GROWTH OF THE SOIL, by Knut Hamsun | Book Review
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- Опубликовано: 21 июл 2024
- #knuthamsun #growthofthesoil #bookreview
A book review of Knut Hamsun's 1917 novel, "Growth of the Soil," trans. by Sverre Lyngstad (Penguin Books, 2007).
0:00 Intro/Dealing with Hamsun's Nazism
5:36 Growth of the Soil
Bibliography/Further Reading:
Ingar Sletten Kolloen, Knut Hamsun: Dreamer and Dissenter, trans. Deborah Dawkin and Erik Skuggevik (Yale University Press, 2009)
Monika Žagar, Knut Hamsun: The Dark Side of Literary Brilliance (University of Washington Press, 2009)
Sverre Lyngstad, Knut Hamsun, Novelist: A Critical Assessment (Peter Lang Publishing, 2005)
Books mentioned:
Halldór Laxness, Independent People
God(?), Genesis
John Steinbeck, The Grapes of Wrath
Knut Hamsun, Hunger
Raymond Williams, Keywords: A Vocabulary for Culture and Society (Oxford University Press, 1976)
/ travelstoriesyt
Tremendously good video. I just finished this novel this morning and consider it the finest book I've read in the last twelve months. One of those all-too-rare novels, like The Magic Mountain or Anna Karenina, which seem to contain all of life. Just staggering. This was my sixth Hamsun novel, and immediately my favorite.
Thank you so much! Interesting comparisons to The Magic Mountain and Anna Karenina - I definitely agree that the scope of Growth of the Soil is incredibly ambitious and staggering. And, he manages to pull it off! I still need to read more Hamsun, but good to know that you consider this one your favorite.
Have you read the ring is closed?
I was watching a video the other day of Michael Silverblatt talking to students (at Cornell I think?) and somewhere in the autobiographical sketch he gave there was a watershed moment when his younger self realized -with horror!!-that the direction of his reading had turned him into ". . . a fan!", and that he needed to somehow course correct in order to be a better reader. I think his implied framework of not being "a fan" of any author, including those whose works you cherish most, is interesting: possibly helpful in relation to the 'art-artist problem'. With most of my favorite books I find myself reading against a nagging awareness of one or another of the author's beliefs (one example: Dostevsky's overall big ideas are underwhelming) but I guess authors like Hampsun, or Celine or Sade really REALLY test the ability to compartmentalize. One thing to be said for engaging with these types of writers is that it muddles a flagwavy worldview according to which bad people are simply 'stupid', simply 'un-empathetic' across the board, 'uneducated'/ simply lacking a copy of David Copperfield, etc, when the reality is actually more disturbing and contradictory and hard to make sense of.
Anyway, good topic.
Those are really good points - thanks for sharing! I completely agree with Silverblatt here - being a "fan" of a person is a bit odd, especially considering the word "fan" comes from "fanatic"... And that's a great point too that engaging with these authors really shows that the "other side" can be intelligent, if misguided. That really helps me understand why reading these sorts of authors is actually important!
Thanks for this video. It's great to hear someone talking about a Hamsun novel other than Hunger or Mysteries.I've been reading Hamsun since the late 70s and Growth... is my favourite novel by anyone. While I do understand why some people can't separate Hamsun's Art from his political beliefs I can. I would have missed so many masterpieces otherwise.
Have you done any Hesse videos. I'd love to hear your thoughts on Narcissus and Goldmund.
I just discovered your channel and am devouring your episodes. I'm mostly a history reader, but I do enjoy literature and your recommendations are clutch when it comes to Scandinavian writers. I recall reading Hamsun's "Hunger" when I was a teenager...so relentlessly bleak! I was transfixed and horrified at the same time. I've had "Growth of the Soil" on my list for awhile...your discussion convinced me to pick up a copy. Thanks!
Hey, thanks so much! Glad you're finding some of the videos useful. For what it's worth, I also come from a history background, so I'm sure we have a lot in common with how we approach literature. I'm looking forward to checking out your channel as well!
Your reviews are so in depth and amazing, I’ve been juggling whether or not to invest my reading time on Hamsun. But now I think I’ll give him a go
Thank you!! He's definitely worth the time - I don't think you'll be disappointed!
The point with the telegraph poles is not that he would go out every couple of weeks to check. It's that they would install a machine in his house which would light up if the line was down, and he would have to drop everything to go and fix it.
