Nälkä
1890
A novel written in the late 19th century. The story centers around an unnamed protagonist grappling with profound hunger and existential despair as he wanders through the streets of Kristiania (now Oslo), reflecting on his failed ambitions and increasingly precarious situation. Through his experiences, Hamsun delves into themes of poverty, ambition, and the human psyche. The beginning of the novel introduces the main character in a state of acute hunger and restlessness, revealing his cramped living conditions and deteriorating mental state. He reflects on his recent failures in finding employment, and as he wanders the city, he is bombarded by the sights and sounds of life surrounding him. Though he craves food and stability, he often becomes distracted by fleeting thoughts and encounters, such as his interactions with various characters in the streets, including an old man asking for coins and a woman he finds suddenly captivating. This opening sets the tone for a compelling exploration of isolation and the struggle for meaning amidst the challenges of modern life.
Editions
X-Ray
“...I will exile my thoughts if they think of you again, and I will rip my lips out if they say your name once more. Now if you do exist, I will tell you my final word in life or in death, I tell you goodbye.””
— Knut Hamsun
“I suffered no pain, my hunger had taken the edge off; instead I felt pleasantly empty, untouched by everything around me and happy to be unseen by all. I put my legs up on the bench and leaned back, the best way to feel the true well-being of seclusion. There wasn't a cloud in my mind, nor did I feel any discomfort, and I hadn't a single unfulfilled desire or craving as far as my thought could reach. I lay with open eyes in a state of utter absence from myself and felt deliciously out of it.””
— Knut Hamsun
“Truth is neither ojectivity nor the balanced view; truth is a selfless subjectivity.””
— Knut Hamsun
“The intelligent poor individual was a much finer observer than the intelligent rich one. The poor individual looks around him at every step, listens suspiciously to every word he hears from the people he meets; thus, every step he takes presents a problem, a task, for his thoughts and feelings. He is alert and sensitive, he is experienced, his soul has been burned...””
— Knut Hamsun
“Keep it, keep it!" I answered. "You are very welcome to it! It is only a couple of small things, doesn't amount to anything”
— Knut Hamsun
“I was on the verge of crying with grief at still being alive.””
— Knut Hamsun
“It was not my intention to collapse; no, I would die standing.””
— Knut Hamsun
“And the great spirit of darkness spread a shroud over me...everything was silent-everything. But upon the heights soughed the everlasting song, the voice of the air, the distant, toneless humming which is never silent.””
— Knut Hamsun
“I see stars before my eyes, and my thoughts are swept up into a hurricane of light.””
— Knut Hamsun
