Knut Hamsun

Born Knud Pedersen in Lom, Norway, in 1859, Knut Hamsun grew up in the Nordland region and worked a series of jobs before pursuing literature. He spent time in the United States and drew on his experiences of poverty, travel, nature, and social isolation throughout his writing.

Hamsun gained international attention with Hunger (1890), a novel known for its inward, shifting portrayal of a struggling writer. His later books, including Mysteries, Pan, Victoria, and Growth of the Soil, explored desire, alienation, instinct, and the powerful bond between people and the natural world. He received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1920.

Hamsun’s literary influence is substantial, particularly through his use of interior monologue and stream-of-consciousness techniques. His reputation is also inseparable from his public support for Adolf Hitler and Nazi Germany during World War II; after the war, he was tried and heavily fined in Norway. He died in Grimstad in 1952, aged 92.