Three pages worth of text were removed before the sixth American printing by A.A. A six-volume comprehensive edition of Hamsun’s letters, Knut Hamsuns brev, was published in Norwegian (19942001), with two volumes of Selected Letters (199098) appearing in English translation. He received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1920. This is a censored version of George Egertons 1899 translation of Hamsuns 'Sult'. He translated five of Knut Hamsuns works for Penguin Classics-Hunger (1890), Mysteries (1892), Pan (1894), Victoria (1898), and The Growth of the Soil. He was one of the pioneers in psychological literature and has been said to inspire authors such as Kafka and Thomas Mann. Hunger By: Knut Hamsun Narrated by: Kevin Foley Length: 6 hrs and 38 mins Language: English 4 out of 5 stars 109 ratings 12.60 or Free with 30-day Trial. 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. I found the prose exceedingly powerful, with every word burning with anger, exasperation, despair, frustration. 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. Hunger by Knut Hamsun is a strange, semi-delirious, gorgeous narrative of a young man who wanders the Norwegian urban milieu and spends most of his time. At the same time, this dark, existential tale is utterly fascinating.
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