Hunger by Knut Hamsun

Description

Hunger is a book by Knut Hamsun, first written in 1890. This modernist novel follows an unnamed, struggling writer as he wanders the streets of Kristiania (now Oslo), battling starvation, delusion, and the psychological unraveling that accompanies his descent into poverty. Through a fragmented and introspective narrative, Hamsun explores themes of isolation, existential struggle, and the fine line between genius and madness. Considered one of the earliest psychological novels, Hunger was a radical departure from traditional 19th-century literature, rejecting linear storytelling in favor of a stream-of-consciousness style that would later influence modernist writers such as Franz Kafka and Ernest Hemingway. Hamsun’s intense focus on the inner turmoil of his protagonist captures the alienation of the individual in an urban setting, making the novel both deeply personal and universally resonant. Regarded as Hamsun’s breakthrough work, Hunger established his literary reputation and laid the groundwork for his Nobel Prize-winning career. Its raw, unflinching depiction of poverty and artistic struggle remains strikingly relevant today, securing its place as a cornerstone of early modernist literature. This translation by George Egerton (Mary Chavelita Dunne Bright) was first published in 1899.

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