Tales of Love & Loss

by Knut Hamsun, Robert Ferguson (Translator)

These 20 short stories are fascinating companions to Hamsun€™s classic novels and contain echoes of the greater works he would later write and for which he was ultimately awarded the Nobel Prize. Alive with humor, melancholy, tenderness, and lawlessness, as well as sparkling with psychological insights, these stories have never been published in the United States until now.

Genres: Short Stories, Fiction, Scandinavian Literature, Literature

224 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2007

About the author

Novels of Norwegian writer Knut Hamsun (born Knud Pedersen), include Hunger (1890) and The Growth of the Soil (1917). He won the Nobel Prize for literature in 1920.

He insisted on the intricacies of the human mind as the main object of modern literature to describe the "whisper of the blood, and the pleading of the bone marrow." Hamsun pursued his literary program, debuting in 1890 with the psychological novel Hunger.

Reviews

[s.penkevich [hiatus-will return-miss you all] · Rating 4 out of 5]

Early in his career, Nobel laureate Knut Hamsun (1859-1952) briefly experimented with the short story, releasing three short volumes before abandoning the venue entirely¹ Hamsun never put a whole lot of stock into his short story writing, although it is quite good, and claims the third collection had merely been written as a gift to his second wife. While lacking the full impact of works such as Hunger or Mysteries, Tales of Love & Loss, made up of 20 stories pooled from his three short story volumes that are available in English only through this collection, still delivers a completely satisfying array of stories that make a perfect companion to any Hamsun collection while demonstrating his wit, humor, and probing of moral dilemmas.

Much of Tales seems like early sketches of characters that would later appear in his novels. Stories such as John Tro or The Call of Life, read almost as deleted scenes from Hunger, while hints of Glahn from Pan appear in Ladykiller and hints of Nagel from Mysteries can be seen in the mysterious nuisance in the incredible Secret Sorrow. The latter story, as well as the unsettling A Real Rascal, are perfect examples of Hamsun practicing his depth of moral investigations. These stories read as if they were a laboratory of thought for Hamsun to test his ideas and abilities before expanding upon them in full length novels, yet the stories collected in this book are just as exciting and worthwhile as the novels.

Many of the concepts toyed with in these stories would not appear in novel form for another dozen or so years, especially the many tales of provincial life, such as Life in a Small Town or On the Prairie, that seem to be laying the groundwork for late-career novels like The Women at the Pump or Growth of the Soil. There are several stories that seem rather unique to Hamsun, such as A Ghost, which is a rather satisfying, creepy ghost story (as the name would imply) with a moral lesson attached, or the apolitical, politically charged (and almost gonzo-esk) Revolution on the Streets featuring a professor who just so happens to be caught up in student riots while trying to go about his daily habits as if all was normal. There is a lighthearted, comical side not typically thought of about Hamsun that shines through in many of these stories. The first, and earliest written of the stories, A Lecture Tour, follows an author attempting to give a ‘serious lecture about serious literature.’ After having nobody attends his lecture, having already paid in advance for the pavilion, while a man showing off animals has a sold-out audience down the street, the writer agrees to be part of the animal show to cover his losses. As translator Robert Ferguson asserts in his introduction, this story ‘shows Hamsun in the process of learning to laugh at himself and his literary pretensions and ambitions. This self-mockery would later be tinged with the tragic in Hunger as we watch a starving artist fall into crippling poverty all in the name of high-art.

Some of the best pieces in this collection are those that are not much more beyond sketches of people existing in a particular place. On The Banks, probably my favorite of the collection, is a simple overview of a fishing boat crewed by a group of men who all speak different languages. None of them are able to converse with each other verbally, and the only one that is able to speak enough of a different language to tell a story gets so excited by his own story that he can never spit it out. On the Banks is beautifully poetic and tragic in a way only Hamsun could provide. On the Prairie is another example of character sketches, that while having no plot other than the workers getting drunk at the end of a harvest season, gives so much insight to the characters and their lives through tiny observations that the reader comes away feeling as if they have read an entire novel about the coexistence of these men. It is truly astonishing.

