bizarre episodes and dialogues, but contrary to what many people seem to think, it's also hilarious. It made me laugh out loud several times, when the main character invents all these surreal ideas and thoughts in his head. As the book progress his hunger takes more and more control over him, and in an unforgettable situation he tries to eat his own finger. He is in a steady decline throughout the book, but I won't reveal much more than that. I love the book, and the fact that it's written by a "right-wing" anti-modern conservative, makes it even better in my view. Hamsun got the Nobel Prize for his later work "The growth of the soil", but this is almost alongside that book in quality. Great, just great!

(I read a different edition of the book)

An impressive novel
Knut Hamsun's novel tells the story of a young writer living in Christiana (nowadays Oslo) in Norway at the end of the 19th century. As it was extremely difficult for him to make a living from the few newspaper articles he managed to sell for a few kroner, he constantly lived on the verge of famine. Very often his psyche was badly affected by numerous refusals, hopes built up and knocked down so that he often lost courage. His extreme poverty forced the writer to live in rooms "not furnished in a way appropriate to intellectual effort" which also had a negative impact on his literary muse.
Hamsun never mentions his hero's name; it is as if he were a perpetual foreigner in his surroundings and his hunger transforms him into a sociopath: he is famished not because he cannot find a job in Christiana but because he is stubbornly determined to live from his writing, although he is just a beginner. His loneliness is the consequence both of his constant striving for food and for inspiration and his inability to make friends because he has no patience for others. Another interesting aspect is the young writer's ambiguous feeling towards God whom he both fears and curses for his fate, but destiny neither provides him with inspiration nor allows him to die; he is constantly saved by temporary deliverance - an editor accepts one of his articles, he is paid five kroner and he is saved for a few days until the ordeal begins again. The hero is so estranged from his environment that he emerges almost lifeless. He has no plans for the future, expecting some happy chance, almost always resigned and melancholy. The young writer is nothing but a chain of moods changing constantly, often without consistency. He doubts the existence of God, yet he prays to Him. He loves yet at the same time belittles this love. He strives for literary revelation yet he is frivolous in his approach to literature.
The power of "Hunger" is that doubt found in Hamsun its narrator par excellence. ... Read more