I have an older translation, and there's a big difference in how the first night between Isak and Inger is translated. In my copy it's along the lines of 'He lay in bed, desiring her, and she was willing'. The word "greedily" doesn't come up. The difference is very striking.
I think you mistake the point of the book. It is far from an idealisation of the rustic life. It is quite aware of the hardships of such living. We note particularly the many famine years that they go through. Rather it seems to me to be about the conflict between the land and the city. We notice how the city changes those characters who live there, and how that impacts the people around them when they return. And to read Inger as the sole source of these changes seems to me absurd (although maybe I read it in a strange way). It's there from the beginning, in the pompous actions of Brede Olsen, in the way that Geissler is always chasing money. In both Barbro and Eleseus who are exposed to that influence as children. Aronsen embodies it entirely, utterly declining to cultivate the soil in favour of hoping for new customers. Indeed, Inger is one of the few people not fully taken by the city. It takes her a while to adjust, but eventually accepts it, whereas most of the others are fighting against it constantly to disastrous effect.
Charles Bukowski was an admirer of Hamsun.
Interesting. Admittedly, I haven't read much Bukowski!
We are all childrn of Hamsun-- Isaac Bashevis Singer
Note: John Steinbeck. The Grapes of Wrath
Note: The Good Earth by Pearl S.Buck
Have you read the ring is closed by Hamsun?
I did.. Best Hamsun book imho. One of my all time favorite.
I’m reading it now. I find very curious the way he writes. Makes me laugh and demand more
Thank you!
Literature shows the transitory nature of politics and ideologies in time.
I want to read The Sharks by Jens Bjørneboe. What are your impressions of this author? If I’m correct he may be better known for a trilogy. All the same I am interested in discovering him and I thought I caught a glimpse of his works in a photo. I’m also curious if you’ve read Karin Boye?
Bjørneboe is fantastic. I'm currently in a deep-dive of his History of Beastiality trilogy. I'm reading a lot of the scholarship surrounding the Trilogy now and will make a video once I feel like I understand it enough. He's quickly becoming one of my favorite authors (I just purchased most of his oeuvre a couple of weeks ago, including The Sharks!), so I want to do him justice in any video I make of him.
And no, I haven't heard of Karin Boye. I just looked her up and she sounds quite interesting! Any advice on where to start?
@@travelthroughstories Obviously she is a Swede nut Norwegian, so sorry for the lack of segway. But I’ve been very interested in her work and was just curious. I am reading The Famished Road by Ben Okri right now.
@@morbidswither3051 Ben Okri is great, though I've only read his THE FREEDOM ARTIST! I've had THE FAMISHED ROAD on my tbr for years!
@@travelthroughstories Same here! I finally realized now was the time!
I find myself reluctant to prioritize reading Hamsun. I have a copy of Growth of the Soil that’s published by the Modern Library, thus not this translation. If you’ve had any exposure to the previous translation, could you make a recommendation. Knowing which translation of a work to invest in is difficult! Regardless, I think if I were to read him, I would be most interested in either Hunger or Mysteries, probably Hunger.
Have you read Everything Like Before (Kjell Askildsen) yet? I’m so obsessed. I’ve already read it twice and as long as I can keep renewing it (from library), I’m keeping it around to dip back into. As much as I want to just buy it, I’m still only 9 months in to a year long goal of not buying any books. My resolution does have one exception: I can spend up to $50 on work by this year’s Nobel laureate (announced October) if I should so-choose. But that’s besides the point: Askildsen stories, man! Sometimes very reminiscent of some of the icier Vesaas vibes; but that’s only apparent sometimes. Most of the time, very unique. Would love to see a review! Also, would love to hear your thoughts on Jon Fosse and Dag Salstad!
I just found your video of Askildsen! Oops!
Fair enough! I haven't read other translations of "Growth of the Soil," but when I read Hunger, I read the 1921 George Egerton translation and it was just ok. I think Sverre Lyngstad is a really good translator though - this edition of "Growth of the Soil" read really smoothly. I'm pretty sure he's also translated most of Hamsun's other words, including Pan, all published by Penguin, so I'd say go with his translations!
That's insanely brave of you to limit your book buying so much - there's no way I could do that! Askildsen is brilliant and I did a video on him a while ago (as you noted!) - I really want to read more of his stories though. Further, I love both Fosse and Solstad! I'm actually currently reading Fosse's "Morning and Evening" now before I finish his "The Other Name" trilogy, the third of which comes out in the US in March, I believe. So, yes, I'll definitely be making videos soon-ish on both Fosse and Solstad!