There is an auto-biographical element to many of these stories that helps them to win the hearts of any Hamsun reader. Many of them discuss the various jobs Hamsun worked while at home and abroad in America, and his first hand experiences allowed him to paint such vibrant pictures of what it was like to be in those places at those times. Having just read James Wood’s article on Hamsun (graciously bestowed upon me by the great and wise Señor Puma) in which he discusses how Hamsun, while working for the railroads, would wrap his body in old bags underneath his clothes to help keep warm: ‘He was very poor and weathered the deep winter of Chicago by wearing newspaper under his clothes; his colleagues liked to touch him to make him crackle,’ it was exciting to read in A Woman’s Triumph that the narrators coworkers ‘prodded me to hear me crackle’. These little bits taken from his life are always sprinkled through his novels and add a certain joy upon discovery.

Hamsun’s short stories are more than just an added bonus to any Hamsun reader; this collection stands alone with the best of his novels and was far more entertaining and enjoyable that I had hoped for. It is interesting to watch the progression of his thoughts, to see him experiment with styles, narration, and ideas that would later go on to be part of his incredible novels. Certain motifs of his oeuvre, such as using the invention of the telegraph as a metaphor for human communication (something that is highly important to the plot of Growth of the Soil), are seen in their infant stages of development in these stories. Also, the reader learns little facts about the author’s life. For anyone with a love of Knut Hamsun, this is a wonderful addition to any Hamsun collection.
4/5

¹ Hamsun also briefly toyed with plays and poetry during his early career, abandoning both as well. Although his time spent sharpening his poetical verse is evident in the dramatic maturity of his prose in Victoria and the novels written afterwards, Hamsun never returned to plays and considered the genre rather inferior (a comment that is most likely fueled by his distaste for Henrik Ibsen, a distaste he gleefully made public on numerous occasions such as giving a lecture dismissing Ibsen’s work to a full audience that included the playwright in question who happened to be sitting front and center).

[L.S. Popovich · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hamsun is a reliable writer, able to absorb me effortlessly. Several of these stories are memorable, though some of them are less significant than others. A few pastiches and plenty of journeys by train. Hamsun's personality shines through, especially when referring to gambling, lack of literary appreciation by passersby and the woes of traveling. A compelling addition to Hamsun's strong body of work, but not quite on the same level of chilling brilliance as Growth of the Soil and Hunger.

[Gertrude & Victoria · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tales of Love & Loss is an intriguing collection of short stories by the Father of European Modernism. These stories reflect the vast range of human emotions and predicaments, which Knut Hamsun so deftly and humorously styles.

There is something telling about Hamsun's stories: the irrational thoughts, decisions and actions of man are perplexing, yet these qualities are constituent in all men. The main characters are often loners, in one manner or another, who display puzzling behavior. Hamsun's protagonists act in ways that are not only illogical and contrary to socially acceptable conduct, but they are destructive as well. His men invariably make decisions without any regard to their implications, and many of his works end with little joy.

Hamsun paints with lucid strokes a psychological portraiture that infuriates because it is all too real. His settings and characters seem like "still lifes," for the dimensions of place and time and temperament seems fixed and static, the essence never changing. His works are timeless pieces of art in the museum of life.

[Descending Angel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hamsun is one of my favourite writers and it's been awhile since I've read anything by him. This short story collection has 20 of the 36 short stories hamsun ever wrote. If you like hamsun you will probably like his short stories, they cover a lot of the what makes his novels so great. Highlights ~ 'Secret Sorrow' "the queen of sheba" "ladykiller" "A Woman's Triumph" "zachaeus" "life in a small town" "reiersen of the southern star" "on blue man's island" and "a real rascal".

[Peter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Intriguing collection of stories from early in Hamsun's career, before he devoted himself completely to novels. The stories repeatedly echo his great early novels (Hunger, Pan, Mysteries) and show him experimenting with various styles. Some of the stories even feel like sketches for much longer works. This book is a must for Hamsun fans - read the novels first, but then definitely check this one out.

[El-Jahiz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this again- this time in English translation, and was charmed again, by these exquisite short stories of Knut Hamsun. A pretty good translation that catches the nuance of the original. Only one story seems to be missing in this collection compared to the original -the one entitled: "En ganske almindelig flue av middels størrelse"...which would translate to A Pretty Ordinary Fly of Medium Size. Wish that one was in here.

