Knut Hamsun
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Knut Hamsun (August 4, 1859 - February 19, 1952) was a leading Norwegian author, born in Lom under the name of Knud Pedersen.
He first received acclaim for his 1890 novel Sult, translated as Hunger. The semi-autobiographical work described a young writer's descent into near madness as a result of hunger and poverty. In many ways, the novel presages the writings of Franz Kafka and other twentieth-century novelists, who explored the madness of the contemporary human condition. The book has since become one of the most influential novels of the 20th century. The work that followed it, Mysteries, was perhaps his masterpiece. Other important works by Hamsun include Pan and The Growth of the Soil, for which he received the Nobel Prize in literature in 1920.
Despite his immense popularity in Norway and around the world, Hamsun's reputation waned considerably because of his support of Vidkun Quisling's Nazi regime during World War II. Following a meeting with Joseph Goebbels in 1943, he sent Goebbels his Nobel Prize medal as a gift. Hamsun also met with Adolf Hitler and tried to have him remove Josef Terboven from the position of Reichskommissar of Norway.
After the war, he was confined for several months in a psychiatric hospital for tests to determine his sanity. In 1948 he was fined 325,000 kroner for collaboration. The Danish author Thorkil Hansen investigated the trial and wrote the book The Trial Against Hamsun (1978) about it, which created a turmoil in Norway. Among other things Hansen stated: "If you want to meet idiots, go to Norway", since he felt that treating an old man like that was outrageous. In 1996 the Swedish director Jan Troell based the movie "Hamsun" on Hansen's book. In "Hamsun" Max von Sydow plays Hamsun.
Bibliography
| Year | Title | Translated title | ISBN |
| 1877 | Den Gaadefulde. En kjærlighedshistorie fra Nordland (Published under Knud Pedersen) | ||
| 1878 | Et Gjensyn (Published under Knud Pedersen Hamsun) | ||
| 1878 | Bjørger (Published under Knud Pedersen Hamsun) | ||
| 1889 | Lars Oftedal. Udkast (11 articles, earlier printed in Dagbladet) | ||
| 1889 | Fra det moderne Amerikas Aandsliv | ||
| 1890 | Sult | Hunger | ISBN 0374525285 |
| 1892 | Mysterier | Mysteries | ISBN 0-14-118618-6 |
| 1893 | Redaktør Lynge | ||
| 1893 | Ny Jord | ||
| 1894 | Pan | Pan | ISBN 0141180676 |
| 1895 | Ved Rigets Port | ||
| 1896 | Livets Spil | ||
| 1897 | Siesta | ||
| 1898 | Aftenrøde. Slutningspil | ||
| 1898 | Victoria. En kjærlighedshistorie | Victoria | ISBN 1557131775 |
| 1902 | Munken vendt. Brigantines saga I | ||
| 1903 | I Æventyrland. Oplevet og drømt i Kaukasier | In Wonderland | ISBN 0970312555 |
| 1903 | Dronning Tamara (Play in three acts) | ||
| 1903 | Kratskog | ||
| 1904 | Det vilde Kor (Poems) | ||
| 1904 | Sværmere | Dreamers | ISBN 0811213218 |
| 1905 | Stridende Liv. Skildringer fra Vesten og Østen | ||
| 1906 | Under Høststjærnen. En Vandrers Fortælling | Under the Autumn Star | ISBN 1557133433 |
| 1908 | Benoni | ||
| 1908 | Rosa. Af student Pærelius' papirer | Rosa | ISBN 155713359X |
| 1909 | En Vandrer spiller med Sordin | A Wanderer Plays on Muted Strings | ISBN 1892295733 |
| 1910 | Livet i vold (Play in four acts) | ||
| 1912 | Den sidste Glæde | The Last Joy | ISBN 1931243190 |
| 1913 | Børn av Tiden | ||
| 1915 | Segelfoss By 1 | ||
| 1915 | Segelfoss By 2 | ||
| 1917 | Markens Grøde 1 | Growth of the Soil | ISBN 0394717813 |
| 1917 | Markens Grøde 2 | ||
| 1918 | Sproget i fare | ||
| 1920 | Konerne ved Vandposten I | The Women at the Pump | ISBN 1-55713-244-5 |
| 1920 | Konerne ved Vandposten II | ||
| 1923 | Siste Kapitel I | ||
| 1923 | Siste Kapitel II | ||
| 1927 | Landstrykere I | Wayfarers | ISBN 1557132119 |
| 1927 | Landstrykere II | ||
| 1930 | August I | ||
| 1930 | August II | ||
| 1933 | Men Livet lever I | ||
| 1933 | Men Livet lever I | ||
| 1936 | Ringen Sluttet | ||
| 1949 | Paa gjengrodde Stier | On Overgrown Paths | ISBN 1892295105 |
Books about Hamsun
- Ferguson, Robert. Enigma:The Life of Knut Hamsun Farrar, Straus and Giroux, New York: 1987. ISBN 0374520933
- Humpal, Martin. The Roots of Modernist Narrative: Knut Hamsun's Novels Hunger, Mysteries and Pan International Specialized Book Services. 1999 ISBN 8256011785
External links
- Knut Hamsun Online
- Biography from the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs
- Knut Hamsun as nobel prize laureate
- Biography and bibliography
da:Knut Hamsun de:Knut Hamsun es:Knut Pedersen Hamsun eo:Knut HAMSUN fr:Knut Hamsun he:קנוט האמסון nl:Knut Hamsun no:Knut Hamsun fi:Knut Hamsun sv:Knut Hamsun
