This book is on the 1001 books you must read before you die list.


Hunger is a book by the Nobel Prize winner in literature in 1920. I read this book many years ago, as far as I remember. Guess we had to read it.... Anyway, I enjoyed the book. But I don't remember much of it, though.

"The story of the semi-delirious "trip" of a young drop-out writer in search of his identity. It was published in 1890 when Hamsun was thirty-one. With a little scene-shifting, it could have been written today... He created a new style of writing, a new form of prose narrative which has a hypnotic effect on the reader... I wish you 'bon appétit' with 'Hunger'."


Bought in Bokbyen ved Skagerrak/The Book Town by Skagerrak, in a second hand book store.


I will send this book out as a bookring.

The weight of this paperback book is 153 grams.
12,9 cm x 19,7 cm and 1,5 cm thick.
189 pages.

Please pass it on within 4 weeks. If you for some reason need more time, please let us know here.

Participants:
*BaiLong (China) - international shipping
*BookLovinMama (USA) - US shipping if possible (but can ship international)
*CanticleLost (USA) - international shipping (Asked to be skipped)
*brunton11 (UK) - UK/EU postage prefered if possible (Asked to be skipped)
*teapot (UK) - UK/Europe postage if possible
*Cassandra2020 (UK)
*earthcaroleanne (UK) - UK shipping, EU if needed
*Clairby11xxx (UK) - UK shipping, Europe if needed
*DianeO (UK) - international shipping (Skipped due to no response)
*kisses_cuddles (UK) - UK if possible
*brunton11 (UK) - Can post wherever needed (Re-added to the list)
*sarahmangan (UK) -Prefer UK shipping, but EU if needed
*thira3006 (Germany) - Europe/UK if possible (not interested anymore)
*conto (Portugal) - EU shipping
*Ftarazu (Portugal) - EU shipping if possible (international if needed)
*JosefinJ (Sweden) - International shipping <-- PROBABLY LOST ON ITS WAY HERE
*mcsar (Canada) - prefer US shipping (but international if needed)
*LaRue (USA) - prefer US shipping (but international if needed)
*LysMibo (Ireland) - Prefer Europe shipping
*
*back to CathrineB (Norway)

To BaiLong as part of the bookring.

Released as part of the advent calendar at the Scandinavian forum.

I just came back from holidays this morning and found this book waiting for me, thanks!

An impressive book.

I must admit that I never heard about this book or author before, and what a mistake! Thanks CathrineB for sharing it with us!

A couple of week after reading it, I am still pondering over some aspects of it.

Bye bye little book! Safe travels!

Caught this book on March 18 as part of CathrineB's bookring.

Arrived today! Thank you CatherineB for sharing, and thanks for sending it to me BooklovinMama.

The author does a good job at describing the near-mental breakdown and raving delirium experienced by the protagonist, as well as the physical symptoms. The translation is also very good.

Occasionally I found it very hard to sympathise with the main character though, especially when he was harrassing that girl or refusing help out of pride.

Will pass it on to Cassandra2020 or Earthcarolanne, whichever I see first, as we all know each other in person!

Passed it on to Cassandra2020, who will read it and hand it over to EarthCaroleAnne!

Handed to me by teapot yesterday. Sorry we've subverted your carefully chosen order, but at the moment I see her every day and EarthCaroleAnne less frequently...Teapot rarely sees her, so we agreed this between us.

Will get it read quickly and pass on, then back to the proper order.

Hunger by Knut Hamsun - Good but a difficult read

I can kind of understand why this is included in the 1001 books you must read before you die and in The Guardian's 1000 best novels but it's not a particularly easy or enjoyable read.

It reminded me very much of Down and Out in Paris and London by George Orwell except that was written in 1933 and this in 1890. Makes me wonder about Orwell's inspiration.

Our unnamed narrator is an aspiring writer in Christiania. He is on his uppers. He only has money if he manages to get an article published, only eats if he has money. At the start of the book, he has run out of money many days before, owes rent and has to leave his rented room. So he is homeless and starving. The longer he goes without food, the more manic and delirious his ramblings and actions. The whole book is based around the stream of consciousness that comes from this feast or famine as he acquires money and then runs out and starves again.

