Hunger (Penguin Twentieth Century Classics)

I am drawn to novels of the Dostoevskian kind, which delve into the psychology of their characters. When I happened to learn that Knut Hamsun was a pioneer of this style, and a Nobel Prize winner to boot, I got hold of this famous (though previously I'd never hard of it!) novel of his. It indeed fit the bill. So much so, in fact, that I soon found it practically unbearable. The depiction of what it is like to be starving is so intense that I had to ask myself why I was submitting myself to it. Normally one reads for pleasure or enlightenment. There was no pleasure here, and I already knew that starvation is no fun, right? But then something happened, that's to say, in my own consciousness. I made a breakthrough of insight: The literal starvation in this book could be reckoned as a metaphor. While the vivid depiction of literal hunger could indeed serve a useful purpose in opening up our hearts to the many real and not just fictional persons in the world who are so impoverished that they cannot obtain food or shelter, being able to identify with hunger as a metaphor for whatever one needs as something essential, whether nutritionally or emotionally, but simply cannot obtain no matter how hard one tries, or at least without fatally compromising one's dignity or integrity, and then induces every sort of mental and behavioral aberration as a result, enables one to experience the book as a compelling read that transcends mere description. It was in this way that I was then eager to keep reading, and was amazed at how the author was able to hold my keen attention even though the subject remained pretty much monotonic throughout. A masterpiece by a brilliant writer.

Soren Kierkegaard once wrote: “If I were a pagan, I would say that an ironical deity gave man the gift of speech so that he may be entertained by their self-deceit.” In “Hunger” the author, Knut Hamsun, demonstrates the inconsistency of human reason by showing how easily one’s stream of consciousness slips its banks on an impulse, particularly in those enfeebled by isolation and malnutrition. Surprisingly in this short novel, the mental meandering of the protagonist entertains the reader, perhaps because it recapitulates the cerebral gymnastics many readers have experienced in response to the vicissitudes of daily existence. Despite the travails of the main character, his endless generation of possible solutions may not be in vain as he struggles to find a way out his self-imposed labyrinth of conflicting misdirection. Recommended for unhurried readers interested in introspection's pitfalls and potential.

A great psychological novel by an author new to me. Thank goodness for literature in translation. The author had an extremely difficult life as a young man, even by Norwegian emigre standards in the Midwest. The novel is set in an insignificant little town, in which the protagonist goes mad, inflating his worth as a writer even as the world has no use for his thoughts. The biggest issue is how to get a little food to sustain him and how to find a decent place to live. He generally fails at both, taking advantage of everyone he knows, while resenting their inattention to his greatness. Needless to say, his hunger is multidimensional. The book is reminiscent of Dostoevsky, but without the gore and murder. The protagonist has violence in him, but he directs it at his own destruction. Crazy people, it turns out, lack perspective.

Not sure what all the fuss is about on this book because it really is OKAY at best. For one the writing/translation is horrendous, and every time I read it was as if I was reading a high-school level essay. The story is not particularly interesting either; the events that the protagonist encounters include being homeless, and how hungry he is all the time because he cannot afford to eat. Bad things are constantly happening to the protagonist, but sometimes none of the events relate to each other. So why mention it in the first place? There is a recurring theme of pointless scenes/dialogues and its quite annoying. Some good things about this book is that it contains vocabulary and literary styles of the 19th and 20th centuries. To add, the setting is in Scandinavia, which some people may find interesting if you are into Scandinavian lore.

Whenever I'm starving I settle down with a good novel to help trancend my circumstance. This poignant book perfectly illustrates the emotional and physical toil of starvation. It enabled me to visualize my daily diet of soup and crackers as banquet fit for a king.

Very engaging, absorbing,struggle to survive a life as artist. Highly entertaining, very accessible, direct, strong good writing and makes me want to read more

I purchased this on accident, and decided to read it anyway. It’s hard to read this from the characters experience and perception. But afterwards I learned something. And I’m glad I gave it a read. Highly recommend.

This is a beautiful book. It was a pleasure meandering through. The poor fella was starving. And then it was done.

One of my favourite books.

Amazing edition made possible by the inbreeding translation and translator.

I've been reading some best sellers and popular novels regularly for the past 5 years, but this one was different and very touching from the rest. It's a gripping story of the author himself when he was penniless, starving and struggling to get one book published. It's a masterpiece. Thank you.

Incredible writing!

Bought for my husband, he hasn't read it but I did and i couldn't put it down. Great read.