Catching up on Classics (and lots more!) discussion

Hunger is our Old School Classic Group Read for October 2021.

This is the No Spoiler Thread
The Spoiler Thread will open on the 1st.

This early posting of the No Spoiler thread is to discuss any non-plot issues pertaining to the book.

Appropriate Posts can contain:
1. Information about the author.
2. Compare editions/translations.
3. Any historical or background information
4. Are you familiar with this author’s work? Do you have any expectations going into the book?
5. What made you decide to read this book?
6. Any fan fiction that you have read or would like to read? Just link the books.
7. If you loved the book and want others to share in that experience, use this thread to motivate others, again save plot specifics for the Spoiler thread
8. If you hated the book, it would be best to keep that for the spoiler page

The most important thing to remember is no plot discussion. Any post that contains plot information or spoilers will be deleted.

Hamsun in 1890, the year he published his first major work, Hunger.


(Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knut_Ha...)

Awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1920.

Hamsun is considered to be "one of the most influential and innovative literary stylists of the past hundred years" (ca. 1890–1990)

I am very happy to see Hunger final hit our self. It seemed to me to be the most classical work that was missing.

I read Hunger many years ago in Danish translation. I hope to re-read it with the group. I will try the original Norwegian. (Old Norwegian (<1900) is very similar to old Danish.) "Det var i den Tid, jeg gik omkring og sulted i Kristiania, denne forunderlige By, som ingen forlader, før han har fået Mærker af den "

Notice that Project Gutenberg has a wide range of translations for free download:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/auth...

For those who prefer audiobooks, there is a free version available on YouTube. Good narration.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=yGCe7l4...

This one looks a little too intense for me right now, but it's short so I might give it a go. We'll see how I feel in October. :)

I can thoroughly recommend paying for the more recent Sverre Lyngstad translation (with an excellent introduction by Paul Auster):

Jillian - I feel the same way! I definitely prefer happy stories. That’s why I’m still on the fence about this one../

Jillian ❀‿❀ wrote: "I believe because it so vividly depicts the psychological effects of hunger on the narrator -- what's happening in the mind..."

I have read Hunger twice and 5 other Hamsuns. This book is in my top 10 all time because I was astounded by its style when reading it about 15 years ago, mainly because it was so many years ahead of Kafka and others.

Jillian, you are right on why it is important. As Wikipedia states:
"The novel has been hailed as the literary opening of the 20th century and an outstanding example of modern, psychology-driven literature. Hunger portrays the irrationality of the human mind in an intriguing and sometimes humorous manner."

It is an intense and not a happy story. Not being in the mood to read it is a totally reasonable attitude. I think its important as a breakthrough novel, but I'm so glad it is short - I would not want to read a 300 page version or spend any more time in the narrator's head.

Just a reminder that this is the non-spoiler thread, so anyone who begins reading early should be careful not to include any spoilers in their postings here.

I also feel this is a book I "should" read, more than one I am looking forward to reading. I hope I will be pleasantly surprised.

Oh no, you hadn't spoiled anything, Jillian. I was just cautioning because when the conversation gets going it is easy to forget and several here have already read the book. Not aimed at you at all!

Jillian ❀‿❀ wrote: "Oh, I'm sorry if anything I said spoiled! ."

Sara wrote: "Not aimed at you at all!"

Yes, don't worry Jillian, as Sara wrote, it's aimed at those "several here have already read the book." I, at least, need the caution in case I get excited and overshare. Socially in the real world, my wife takes care of that duty but, since she's not on Goodreads, I need to rely on experienced GR readers like Sara and Rosemarie to keep me in line.

LOL. Those wives come in handy sometimes, don't they? Believe me, others have to help keep me in line as well. We all just work together here...I'd rather caution ahead of time than remove a comment. It is definitely just to prevent accidental oversharing.

On that note--I really love when there is excitement and conversation, so CHAT ON.

Jillian ❀‿❀ wrote: "And I have heard that it's THE book to read if one enjoys writing."

This could be a complete separate tread. .... but I would say Midnight's Children. Also not a happy book. But the language!! Wow. It is so sweet flowing and playful.

I read Hunger a few years ago, the only Hamsun I have read. It is a rather intense portrayal of a struggling young writer when there wasn't the social "safety net" that I think Norway has now for the hungry. I didn't think it was particularly disturbing to read and recommend it.
No one has commented yet on Hamsun himself- he sullied his reputation in the buildup to World War 2 by supporting the Nazi party and Herr Hitler. However, Hamsun was about 80 years old then and likely had a little dementia. He was actually charged with treason after the war but never tried. A great writer in his prime though, deserved the Nobel he received.