All very strange. The main reason for its inclusion, I suspect, it is reads very 'modern'. It could easily have been written now as a historical piece, or transposed to a modern setting and still use the same language.

Not a particularly enjoyable book, but I'm glad I read it.

Nearly forgot. Have messaged EarthCaroleAnne to pass on

Posted out to Carole today. Delayed to be waiting for her when she returns from the Loughborough UnCon

Sorry, I was sure I'd journalled this when it arrived because I commented on it not arriving alone. I've read the other booking and will be starting on this next.

This is the story of one man's slide into wretchedness. We see everything through the eyes of a writer who is starving and whose mental state is seriously deranged as a result. Even when he does get food he can only vomit it up. There is hardly any plot, beyond attempts to get articles written and published - attempts constantly foiled by lack of a pen, a candle, peace and quiet etc. There is a mysterious encounter with a girl which is quite startlingly modern in its mixture of eroticism and reality.

This is one of the few books that I have checked the date it was written while reading it. I can understand why it caused a stir when it was written but I can’t say it did a lot for me. Not a terribly enjoyable read.

Sending on in the bookring.

Arrived safely, thank you 😊

Thanks to those who have participated in this bookray so far. Merry Christmas!

I hope this book will get to meet many new readers in the new year!

Just too rambling and aimless for me, I never get on too well with "literary fiction" unless it has a story and 44 pages in I didn't want to wait any longer for the story to start!

On it's way to the next reader, safe travels!

arrived! will read asap.

What a curious book. Did I enjoy it? Not really but I can't start a book and not finish it, the unanswered questions plague me.
It was completely pointless, no real flow. Definately not a Beginning, Middle, Climax and End type book. It was just a raving lunatic wayyy too caught up with his pride and keeping up appearances to fix his starvation.
Not my type of book at all but thanks for sharing :)
I have contacted brunton11 and will post next week when I'm back from holiday.

Arrived safely today. Thanks for sharing.

It’s always good to try new authors and it was certainly ahead of its time. Though I agree with earlier readers that it wasn’t a particularly enjoyable read.

Will get this posted to sarahmangan. Thanks all for sharing.

Sorry for not journaling this earlier - life got in the way a bit last week! The book looks really interesting and I'm going to start it tonight.
Thank you brunton11 for the bookmark and bc goodies too!

Thanks for sharing this with me.

I can't really say I enjoyed it, but it was really different than anything I have read before so it was interesting in that respect. I'll get it posted onwards asap.

Update - having some issues sending this on. After several e mails the next on the list said she no longer wanted to participate. Have tried next on list for a second time today - if there is no reply in next few days I'll move on to the third down!
Sorry it is taking so long to move - I am trying!

With me now.
I'll try not to stall it too much...
Thanks CathrineB for sharing and sarahmangan for sending it my way.

I just couldn't bring myself to keep on reading it.
Maybe it's the timing, I don't know, but even if I can get how well written it is, it seems to be just too much for what I can handle at the time being.
Thanks anyway!!
It's moving on to Ftarazu this week.

I am so sorry for the delay. The book arrived and I completely forgot to make a JE. I have a couple of books in line before this one, but I hope it won't take me long to read it.
Thanks for sharing!

The book was sent from Ftarazu in Aveiro, Portugal to JosefinJ in Värmland, Sweden, but did fall out of the envelope along the way. So JosefinJ did receive an empty envelope.
Dear POSTAL WORKER: If you have found this book, contact JosefinJ (or me), and then make sure the book is sent to whom it belong.

Forgot to make a JE before sending the book (too many things going on at the moment!!).
It was sent last Thursday in an envelope that may be opened by the postal workers (at least here in Portugal to be able to send them as book - and lower fee – it needs to be sent like this). I am so sorry to hear it arrived empty. It is the first time this has happened to me… I will try to go to the post office I have used and talk with the worker there to see if he can help somehow…