Knut Hamsun was the leading literary figure in Norway for most of the 20th century. He was best known for his novels including Hunger, Pan, and The Growth of the Soil, his masterpiece and which earned him the 1920 Nobel Prize in Literature.
Early Life of Knut Hamsun
Knut Hamsun (birth name was Knud Pedersen) was born on August 4, 1859 in Lom, Gudbrandsdal, Norway. Growing up in poverty, he succeeded as a writer despite humble beginnings and lack of formal education.
His parents were peasants, and he spent his boyhood with an uncle, a fisherman who treated him unkindly. He did odd jobs as a shoemaker, a coal miner, before he eventually worked as a clerk and a teacher.
When Hamsun was 30, he submitted a story, Hunger, to a Danish magazine. It was well received. The following year it was published as a book. It is a study of how a man's character is destroyed by hardship and deprivation. The theme struck something new in Scandinavian literature and it made him famous.
Hamsun Writing Life after Hunger
A long succession of novels followed after Hunger, most of them dealing with subjects that reveal Hamsun's personal view of life. At times, his view contained conflicting elements.
His approach was to avoid human commitment and retire to enjoy nature in solitude, at the same time he was aware of his responsibility to attack the evils of modern living. His book, Pan, is another retrospective narrative of life and adventures in nature's Norwegian Woods.
During the period between World War I and World War II, Hamsun became a virtual recluse.
The Growth of the Soil
One among Hamsun's many novels, The Growth of the Soil, he found significance in resolving a dilemma about his beliefs and ideas. Practically, the book has no plot. It is a poignant song to nature which begins in the wilderness, a tribute to the beauty of earth and of living in it. He considered it his masterpiece, earning him the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1920.
Final Insight on Knut Hamsun
Hamsun, a Nobel laureate in literature, 1920, is considered the best Norwegian writer after the famous playwright Henrik Ibsen, some thirty years before him. Samsun lost popularity for his support for Hitler and the Nazis during World War II, although he stated that he had no political affiliations.
Twenty year later after Hamsun, Norway produced another Nobel Prize in Literature, in the person of prominent author, Sigrid Undset. Knut Hamsun passed away on February 19, 1952, aged 92. Since Hamsun's death there has been renewed interest in his work.
Works by Knut Hamsun
- Hunger, 1890
- Mysteries, 1892
- Shallow Soil, 1893
- Pan, 1894
- Victoria, 1898
- The Growth of the Soil, 1917
- Vagabonds, 1927
- August, 1930
- The Road Leads On, 1933
- The Circle Is Closed, 1936
Sources:
- McGovern, Una, Ed. Chambers Biographical Dictionary. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers, 2002.
- Payne, Tom. The A-Z of Great Writers. London: Carlton, 1997.
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