George - thanks for that background information!

I wasn't planning to join with this reading, but after just finishing Growth of the Soil (my first Hamsun read) I feel I want to read more of him. So I'll probably make room for this read in October.

Jillian and Natalie - I too am a happy story/happy ending kind of reader. :) Early in my reading life, I avoided those sad kind of books. But now I've come to realize that that way I'll be missing reading many good books. So now when I read an intense, suffering, tragic kind of story, I read/listen to a happy story too along the way, just to keep my mood right. :)

Piyangie wrote: "So now when I read an intense, suffering, tragic kind of story, I read/listen to a happy story too along the way, just to keep my mood right. :)..."

Great advice, Pyangie. For me, I always have a P.G. Wodehouse novel ready to start when I run into the situation you describe, At times, I'm having to stop myself from reading a Wodehouse because I don't NEED it yet. Luckily, he wrote so many books I will be using him to balance an intensive depressing read for many years to come.
However, this last year I've found that an Agatha Christie can also serve me as a 'balance" book even though they are not really "happy" stories.

Interesting, because I sort of use the Brother Cadfael novels that way. There are so many of them and they are a respite from things that are too heavy or require too much thought.

Brian - I’ve been laughing my way through Bertie and Jeeves. Currently listening to The Code of the Woosters. They make me very happy.

I actually “save” Agatha Christie books for a special treat. 😂 I still have a lot I haven’t read yet and it’s always fun when I pull one out. I always watch for them to go on sale on Kindle or Audible so I can snatch them up.

Sara wrote: "Interesting, because I sort of use the Brother Cadfael novels that way. There are so many of them and they are a respite from things that are too heavy or require too much thought."

That's a series I'm planning to read next year, Sara. I'm happy to hear they aren't heavy reads.

I read the first 3 Poirot novels this winter and spring and got them cheaply on Amazon. But when I looked for next book, i found that the rest of the series are more like 9 or 10 dollar Kindles.
Just now, I ordered the Kindle of A Morbid Taste for Bones, the first of the Brother Cadfael series for $.99 (free for me with credits) on Amazon. But the rest of the books in the series appear to be $9.99 each.

Amazon is like a drug dealer when selling these addictive mystery series. They give you the first doses cheap or for free and then, once you're hooked, they jack the price up.

Brian - Agatha Christie's books are my top saviour books. 😊 Even though they are not particularly happy books as you've said, they help me maintain my equanimity when reading depressing books.

Brian, they go on sale periodically. I watch for them. I never buy them at full price. Hope you enjoy them as much as I do.

Mysteries can serve as comfort reads - same with TV mysteries.
For a few years, I have found it comforting to watch an episode of the original Law & Order (NOT Criminal Intent or SUV) right before going to sleep. While there are violent crimes, the violence is not depicted -the body is shown but the killing is not, and that is at the beginning of the show.
There is comfort in watching the SOLVING of a crime mystery before sleep. I found the TV show HOUSE also served as a decent bedtime watch since it involves the solving of a mystery - just a medical rather than criminal one. I guess the solving of a crime or medical mystery on TV makes me feel safer in the world and helps me sleep.

Sorry to digress so much - this thread is about Hunger and that Nazi sympathizer and great author Knut Hamsun. The other works I've read by him are also very serious works, but not as intense as Hunger.

I have been casting about for audio books to listen to and I have decided that I am in for listening to this one.

Terry, I don't listen to audio much, so please let us know if it's good since that is an option for this as well as ebook. This will most likely be the end of the month read for me.

Lori, I just barely started the Audible book narrated by Gunnar Cauthery. So far, so good. The writing reminds me of Dostoyevsky.

This is exactly why I joined this group. Hamsun was off my radar until now. Since I’ve already read all the other books featured this month, this is the one I will start with the group on.

Darren wrote: "I can thoroughly recommend paying for the more recent Sverre Lyngstad translation (with an excellent introduction by Paul Auster):
"

Thanks Darren for this recommendation. I had started reading the book reading the Egerton English translation while listening to the Bly and read through the first section. Neither translation was really impressing me with why this novel is a literary classic. I saw your note and after the first page one notices the difference. For those that are interested inthe story alone, I think the other translations suffice but if you wish to see the technical achievement, I suggest you sample the Lyngstad translation. (Of course now I am starting book over again so it will be a few days before I contribute any thoughts.)

I will also plan to join this read closer to the end of the month. Too many irons in the fire right now.