Hunger

Very creative

I would never think that a book about hunger could be this interesting. There are times that we are hungry but this time is almost never extended to days. The author describes hunger in a way that reading the book and not being able to share his feelings is almost impossible. The book does not only describes hunger but also talks about social interactions and self image, how human beings strive for achievement at all times. One of the most important thing about this book is, hunger can also stimulate our sense of creativity somehow. Things that we are able think and do when we are hungry changes. It affects human behavior in a way that nothing else can. Experiencing love, success, respect, disrespect and all possible emotions that we go trough on a given day, is explained when hunger exists. It take us to a point where there is no possible return point. We don't even think about eating but creating (writing in author's case) when we are determined to do it. I would recommend the book to anyone who would like to experience hunger from a different perspective

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Deep and dark trip to the recesses of the mind

Knut Hamson takes the reader down a path of desolation, suffering, delirium, and a jumble of confused thoughts. The hero in the book (whom Hamson never names) is a struggling writer who is constantly working on his first major breakthrough to get into the door of the literary world. While struggling to find his masterpiece he writes for the local newspaper for five or ten Krone (Norwegian currency) per article. Sometimes it¿s published, other times it¿s rejected by the editor. He goes one day to the next hoping to hear from the newspaper that his article was accepted. Meanwhile he slowly but surely looses his apartment, and goes hungry, aimlessly walking the streets of Christiania (Oslo) doing everything his demented mind tells him to do. Most of it doesn't make sense to the reader. He stalks strange woman on the street, he pawns his only coat to give a beggar money for food (while he himself is starving), and he takes a cab throughout the city lying to the driver telling him he needs to find a certain person very urgently (he makes up a name). But the interesting part is, during all his delusionary acts, he clearly knows what he's doing, but is powerless to defy the voices in his head. Through all the depravity he experiences, the reader never at any point feels bad for the character, for it is evident that at any moment he could escape his miseries, and find a job. It also becomes abundantly clear to the reader that he is exceedingly smart, and can hold an intelligent conversation with the best of them. Why then we might ask is his starving on the streets of Oslo? There is a very surprising ending, one that I must admit left me unsatisfied, but maybe I'm missing something that Hamson was trying to relate. Read it, and decide for yourself.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Changed My Life!

I'd never heard of Hamsun until I saw a recent Norwegian movie about his life (of the same name) with Max von Sydow, which was a superb, albeit little known, film released in 1996. As a consequnce, I was intrigued about the real Hamsun and decided to read 'Hunger.' I could go on for pages about what a wonderfully powerful novel this is, but suffice it to say that you will know yourself better by the time you reach the conclusion. 'Hunger' is not just about food, it's emblematic of all the hungers we feel: hunger for knowledge, connection, love, sex, money, comfort, etc. If you're open to the possibilities, this story may just change your life too!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

I read this because one of my favorite authors and many great au

I read this because one of my favorite authors and many great authors loved Hamson's work. I have read half of it and find it boring. Its nice to see where all the authors I love got influenced but sometimes great books really are not that great.

stark and frightening

I had been meaning to read this novel for a long time. The protagonist's descent into starvation-induced madness is engrossing. Hamsun has given the reader a view into the inner workings of a man's mind unlike any before him and few after. This work reminds me of The Sound and the Fury, only Hamsun has combined Benjy, Quentin, and Jason Compson into one character. Disturbing and beautiful.

Powerful

Hamsun's Hunger is, by far, the most disturbing novel I have ever read. Shocking and prophetic.

The from the publisher notes must be about some other book!

The from the publisher notes state 'Set in Norway and Iceland at the beginning of the eleventh century, this is the story of the beautiful, spoiled Vigdis Gunnarsdatter, who is casually raped by the man she had wanted to love. A woman of courage and intelligence, Vigdis is toughened by adversity. Alone she raises the child conceived in violence, repeatedly defending her autonomy in a world governed by men. Alone she rebuilds her life and restores her family's honor, until an unrelenting social code propels her to take the action that again destroys her happiness. More than a historical romance, Gunnar's Daughter depicts characters driven by passion and vengefulness, themes as familiar in Undset's own time - and in ours - as they were in the Saga Age.' What? Huh? I don't think the publisher read it! It is a great novel though....

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Absolutely stunning

A powerful story about an ambitious young man whose literary idealism condemns him to near-starvation on the cold streets of Oslo. One of the greatest books I have ever read.

lost in the words

unlike books by my other favorite authors (percy, o'connor, and couplnad to name some) this did not leave me thinking for days afterwards....nonetheless i loved it...the prose is among the most beatiful i have ever read...

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