August

August-trilogien #2

by Knut Hamsun, Eugene Gay-Tifft (Translator)

I «August» (1930) er hovedpersonen, som Hamsun første gang hadde skildret i «Landstrykere» (1927), blitt en mann i slutten av 40-årene. Han er fremdeles den rastløse, oppfinnsomme og initiativrike prosjektmaker. Det er oppgangstider i bygda Polden. Et rikt sildefiske fører til pengerikelighet. Augusts entusiasme smitter over, og poldværingene selger sin matjord til byggetomter og kjøper aksjer i bank og fabrikk. Men det kommer dårligere tider. Silda uteblir, og på grunn av uheldige konjunkturer stiger matvareprisene. Augusts virketrang har ført poldværingene ut i dyp misère. Hele samfunnet kommer i ubalanse og trues av hungersnød og katastrofe.

Genres: Classics, Fiction, Scandinavian Literature

441 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1930

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

[Peter · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the second book in the Wayfarer trilogy. Ever restless and inventive August (main protagonist in the trilogy) settles down in a Norwegian fishing town. Set in the latter half of the 19th century, the novel describes Norway’s transformation from an agrarian and fishing society to a ‘modern’ industrial society based on monetary wealth. Fantastic narrative of the tragic consequences of people losing touch with their traditional ways and values. Written in Hamsun’s usual lyrical realism style that still strikes me as very modern today, although the Wayfarer trilogy was published during the interwar period.

[Nataša · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kao što sam i pretpostavila, roman "Lutalice" mi je bio sasvim dovoljan, tako da sam nastavak "Avgust" doživela kao jedan vid ponavljanja već pročitanog. Recimo da mi je ovo, do sada, najmanje zanimljivo Hamsunovo delo.. što ne znači da mi se nije dopalo (trojčica bi po ovom rangiranju značila "liked it"), već je samo izazvalo malo manje oduševljenje nego što je to bio slučaj sa prethodnim.

Kako god Knute, družićemo se još, sigurna sam.

[Michael Canoeist · Rating 4 out of 5]

First of all, the lack of a cover (nearby) shows something important -- this is not an easy book to find. There is one copy in the whole Philadelphia library system, and it was not in good shape when I got it, and it is in less good shape now. Yet why the neglect, I couldn't tell you. This reads like major Hamsun to me. Apparently there are two parts (or perhaps three -- some say this is a trilogy), of which the 400-or-so-page volume I read is the second. A little village in Norway, obscure and undeveloped, is awakened from its slumbers by the arrival of a onetime former resident, August. August is a doer -- a vigorous visionary who cajoles, surprises, and hoodwinks his townfellows into progress of all sorts. He gets a post office going. He builds houses. To his good fortune, the herring catch starts growing dramatically for a few years; there is more money around and more striving for better lives and more comforts. The village is full of thoroughly believable and sometimes endearing personalities, and Hamsun's fondness for human foible gets a thorough workout! Storekeeper Pauline, who spends her life running her little shop (and assessing her customers) partly because she is convinced it is really her brother's store that she is keeping for him -- if she were voluntarily doing this work, she would have stopped long before, she is certain -- is an especially memorable character. Hamsun's superb understanding of human psychology not only makes this a great pleasure to read, but also intersects so unusually with the business cycle. Perhaps there have been some, but I can't think of another novel in which a complete, classic business cycle played such an enormous role in the action. August is the epitome of an entrepreneur, in these near-primitive conditions; but critics who see the book as a criticism or even denunciation of American-style capitalism are off-base, I think. Hamsun understands August very well; he describes his successes and failures, his flaws and his attributes, with great clarity but also with a certain kindness and sympathy. When the herring migrate farther down the shore or out to sea, the boom conditions for the little village change. Reading this in late 2009, as we cope with our boom-and-bust, made August, published in 1930 at the end of an earlier boom period, especially timely and applicable. I have to find the other volume now. If Hamsun is being rediscovered in this, his 150th anniversary year, this is a book that needs to be rescued.

[Tuva Kongshaug · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gøy å følge historien til dette lille samfunnet, og hvordan det påvirkes av forandringene i verden, og av den snodige karakteren August da

[Jeff Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

"'From now on we must take things seriously,' said August."

