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A review by thechaliceofaries
Hunger by Knut Hamsun
4.0
Hunger is a haunting, introspective exploration of the human psyche in the face of extreme poverty and deprivation. First published in 1890, this novel captures the raw essence of hunger and its profound impact on the protagonist's physical and mental state. Hamsun's unflinchingly vivid prose and tone created an unsettling reading experience that left me immersed in all the desperation and anguish that the protagonist undergoes throughout the novel.
As a reader I was constantly reminded of the visceral nature of his hunger, its deep and inescapable presence that loomed continuously over him. I experienced the protagonist's deteriorating mental state firsthand, as the narrative delves into his stream of consciousness, capturing the disorienting and fragmentary thoughts which plague his mind: "I had an endless variety of thoughts, thoughts strange and fantastic, and each more intense than the one before." The lines between reality and delusion are blurred, and I felt for certain that the protagonist was hallucinating several events that happened to him.
This book's real power lies in its ability to evoke a deep sense of discomfort in the reader. Hamsun's descriptions aptly depict the physical toll of starvation and the dehumanizing effects of hunger: "My hands were trembling violently; the knives and forks danced and rattled against one another. I rose and went to the window, clung to the frame, for my legs were giving way." More interesting to me was the way he described the psychological effects of hunger and its impact on the protagonist's behavior. His struggle becomes a desperate quest for survival, leading him to question his own sanity and moral compass, engaging in bizarre and inexplicable acts, thoughts always running off on strange tangents...
This was definitely not an easy read, but I think it's an important one to remind us of the devastating effects of poverty and starvation. 4/5 stars
As a reader I was constantly reminded of the visceral nature of his hunger, its deep and inescapable presence that loomed continuously over him. I experienced the protagonist's deteriorating mental state firsthand, as the narrative delves into his stream of consciousness, capturing the disorienting and fragmentary thoughts which plague his mind: "I had an endless variety of thoughts, thoughts strange and fantastic, and each more intense than the one before." The lines between reality and delusion are blurred, and I felt for certain that the protagonist was hallucinating several events that happened to him.
This book's real power lies in its ability to evoke a deep sense of discomfort in the reader. Hamsun's descriptions aptly depict the physical toll of starvation and the dehumanizing effects of hunger: "My hands were trembling violently; the knives and forks danced and rattled against one another. I rose and went to the window, clung to the frame, for my legs were giving way." More interesting to me was the way he described the psychological effects of hunger and its impact on the protagonist's behavior. His struggle becomes a desperate quest for survival, leading him to question his own sanity and moral compass, engaging in bizarre and inexplicable acts, thoughts always running off on strange tangents...
This was definitely not an easy read, but I think it's an important one to remind us of the devastating effects of poverty and starvation. 4/5 stars