How far out can a human being be driven by hunger and despair? Judging from Knut Hamsun’s semi-autobiographic Hunger, pretty far.

Not much happens in Hunger. We follow the protagonist, a young writer living in extreme poverty, as he wanders around in Kristiania (Oslo). Sometimes homeless, sometimes living in the most miserable accommodation imaginable. But most of the story takes place inside the writer’s head. Hunger is essentially a psychological study of what happens to the mind, when you are living on the edge, desperately fighting for survival.

There was a merciless gnawing in my chest, a queer silent labor was going on in there. I pictured a score of nice teeny-weeny animals that cocked their heads to one side and gnawed a bit, then cocked their heads to the other side and gnawed a bit, lay perfectly still for a moment, then began anew and bored their way in without a sound and without haste, leaving empty stretches behind them wherever they went.

I have no doubt, the author has been exposed to starvation himself. The descriptions and the details are so vivid and realistic, it is almost like you, the reader, are going through the experience yourself. This makes for an uncomfortable read. I can fully empathise with the contemporary critic, who in the middle of reading Hunger ran down to the post office to send money to the author.

It is painful to see a human being falling apart like that. I was clenching my hands in despair, when, after a long period without substantial food, the writer gets a proper meal, but his body, which is not used to food, can’t keep it down. And I wanted to kick him, when dignity and pride prevents him from accepting food or money, which could keep him going for a day or two.

At the same time, this dark, existential tale is utterly fascinating. I don’t know if Hamsun was pre-disposed for mental instability, but I can easily believe that living on the edge of survival may drive the dark forces within to the surface and cause strange thoughts and ideas to enter the mind. Actually, it would be remarkable, if it didn’t happen.

The dark had captured my brain and gave me not an instant of peace. What if I myself became dissolved into the dark, turned into it?

Hunger is written in the stream-of-consciousness style, whilst quite common today, was rather unusual back in 1890. I found the prose exceedingly powerful, with every word burning with anger, exasperation, despair, frustration. The protagonist doesn’t indulge in self-pity though, he keeps on going. There is even some light humour, which makes it all more bearable.

If you are fascinated by existential literature focusing on the human mind, Hunger is a must-read. Strong stuff, indeed.

Hamsun has been called the Nordic Dostoevsky. He was one of the pioneers in psychological literature and has been said to inspire authors such as Kafka and Thomas Mann. He received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1920.

Title: Hunger [1890] 
Author: Knut Hamsun
Format: eBook (downloaded from Project Gutenberg)
Genre: Psychological Literature