'Wayfarers' is one of my favourite books, and 'August' marks the second in what would be a trilogy of tales, with 'The Road Leads On' completing. I had not read 'August' before - it's really not that easy to get hold of in English, but thankfully, being now in possession of all three, I read 'Wayfarers' once more, before continuing on for the first time.

Some trilogies (or longer series for that matter) can read be read in isolation - having read the preceding book may enhance your understanding, but it is not necessarily required. 'August' does not fall into this category - the reading of 'Wayfarers' is essential; the main reason being that Hamsun is assuming that you know who these characters are, for with a few introduced exceptions, this is the continuation of their, not just August's, lives; and this is what makes the book so good. I was much younger when I first read 'Wayfarers' and I yearned for the youth and adventure of Edevart and August; life was full of opportunities, adventures and yarns to be spun. In 'August' we find the characters where I find myself now; the rush of youth has passed, but the spark of adventure is still there - in some more than others. Here we find characters who have settled down, taken the family life and accepted their futures; characters who set off for adventure but returned scarred and looking for familiarity; and then there's characters like the eponymous one himself - still full of ideas, schemes and tales of past experiences that may or may not be true, but display a surprising range of skills that suggest that somewhere there may just be a nugget of truth. But as with all of them, they are older, their bodies don't work as well, it is harder to get going and questions arise as to whether it really is worth the bother...

This is where criticisms that the characters don't develop fall down for me - these aren't really characters from a novel, but real people; and sometimes people's lives just slow down - which is why you need to have read the first book, to remember them as flushed youths who spent all night dancing in the barn, getting involved in complicated relationships and, at times, literally jumping ship to head off for fortune and life away from the small community that they had been born into, but keep returning to. Now these characters run small shops, raise their own children and even reflect back on their past days - just as we all do.

I look forward to the final road before me...

[Robert Wechsler]

This novel starts out wonderfully with a playful, opinionated third-person omniscient narrator introducing the reader to those who live in the village of Polden, Norway. The first sentence/paragraph sets the mood: “Polden is getting on.” It seems that the title character (not the month) no longer lives in Polden, but is talked about by everyone, and sort of revered. What’s better than a novel whose protagonist is off-stage geographically and historically?

But far too soon, he appears, and the novel turns into a lot of fairly inane dialogue. I was now the one getting on, or is that “moving on”?

[Lukáš Palán · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bom žorno.

August od Hamsuna, který se logicky může číst pouze v srpnu, je o Viktorovi Koženým kterej si to dovalí do jednoho městečka na fjordu, kde všem lidem oznámí, že jsou vořeši, páč mají jen vobchod a vůbec nefandí kapitalismu, a začne budovat poštu, banku, sázet rostliny a přeprodávat pozemky a tak dále pana krále, až je tu skoro kampelička a kupónovka.

Jenže to se místní rybáři naserou, páč sledě zrovna netáhnou a místo pole mají banku, a dojde k takzvanému Bahamskému exodu. Asi až v polovině knihy jsem zjistil, že se jedná o druhý díl trilogie, takže jsem asi trochu jelito, ale o to víc byla knížka hip hop.

7/10

[Slaviša Perišić]

Absolutely unreadable. Washed out characters, drained story without a particular direction. Gave up halfway through without ever intending to go back.

[James Varney · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful, especially for Hamsun fans. But not the choice for an introduction to Hamsun.

"August" is the second volume of his "Wayfarers" or "Vagabonds" saga, featuring the same characters as in that first novel. August himself (duh) is the star. He and Edevart, who was more the star of "Vagabonds," are fixed back in Polden here, the town on the Norwegian coast. Edevart, however, seems to have lost all spark. His "wife," Lovisa Margreta, has returned to the U.S. and Edevart is somewhat lost. Hamsun seems unduly harsh to Edevart, but he has near contempt for Lovisa Margreta and her rootless, often conniving personality.

"Lovisa Margreta Doppen had climbed her way up to another plane of existence; life had performed a radical experiment upon her and had made a complete botch of it - she no longer fitted in anywhere, she was out of place wherever she found herself..."

Still, it is August's symbolism that lies at the heart of "August." "He was as buoyant as money itself, the machine age business, industry and all that goes to spell progress." At the end, when August has departed, it is one of Edevart's brothers, Joakim, who delivers the philosophical summations, one of which shows his outlook is superior to Lovisa Margreta's"

"His (August) course lies wherever the current leads him and his life is a life of unrest. He will turn up in some other place on this beloved globe of his and there he will once again be an influencer for good and evil...Don't worry about August; he belongs to our age and he is at home wherever he is."

