1. Knut Hamsun was a Norwegian writer who was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1920.
35 Facts About Knut Hamsun
1. 2.
Knut Hamsun published more than 23 novels, a collection of poetry, some short stories and plays, a travelogue, works of non-fiction and some essays.
3.
Knut Hamsun pioneered psychological literature with techniques of stream of consciousness and interior monologue, and influenced authors such as Thomas Mann, Franz Kafka, Maxim Gorky, Stefan Zweig, Henry Miller, Hermann Hesse, John Fante, James Kelman, Charles Bukowski and Ernest Hemingway.
4.
Since 1916, several of Knut Hamsun's works have been adapted into motion pictures.
5.
Knut Hamsun argued that the main object of modernist literature should be the intricacies of the human mind, that writers should describe the "whisper of blood, and the pleading of bone marrow".
6.
Knut Hamsun is considered the "leader of the Neo-Romantic revolt at the turn of the 20th century", with works such as Hunger, Mysteries, Pan, and Victoria.
7.
Knut Hamsun only published one poetry collection, The Wild Choir, which has been set to music by several composers.
8.
Knut Hamsun had strong anglophobic views, in part due to the treatment of Norway during World War I, and openly supported Adolf Hitler and Nazi Germany, travelling to meet Hitler during the German occupation of Norway.
9.
Knut Hamsun was not convicted, officially due to psychological problems and issues relating to old age, but was issued a heavy fine in 1948.
10.
Knut Hamsun was born as Knud Pedersen in Lom, Norway, in the Gudbrandsdal valley.
11.
Knut Hamsun was the fourth son among the seven children of Tora Olsdatter and Peder Pedersen.
12.
At nine Knut Hamsun was separated from his family and lived with his uncle Hans Olsen, who needed help with the post office he ran.
13.
Knut Hamsun asked businessman Erasmus Zahl to give him significant monetary support, and Zahl agreed.
14.
Knut Hamsun later used Zahl as a model for the character Mack appearing in his novels Pan, Dreamers, Benoni and Rosa.
15.
Knut Hamsun spent several years in America, traveling and working at various jobs, and published in 1889 his impressions under the title Fra det moderne Amerikas Aandsliv.
16.
Knut Hamsun first received wide acclaim with his 1890 novel Hunger.
17.
Knut Hamsun saw mankind and nature united in a strong, sometimes mystical bond.
18.
Knut Hamsun courted and met with high-ranking Nazi officers, including Adolf Hitler.
19.
Nazi Minister of Propaganda Joseph Goebbels wrote a long and enthusiastic diary entry concerning a private meeting with Knut Hamsun; according to Goebbels, Knut Hamsun's "faith in German victory is unshakable".
20.
In 1940 Knut Hamsun wrote that "the Germans are fighting for us".
21.
Knut Hamsun died on 19 February 1952, aged 92, in Grimstad.
22.
Knut Hamsun pioneered psychological literature with techniques of stream of consciousness and interior monologue, as found in material by, for example, Joyce, Proust, Mansfield and Woolf.
23.
Knut Hamsun's writing had a major influence on Franz Kafka.
24.
In 1898, Knut Hamsun married Bergljot Gopfert, who bore daughter Victoria, but the marriage ended in 1906.
25.
Knut Hamsun then married Marie Andersen in 1909 and she was his companion until the end of his life.
26.
From his youth onward, Knut Hamsun espoused anti-egalitarian and racist beliefs.
27.
Knut Hamsun wrote several newspaper articles in the course of the Second World War, including his notorious 1940 assertion that "the Germans are fighting for us, and now are crushing England's tyranny over us and all neutrals".
28.
Knut Hamsun was eventually invited to meet with Hitler; during the meeting, he complained about the German civilian administrator in Norway, Josef Terboven, and asked that imprisoned Norwegian citizens be released, enraging Hitler.
29.
Knut Hamsun was forced to undergo a psychiatric examination, which concluded that he had "permanently impaired mental faculties," and on that basis the charges of treason were dropped.
30.
Knut Hamsun stated he was never a member of any political party.
31.
Knut Hamsun wrote his last book Paa giengrodde Stier in 1949, a book many take as evidence of his functioning mental capabilities.
32.
Knut Hamsun's writings have been the subject of numerous books and journal articles.
33.
Knut Hamsun would publish a selection in various volumes between 1994 and 2000.
34.
Prime among all of Knut Hamsun's works adapted to film is Hunger, a 1966 film starring Per Oscarsson.
35.
Knut Hamsun's works have been the basis of 25 films and television mini-series adaptations, starting in 1916.