Hunger by Knut Hamsun Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of Hunger
Book Review: A True Classic by a True Pioneer
Summary: 5 Stars
Like Dostoyevsky and Nietzsche before him, Hamsun was a true pioneer in not just literature but also modern thought. At the time this book was first published in Norway (circa 1890) the 'first person' novel was not very common at all to say the least. 'Hunger' is a semi-autobiographical work, describing a young and egocentric writer and his descent into near madness as a result of hunger and poverty. The novel takes place in the Norweigan capital of Kristiana (modern day Oslo) about a decade before the end of the 19th century. Our hero struggles to survive as he wanders aimlessly about - unemployed and unable to find work, in poor and failing health, practically homeless, and completely without anything but the tattered clothes on his back - hungering not just for subsistence, but perhaps more importantly, hungering for inspiration, dignity, and self-discovery.
If this book sounds a tad depressing, let me be the first to tell you, it is. However, please don't let that restrain you from reading this amazing piece of literature.
There is no doubt about it, Knut Hamsun was way ahead of his time. I believe that if it were not for writers such as him (along w/ a handful of others like Dostoevsky, Kafka, Mann, etal...) there wouldn't have been a Fante, Kerouac, Bukowski, Toole, etal... This is the first novel (I am half way through his Nobel Prize winning "The Growth of Soil" which I love up to this point) I have read of Hamsun. I originally became inspired to read his novels after reading John Fante (a.k.a. Bukowski's God) and learning that this was his greatest influence as a writer (interesting to note, that Ernest Hemingway himself also once wrote 'Hamsun taught me how to write').
If you are a fan of Bukowski and Fante then more than likely you will love this book. It is amazing how much the three of them have in common. For one, all three writers suffered through very difficult childhoods full of abuse and poverty. Also Hamsun, like Buke and Fante, was completely self-made and self-taught. He received most of his informal education from the 'streets'. All three writers are also very simple and economical w/ their prose. However, Hamsun is much more serious overall than the latter two, and by far the most elegant (which isn't saying much when it comes to Fante & Buke).
One of the things I admire most about the man (our hero in the story) is that no matter how much suffering and hardship he endures, no matter how many times he fails, he never completely gives up hope and he NEVER lets this cruel, alien world we live in destroy him. Also, unlike Dostoevsky, Hamsun is able to endure it all and still keep his sense of humor in tact (ala Buke, Fante, Toole, etal...) This is what truly makes him unique in my opinion! Where as writers such as Dostoevsky, Kafka and Camus lament about it all, Hamsum is able to mix into his very dark, often times disturbing novel, quite a bit of humor. In fact, many times he uses humor as a way to protect what little dignity he had left while living the life of a starving artist. And thank God for the humor, because I don't think most of us could have made it passed the second part (the novel is divided up in four parts total) without it. In fact, there were many times in this somber novel in which Hamsun had me laughing out loud hysterically, particularly in last part of the book. I guess it is true what they say, laughter is the best medicine. Now speaking of medicine, those of you out there who are hungering for a great classic novel to read, well... hunger no more. This is it!
It is a wonderful work of art!
Book Review: Forever timeless
Summary: 5 Stars
Hunger is, in my opinion, the most important work of "psychological realism" of all times. When I first read it, I fell in love with Hamsun's style, but it was the second and the third reading that pushed me over the edge, slipping into the realm of mind, walking the streets with Hamsun, shivering in the cold and hurting from the hunger. Hunger both for food and for a human touch, living outside the society both due to his situation and by choice to strive for the pure and unconditional self-discovery. Love, hate, shame and joy, the emotions portrayed in this work are so vivid that will leave their mark on you well after the last page is read and the book is closed, calling you to pick it up from the shelve and read it again. It was Hunger what gave me the courage to write in first-person, exploring the depths of mind, regardless of the external action the character may be involved in, and for this, I will forever be grateful. A must read for anyone who enjoys fine literature and is not afraid to go deep into the mind of the protagonist. A mind struggling to create, while seeing beauty and grandiose ideas in the most common of things.
Book Review: Hunger
Summary: 4 Stars
Hamsun has a very unique writing style. This whole book is seen through a borderline psychotic manic writer in Oslo that is starving due to poverty. With the lack of food bringing him that much more into madness. Its very difficult to describe or review any of Hansuns work because of his unique style and way of telling stories but this is certainly worth reading.
Book Review: A Norwegian masterpiece
Summary: 5 Stars
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)
Book Review: A Little-Known and Even-Less-Read Masterpiece
Summary: 5 Stars
Knut Hamsun's "Hunger" is one of those nearly perfect little masterpieces of Modernism that deserves to be as well-known as Kafka's "Metamorphosis" or Mann's "Death in Venice." The story of an unknown young writer living hand-to-mouth on the streets of a large Scandinavian city, it's a harsh antidote to the Romantic notion of the starving artist writing masterpieces in his garret. A brilliant, disturbing novel, written many years before the author became a fascist fool.