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Nothing about this book worked for me. It is told my a narrator that I detested. It is written in a stream of consciousness style with very little punctuation, and so far the only books written in that style that I liked were all written by Faulkner. If the character is not one I like I need a good plot, and unfortunately the plot is non-existent.
The book is about hunger and it left me hungry -- for a book I would enjoy.
The book is about hunger and it left me hungry -- for a book I would enjoy.
Hunger by Knut Hamsun is a loosely autobiographical novel about a young man down on his luck, starving to death and the slow decline as he sells off bits and pieces of his life to the Uncle. While he wanders about the town he runs into several characters. This unnamed narrator is quite proud and can barely allow anyone to help him. He would rather give away than receive. It reminded me a bit of Dostoyevsky and also a bit of Ulysses as the main character wanders about the town meeting up with var
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I read the Bly translation.
My edition had an intro by Paul Auster. It took me forever to get through the intro, the book was much more interesting. But between the intro and the afterword (by Bly) I ended up with a lot of questions:
1) Auster implies the Hamsun starved himself for art, and to have material to create his art. And when he was done, he left
2) Bly makes it clear that though this novel is based on his life, it is not an autobiography. Hamsun was starving on and off for 10 years, tryin ...more
My edition had an intro by Paul Auster. It took me forever to get through the intro, the book was much more interesting. But between the intro and the afterword (by Bly) I ended up with a lot of questions:
1) Auster implies the Hamsun starved himself for art, and to have material to create his art. And when he was done, he left
2) Bly makes it clear that though this novel is based on his life, it is not an autobiography. Hamsun was starving on and off for 10 years, tryin ...more
Magnificent writer plus very provocative and depressing theme equals a small gem of a book.
Sep 26, 2014
Elizabeth
marked it as to-read
Aug 13, 2016
Brenda H
marked it as tbr
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review of another edition
Shelves:
kindle-freebies,
1800s-published
Nov 05, 2016
Diane
marked it as to-read
Jan 16, 2020
Kathy Jo
marked it as to-read
Jul 08, 2022
Pippin
marked it as to-read