But August hits Polden like a whirlwind, full of one idea after another. It is those ideas that Hamsun uses as his metaphor for the burgeoning industrial age. August stands for a kind of raw capitalism, and Hamsun seems ambivalent about it. It's an odd thing: he's obviously fond of August, the character, but not in favor of his business schemes.

[Terje · Rating 4 out of 5]

[3.5/5.0]

Lydbok, Cappelen Damm 2024, lest av Nils Johnson, Operasjon Hjernerystelse.


En fin fortsettelse på fortellinga om da den store verden kom til Polden

Bok 2 i serien om August er et par hakk mer lettbeint enn den første boka. Landstrykere var mer tilbakelent, mer fokusert på den stillferdige Edevart, og hadde varmere og mer gripende skildringer av mellommenneskelige forhold. I August blir det til tider i overkant mye August-fjas og røverhistorier. Historiefortellinga virker på meg mer sprikende og ufokusert.

Allikevel er historien så absolutt underholdende. Utlandet, utviklinga og industrialiseringa, personifisert av August, skaper hele tida en fin spenning og en god kontrast til det trauste, norske og bondske.

Boka er svært dialogbasert. Jeg kan ikke påstå at jeg har dype kunnskaper om nordlandsslang på slutten av 1800-tallet, men for meg virker det svært så troverdig. Uansett er dialogene morsomme med underholdende ordvalg og setningsoppbygging.

Innleser er Nils Johnson. Han gjør som vanlig en svært god jobb. Han gir personene gjenkjennbare stemmer, liv og karakter, og bruken av dialekter er ypperlig.

[Mario · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although I wasn't blown away by the first book, I still wanted to continue with the story. While the first book was more focused on Edevart, the second one downgrades him to a side character. As the title says this is all about August. August is still extravagant, with some good and many bad ideas. He wants to transform the traditional fishing village into a modern town without thinking about consequences.

The book doesn't add much to the story of the first book. There are still the same characters living mostly the same life. I still find it interesting enough to continue with the last book of the trilogy.

[Cameron · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you already love Knut Hamsun, have read the first book in the trilogy, or just enjoy fiction about a small Norwegian town’s traditional farming economy slowly shifting into a commercial one in the nineteenth century, this book is for you. As a side note, getting my hands on a copy was probably my most difficult acquisition yet. My library system doesn’t carry a single copy, and every option online is either a first edition or some very expensive collectible. I couldn’t tell you why this book has been left buried in the sands of time. This is the good stuff.

[juli · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hamsun writes like only he can, as captivating as its precise. While the general plot here may not be particularly gripping and the pacing is generally too slow, the final passage is particularly stunning, and the overarching message here is of course too, like many of his later novels.

[Yuriy Gritsay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Вернувшись к второй части трилогии, ощущаешь себя вновь среди старых друзей и привычных северных пейзажей... ну и конечно - Август, как по мне так герой !

[Lars · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ikke like variert og underholdende som Landstrykere, men fortsatt underholdende og interessante skildringer av det harde livet i et karrig fiskevær i Nordland tidlig på 1900-tallet.

[M.H.T. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Navnkundig!

[August Trønnes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Uvisst hvorfor jeg er oppkalt etter denne lømmelen som ljuger og knivstikker. Han har vel en viss sjarm?

[Jo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thoroughly enjoyed. Although very conservative, it has a lot to offer in terms of characters, humor, and excellent prose. August could have been considered among the greatest literary characters.

[Edith Wasco · Rating 4 out of 5]

Primer novela que leo del escritor noruego. Tiene un tono (lenguaje, narrativa) muy clásico: constante, sin ninguna frase o párrafo que opaque a las otras, muy bien balanceado. La historia, muy interesante, los personajes bien desarrollados...todo incorporado de una manera muy completa. No es una novela de párrafos o frases estrella, sino una obra de arte valiosa en su conjunto total. Recomendable.

[Vår Ane · Rating 3 out of 5]

I hated this book, but in some way i loved it. parts of it was hard to understand and the characters makes me really frustrated.
The book is set in Polden, if you've read the first book you know all about it. the characters are all the same, but this time its August and his crazy ideas to make Polden a industrialized city.

[Gjermund Hauge]

Interessang på sin måte, men til tider ganske så kjedelig.