Knut Hamsun, 1859-1952
Biographical note
Knut Hamsun was a leading Norwegian author, born in Lom under the name of Knut Pedersen.
He first received acclaim for his 1890 novel Sult, translated as Hunger. The work, which is semi-autobiographical, 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.
Other important works by Hamsun include Pan [1894] and The Growth of the Soil [1917], for which he received the Nobel Prize in literature in 1920.
More ...
- from Books & Writers
Knut Hamsun: From Hunger to Harvest, by Edwin
Björkman
Works
- Hunger (Sult) [1890]
- Shallow Soil (Ny jord) [1893]
- Pan [1894]
- Under the Autumn Star (Under høststæjrnen) [1907]
- A Wanderer plays on muted strings (En vandrer spiller med
sordin) [1909]
- Look Back on Happiness (Den Siste Glæde) [1912]
- The Growth of the Soil (Markens grøde) [1917]
- The Road Leads On (Men livet lever) [1933]