Hamsun Knut: biography and creativity

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

Hamsun Knut is a well-known Norwegian impressionist writer, playwright, poet, publicist and literary critic. In 1920 he won the Nobel Prize for the book "Juices of the Earth".

Childhood

Hamsun Knut was born in Lom (region of Central Norway). His parents (Peder Pedersen and Thora Oldsdatter) settled on a small farm in Garmutret. Hamsun had two younger sisters and three older brothers.

When the boy was 3 years old, the whole family moved to Hamaroy. There they rented a farm from Hans Olsen (Hamsun's maternal uncle). The next six years of the life of the future writer were spent in an idyllic atmosphere: he herded cows and constantly admired the beauty of the snow-capped mountains and Norwegian fjords.

The farm lease ended in debt bondage for the family, and 9-year-old Knut began working for his uncle. He was a pious man, did not give him food and often beat him. In 1873, tired of bullying, the boy fled to a nearby town, but returned a year later and got a job in a local shop.

First piece

In 1875, the young man became a traveling merchant. When he got tired of this occupation, Hamsun Knut stopped in the city of Buda and got a job as an assistant shoemaker. It was then that heHe wrote his first novel, The Mysterious Man. It was published in 1877, when the young man was 18 years old.

A year later, Hamsun teaches at a school, and then decides to become an assistant judicial sheriff. In his library, he gets acquainted with the works of such Scandinavian writers as Henrik Ibsen, Bjornstern Bjornson, etc. In 1878, Knut published the novel Berger, where the main character writes poetry about his difficult life. However, this does not bring him fame and, having borrowed money from a Nurlan merchant, he leaves for Oslo. In subsequent years, the young man spends all his money, as he cannot earn money by writing. As a result, Hamsun Knut becomes a road worker.

Moving to the US and getting sick

In 1882, taking letters of recommendation from influential Norwegian emigrants, the young man leaves for the USA. But his connections were not enough, and he only managed to get a job as a farmhand in Wisconsin. Later, a Norwegian preacher from Minnesota took him on as his secretary. Here Hamsun became seriously ill. The doctors decided that it was tuberculosis, but the diagnosis was not confirmed.

In 1884 he returned to Oslo, where all symptoms of illness (probably bronchitis) disappeared. Here he writes a work on Mark Twain under the pseudonym Knut Hamsund (subsequently, "d" was dropped due to a typographical error). But his literary career did not add up. The writer is in poverty and in 1886 he again goes to the USA (Chicago), where at first he works as a conductor, and in the summer he works as a laborer in the fields of North Dakota.

First success

Disillusioned with lifeand literary endeavors, the author returns to Europe (Copenhagen) and shows one of the works begun to Edward Brandes, editor of the daily newspaper. Both the emaciated writer and the passage from the story made a strong impression on Edward. In 1890, a book was published in Copenhagen, on the cover of which there was an inscription "Knut Hamsun" Hunger "". This story created a sensation and gave the author a reputation as a serious writer.

The story "Hunger"

In this work, Knuth abandoned not only the tradition of revealing realism characteristic of Scandinavian prose, but also the idea that prevailed at that time that literature should improve the conditions of human existence. In fact, the essay has no plot and tells about a young man who lives in Oslo and dreams of becoming a writer. Well, it is clear that the story is autobiographical and the prototype of the protagonist is Knut Hamsun. The Hunger received rave reviews from critics. For example, Alrik Gustafson wrote: “It is like a Dostoyevsky hero who is ill in body and soul, experiences the pangs of hunger and makes his inner life a complete hallucination.”

The main character of the work suffers not only from the lack of food, but also from the lack of social contacts, the impossibility of self-expression and sexual dissatisfaction. Confident in his genius, he prefers to beg than give up his dreams and ambitions. Many critics wrote that with his aloofness, this hero anticipated the anti-hero of the literature of the 20th century. By the way, the story is still very popular. This is evidenced by the highsearch query frequency when people search for "Hunger" (book). Knut Hamsun is also famous in the 21st century.