[Elizabeth]

again, wierd, somewhat off short stories. surprise unhappy endings in freeze frame, in between Victorian themes and existential crises

[Katia Piza · Rating 4 out of 5]

A collection of Hamsun's short stories from when he was a "El" Oporator in Chicago, to lectures from his homeland. Will make even the most hurt heart believe in love.

[Adarsh Chauhan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Characteristics of Knut Hamsun's writing worth appreciating here - brilliant narrative craftsmanship, an astute understanding of how real human interactions and relationships work, and a modern narrative style that flows unconventionally but intuitively enough to feel seamless. There are a lot of stories where characters find themselves pinching pennies and living meagerly. In such bare bones existence, these characters' small story arcs highlight the central themes of human kinship, love from companionship and the unavoidable loss of that that human condition is doomed for. It is definitely commendable that the writing almost feels minimal - it does not take you long to realize how much Knut Hamsun is able to achieve in literary expression and imaginative flourish with so little explanation. It's a tell-tale sign of an expert. What's there to complain then? Probably a good amount of stories are less substantial and less lingering than I seek. It's a privileged complaint; similar to how I am yet to find a music album where I love all the songs by an artist. The top ones from this collection for me would be - Father and Son: A Gambling Story, Reiersen of the Southern Star and (the best one) A Real Rascal (what a finisher!).

[Jeff Miller · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm a massive fan of Knut Hamsun...and a massive fan of the short story. Alas, in this instance the two don't really go together that well. Knut is generally better the longer he writes, creating communities and weaving tales within them; this feels more like a collection of stories that he couldn't weave, and as such are left wanting.

There are some nice ones, 'Secret Sorrow' and 'A Woman's Triumph' are very different to each other, but work as standalone pieces.

One for the fans and completists - not the best place to start.

[Harry Sean · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

I could sense traces of Hunger in most of the stories, typical Hamsun. While others felt so different that you might think they were written by a completely different author, which I didn't enjoy. But, overall I really dig this.

[Jimmy Jazz · Rating 2 out of 5]

I couldn't read Hamsun's early stories without keeping an eye open for the seeds of reaction that saw him give his Nobel prize to Goebbels and praise Hitler as a warrior. If you look, you''ll probably find. I liked some of the stories. And I could see what John Fante, who I like reading, got from Hamsun. But the whiff of Fascism kept rising-- a Nazi Bingo drinking game -- a character gives a gift to his foreman, on a migrant worker gang; are you kidding me? He seems to believe in property and using violence to protect it. He admires authority and passes judgment on "dubious types." Characters passing judgment, a belief in guilt and sin. There are a hints of racism and the murder of a girl who jilted a suitor.

"The students have taken matters into their own hands and are rioting in the streets."
"I was sleepy and angry and said, Turn a firehose on them, swill them off the streets." Bingo.

[Adam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having read a fair amount of Hamsun, I've settled on 3 must-reads: the novels Pan and Hunger, but also the short fiction. For my money, Hamsun's stories are every bit as powerful as Kafka's, and yet they're more consistent and psychologically satisfying. And the misanthropes who people these stories... well, they're of the late-night, dark-alley variety we'd all much rather read about than meet face to face.

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fascinating glimpse into Hamsun's early short story style, which establishes many of the themes (alienation, intense introspection, an almost-pagan reverence for nature) that would later come to dominate such classics as Hunger, Pan and Mysteries. Unfortunately, the short story is a form Hamsun largely abandoned after he cemented his reputation as a novelist--had he continued to refine his style, I feel he may now be mentioned in the same sentence as Hemingway. A big what-if.

[Devin White · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fantastic set of short stories from Hamsun. I am always impressed with his writing. Before this I have only read his novels but I will definitely be picking up his second set of these. I have and will continue to highly recommend Hamsun.

[Eric Cecil · Rating 5 out of 5]

Far-out collection of short stories. Powerful stuff, here.

[Rebecca Liss · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nice snippets into his writing. Pieces that are fragments of his larger contributions

[Tiah Keever · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good stuff here by Hamsun.

[Vogisland · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was fun to read about the vast Minnesota farms where Hamsun worked as a laborer, and Chicago's long-extinct Halstad line.

[Vittoria Årud · Rating 5 out of 5]

Knut is brilliant in every sense of the word.

[shean · Rating 4 out of 5]

These are fantastic stories.

[Paul Lizarraga · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very fine read.