@@travelthroughstories I can’t wait!
Easy, read Hunger, its a masterpiece!
Interesting review. I've read Hamsun's 'Hunger' and enjoyed it, if one can say 'enjoy' with respect to the physical and mental decay of the protagonist -- and I have his 'Children of the Age' and 'Segelfoss Town' on my shelf awaiting my attention one day. I've known about his past, and I'll leave it at that.
Thanks for watching! Hunger is quite good - I need to reread that one some day. I'm interested in reading Pan as well. Hamsun is a writer that I always think about reading more of, but I never quite get around to it.
I read this back in 1984 but I can still remember it - biblical and mythic would be right! It remains the only Hamsun I have read though. Obviously I was a much younger reader then but I didn’t really find his beliefs intruding too blatantly. Overall the story seems to be in the long established Scandinavian tradition of man farming the land and coping badly with change (Independent People would be another) but it is a powerful story.
The comparison to Laxness is apt - these books are very similar in a lot of ways! Heðin Brú from the Faroe Islands may well be thrown into that "genre" you've noted, though he's more concerned with fishing than farming. The Biblical and mythic parallels are really quite interesting though!
It’s difficult to capture Hamsun as a person and his political views. For instance: Calling him a nazi (which there are good reasons to do) will give people a number of wrong assumptions about him. As far as I know he was not an antisemite. Also, his support for Germany was also very influenced by his hatred for England, which was rooted in the 1800s and Englands brutal blockade of Norway. But now I am defending him too much. Ive thought about this for many years. I find it impossible to find the balance.
I dont think you are, he doesnt need defence. His " nazism" , I believe, was heavily rooted in an anti English hatred. Period. When he met Hitler he didnt discuss the Jews, later back in Norway, that wasnt his concern,entreatment of Norwegians under the Nazi puppet state did worry him.
Plus, he was old and either doddering or close to it. People forget the time, Bolshevism ushered in a police state in Russia,millions died, liberal democracy seemed unable to deal with the spectre haunting the world, Fascism,later Nazism,not to be confused..attracted many good people,Celine,Pound, millions of normal people who werent animated by a hatred of Jews ,Roma, gays, but had a fear that the terror in Russia would be theirs
Liberal statism, bolshevism werent universally liked,loved. Not all Far Right authors or people were hoodwinked by Hitler,Ernst Jünger ,famously extricated himself and refused all contact with Hitler, after the war, there were numerous reports that he assisted hundreds of Jews romescape Paris.
Compare Hamsuns " nazism" with Henry Fords, why wasnt he arrested?Ford was a racist,antisemite, off hi
Everyone thinks they would be hiding Anne Frank not hunting for her.
Yet, in all the momentous issues of our time they remain silent.
Except that there were people who were hiding Anne Frank. While remaining silent is, in my opinion, also bad, it's not quite the same as writing an admiring obituary for literally Hitler.
It’s on record that the father of Ann Frank, the one embroiled in the “biro” trial (related to the diaries being fake) (biro wasn’t invented until later) - became ill in Auschwitz and recovered in the auschwitz hospital. His name was Otto. The thing with that is that you wouldn’t imagine auschwitz sent it’s ill inmates to hospital.
I forget the details now. I can’t remember the specifics but the Ann Frank diaries went to court for some reason - something to do with them being written by Ann’s father Otto - something about the manuscripts being written in biro which wasn’t invented at the time. …. It’s quite possible to reconcile Hamsun’s support of Hitler, but only when people accept that there is such a thing as the victors of war controlling the narrative. …. I got a degree in history. At school I can remember children saying “but why did Hitler invade the USSR?” It didn’t make sense to them. …. Only as a mature adult did I look closely at the other side of the story and see that we’ve been duped. …. The answer to your question is that Hansum wasn’t duped. … poor hansum writes the most beautiful book which shows the beauty in his heart, but his character is ripped up because the narrative of the victors is so powerful. (This narrative continues today because it is still essential to keep the agenda going in the direction it’s in. We’ll get a wake up call when we are locked in our homes over some reason etc).
@@davidmatthews9088 Anne Frank did write her diary.. no question about.
@@rmanpojo8485 there was a court case about the authenticity. It’s not as simple as to say they are genuine especially when they were written in biro (not invented at the time).