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Hunger, written in 1890, is really among the first of the psychologically driven novels. A Norwegian writer roams the streets of Christiania(now Oslo) on the verge of starvation, trying to sell newspaper articles. The novel begins with the following words: "All this happened while I was walking around starving in Christiania." He pawns off buttons, glasses, a pencil, his waistcoat and more just to keep himself going. It's not long before he slips into paranoia and hopelessness.
This novel has no ...more
This novel has no ...more
Knut Hamsun is celebrated as one of the first existentialist writers using inner monologue and stream-of-consciousness, a style I'm not particularly fond of, thus probably the not-too-enthusiastic reaction to this otherwise likable book. The protagonist wanders through the streets of Kristiania, always hungry, always on the verge of becoming homeless, still trying to presume the looks of respectability and never giving up hope to sell some piece of literature to a newspaper or theatre. The chara
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4.0 Stars-
For a book in which the reader never learns the main characters name or age and the whole plot revolves around this mans ability or inability to obtain his next meal, I am amazed at how well it kept my attention for the entire 150 pages. The author did a wonderful job describing not only the feeling of physical hunger but also the psychological effects from lack of food.
For a book in which the reader never learns the main characters name or age and the whole plot revolves around this mans ability or inability to obtain his next meal, I am amazed at how well it kept my attention for the entire 150 pages. The author did a wonderful job describing not only the feeling of physical hunger but also the psychological effects from lack of food.
Jan 27, 2016
Tea Beradze
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