Development of own concept

No less important is the fact that in his first successful work, the writer developed a specific style. "Hunger" was written in short and succinct sentences. And clear and precise descriptions deliberately alternated with significant and subjective ones. The creation of "Hunger" coincided with the time when Strindberg, Nietzsche, Hartmann and Schopenhauer called for paying attention to the subconscious forces that control the human personality.

Knut Hamsun, whose collected works can be bought in almost any bookstore, formulated his own subjective concept of prose in an essay called "From the subconscious life of the soul." This work appeared in the same year as "Hunger". In it, the author abandoned the features of objective prose and proposed to study "the movements of the soul in remote corners of the subconscious and analyze the chaos of impressions."

Second and third novels

The second successful work written by Knut Hamsun - "Mysteries". The novel tells about a charlatan who appears in a seaside village and surprises the inhabitants with strange behavior. As with The Hunger, the writer once again used the subjective method, and it worked well, making the book popular.

Pan, published in 1894, was the author's third successful novel. Knut Hamsun, whose biography was eventful, wrote it in the form of memoirs of a certainThomas Glan. The main character is alien to a civilized existence, and he lives outside the city in Nurlan, engaged in fishing and hunting. By analogy with Rousseau, the author wanted to show the cult of nature and the hypersensitivity of the soul. Knut expressed the euphoria of the protagonist with the help of sublime descriptions of nature and tried to identify his personality with the Nurlan village. Thomas' fiery passion for Edwarda, the willful, spoiled daughter of a merchant, creates a real emotional chaos in his soul and eventually leads to suicide.

Fourth novel

The fourth monumental work written by Knut Hamsun - "Juices of the Earth" (published in 1917). The novel reflected the atmosphere of 1911, when the writer moved to live on a farm and found himself alienated from society. The author tells with great love about the life of two Norwegian peasants, Inger and Isak, who, despite all the problems, were able to remain faithful to patriarchal traditions and devotion to their land. In 1920, he was awarded the Nobel Prize for this work.

Many believe that there is another novel written by Knut Hamsun - "The Fruits of the Earth". In fact, they are wrong. It's just a different translation of the original Norwegian title "Juices of the Earth".

Support for Nazism

Knut becomes more and more reactionary as he ages. Since 1934, he openly supported the Nazis. Hamsun did not join the fascist party, but traveled to Germany to meet with Hitler. When the Germans occupied Norway, many pro-fascist articles were published, under which there was a signature"Hamsun Knut". The writer's books were returned to him by thousands of readers in protest.

Arrest and trial

At the end of the war, he was arrested along with his wife. In the fall of 1945, Hamsun was placed in a psychiatric clinic. After four months of treatment, he was transferred to Landvik in a nursing home. Two years later, the writer was tried and found guilty of aiding the enemy. He was also ordered to pay NOK 425,000. Whip avoided jail time due to "intellectual degradation".

Last piece

Essays "On overgrown paths" became the last work of the writer. The tragedy of the book has accumulated over several decades. Knut Hamsun (quotes from his works can be read below) dreamed of restoring the former greatness of the Scandinavians. Hitler's speeches about the rise of the Nordic races (in particular the Norwegian) strongly "hooked" the writer. That is why Hamsun was imbued with the ideology of fascism and only years later realized his own wrong. In the book "On Overgrown Paths", Knut talks about his tragic mistakes, but does not ask for forgiveness from the people for them. The writer never admitted he was wrong.

Death

Knut Hamsun, whose biography was presented in this article, died on his estate Nornholm. Post-war editions of the playwright began to appear in Norway only in 1962: he was forgiven as a writer, but could not be forgiven as a public figure. In conclusion, here are the author's most famous quotes from his works.

Quotes

Don't get mad at life. No need to be cruel, strict and fair to life. Be merciful and take her under your protection. You have no idea what kind of players she has to deal with.”

"To compose is to judge oneself."

"I'm a stranger to everyone, so I often talk to myself."

"The greatest is the one who gives meaning to human existence and leaves behind a legacy."

"Most of the time, good things go unnoticed, while evil has consequences."

"From the bench I can see the stars and my thoughts are carried upwards with a swirl of light."

"Life is a daily war with the demons in your brain and heart."