Gamsun Knut is a famous 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 Lome (a region of Central Norway). His parents (Peder Pedersen and Torah Oldsdatter) settled in 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 Hamara. There they rented a farm from Hans Olsen (maternal uncle Hamsun). The next six years of the future writer’s life passed in an idyllic atmosphere: he grazed cows and constantly admired the beauty of snow-capped mountains and Norwegian fjords.
Renting a farm ended in debt bondage for the family, and 9-year-old Knut began working for his uncle. He was a devout man, did not give him food, and often beat him. In 1873, tired of bullying, the boy fled to a neighboring city, but a year later he returned and got a job in a local store.
First piece
In 1875, the young man became a wandering merchant. When this occupation fed up with him, Gamsun Knut stopped in the city of Buda and got a job as an assistant shoemaker. It was then that he wrote his first novel, The Mysterious Man. It was published in 1877, when the young man turned 18 years old.
A year later, Gamsun teaches at school, and then decides to become an assistant to the court sheriff. In his library, he gets acquainted with the works of such Scandinavian writers as Henrik Ibsen, Björnstern, Björnson, etc. In 1878, Knut released the novel "Berger", where the protagonist 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 wastes all his money, because he can not make money by writing. As a result, Gamsun Knut becomes a road worker.
Relocation to the USA and Disease
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 managed to get only a farm laborer in Wisconsin. He was later taken to secretaries by a Norwegian preacher from Minnesota. Here Hamsun became seriously ill. Doctors decided that it was tuberculosis, but the diagnosis was not confirmed.
In 1884, he returned to Oslo, where all the symptoms of the disease (probably bronchitis) disappeared. Here he writes a work about Mark Twain under the pseudonym Knut Gamsund (subsequently, “d” was dropped due to a typographical error). But his literary career does not add up. The writer is poor and in 1886 he again goes to the USA (Chicago), where he first works as a conductor, and in the summer he works on the fields of North Dakota.
First success
Disappointed in life and literary endeavors, the author returns to Europe (Copenhagen) and shows one of the works begun by Edward Brandes, the editor of the daily newspaper. Both the exhausted 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 caused a sensation and gave the author a reputation as a serious writer.
The story "Hunger"
In this work, Knut rejected not only the tradition of revealing realism characteristic of Scandinavian prose, but also the prevailing idea at that time that literature should improve the conditions of human existence. In fact, the essay has no plot and talks about a young man who lives in Oslo and dreams of becoming a writer. Well, of course, that the story is autobiographical and the prototype of the protagonist is Knut Gamsun. Hunger received rave reviews from critics. For example, Alric Gustafson wrote: “It's like a hero of Dostoevsky who is sick in body and soul, suffers the pangs of hunger and makes his inner life a complete hallucination.”
The main character of the work suffers not only from a lack of food, but also from a lack of social contacts, the impossibility of self-expression and sexual dissatisfaction. Confident in his genius, he prefers to beggar than give up dreams and ambitions. Many critics wrote that with this estrangement, this hero anticipated the antihero of literature of the 20th century. By the way, the story is still very popular. This is evidenced by the high frequency of the search query when people search for “Hunger” (book). Knut Hamsun is also known in the 21st century.
Own concept development
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 phrases. And clear and precise descriptions deliberately alternated with meaningful and subjective ones. The creation of The Hunger coincided with the time when Strindberg, Nietzsche, Hartmann and Schopenhauer called to pay attention to the subconscious forces that control the human personality.
Knut Gamsun, whose own subjective concept of prose, whose collected works can be bought at almost any bookstore, formulated his own subjective concept in an essay entitled “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 movement of the soul in remote corners of the subconscious and analyze the chaos of impressions."
Second and third novels
The second successful work, which was written by Knut Gamsun - “Mysteries”. The novel tells of a charlat who appears in a seaside village and surprises residents with strange behavior. As in Hunger, the writer again used the subjective method, and it worked perfectly, making the book popular.
“Pan”, published in 1894, became the author’s third successful novel. Knut Gamsun, whose biography was eventful, wrote it in the form of memoirs of a certain Thomas Glan. The main character is alien to 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 using sublime descriptions of nature and tried to identify his personality with the Nurlan village. Thomas's fiery passion for Edward, the merciless, spoiled daughter of the merchant, creates in his soul a real emotional chaos and ultimately leads to suicide.
Fourth novel
The fourth monumental work, which was written by Knut Gamsun - “Juices of the Earth” (published in 1917). The atmosphere of 1911 was reflected in the novel, 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 the patriarchal traditions and devotion to their land. In 1920, he was awarded the Nobel Prize for this work.
Many people believe that there is another novel written by Knut Hamsun - “The Fruits of the Earth”. In fact, they are wrong. This is just another translation of the original Norwegian name “Juice of the Earth”.
Nazism support
With age, the whip becomes more and more reactionary. Since 1934, he openly supports the Nazis. Hamsun did not join the fascist party, but traveled to Germany to meet Hitler. When the Germans occupied Norway, many pro-fascist articles came out bearing the 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 with his wife. In the fall of 1945, Hamsun was placed in a psychiatric clinic. After four months of treatment, he was transferred to Landwick's nursing home. Two years later, the writer was tried and convicted of aiding the enemy. He was also ordered to pay NOK 425,000 . Knut managed to escape imprisonment due to "intellectual degradation."
Last piece
The essays “On the Overgrown Paths” became the last work of the writer. The tragedy of the book has been piling up for several decades. Knut Gamsun (quotes from his works can be read below) wanted to restore 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 Gamsun was imbued with the ideology of fascism and only after years realized his own wrong. In the book “On the Overgrown Paths,” Knut talks about his tragic mistakes, but does not apologize to the people for them. The writer never admitted his own wrong.
Death
Knut Gamsun, whose biography was presented in this article, died at his Nornholm estate. 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, we give the most famous quotes of the author from his works.
Quotes
“Don't be mad at life. No need to be cruel, strict and fair to life. Be merciful and take her under your protection. You can’t even imagine which players she has to deal with. ”
"To compose means to make judgment on oneself."
"For everyone, I'm a stranger, so I often talk to myself."
“The greatest is the one who gives meaning to human existence and leaves behind a legacy.”
“More often than not, good passes without a trace, and evil entails consequences.”
"From the bench, I see the stars, and my thoughts are carried up with a whirlwind of light."
"Life is a daily war with demons in your brain and heart."