Hunger
Ratings45
Average rating3.9
Hunger is a novel by the Norwegian author Knut Hamsun published in 1890. Parts of it had been published anonymously in the Danish magazine Ny Jord in 1888. 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.
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what a wild ride this was. reminds me heavily of Stoner by John Williams, but Hunger didn't pull me in as much.
Definitely worth a read if you are into books that don't have a solid conclusion or are about the mundanity of life.
What drives human beings to commit the acts they do? What is the basis for the striking and irrational outbursts of the downtrodden?
“Hunger” explores the randomness of human behavior and speculates what effect despair can have on this behavior.
Our hero is a downtrodden writer who is intelligent but irrational. He is often homeless and starving. This unnamed (except when he gives fake names to the police) protagonist is unwilling or unable to use the scraps of money he earns to better his station in life.
The novel is spent inside the protagonist's mind, bouncing from lucid moment to raving moment. The reader is shown the rational and irrational reactions this man has to his environment and his situation.
I'm not sure if the thoughts and actions of this man of “Hunger” are relevant or accurate in regards to the homeless of today, but they did cause me to reflect on the results that despair and homelessness may affect. The writing is intense and I couldn't help become captivated by what thoughts and actions the protagonist would cook up. I wanted him to succeed, but the tone of the novel made it clear from page one that mere survival was the best to hope for.
