5/7/2023 0 Comments Hunger hamsun novelHe received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1920. He was one of the pioneers in psychological literature and has been said to inspire authors such as Kafka and Thomas Mann. Hamsun has been called the Nordic Dostoevsky. If you are fascinated by existential literature focusing on the human mind, Hunger is a must-read. There is even some light humour, which makes it all more bearable. The protagonist doesn’t indulge in self-pity though, he keeps on going. A disturbing and darkly humorous masterpiece of existential fiction. I found the prose exceedingly powerful, with every word burning with anger, exasperation, despair, frustration. Hunger was Knut Hamsuns first novel and earned him the Nobel Prize for Literature. Hunger is written in the stream-of-consciousness style, whilst quite common today, was rather unusual back in 1890. What if I myself became dissolved into the dark, turned into it? The dark had captured my brain and gave me not an instant of peace. Actually, it would be remarkable, if it didn’t happen. I don’t know if Hamsun was pre-disposed for mental instability, but I can easily believe that living on the edge of survival may drive the dark forces within to the surface and cause strange thoughts and ideas to enter the mind. At the same time, this dark, existential tale is utterly fascinating.
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