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Hunger
novel by Hamsun
Also known as: “Sult”
Hunger, novel by Knut Hamsun, published in 1890 as Sult. It is the semiautobiographical chronicle of the physical and psychological hunger experienced by an aspiring writer in late 19th-century Norway. The unnamed narrator of this plotless episodic work is an introspective young man whose hunger to succeed as a writer matches his intense physical hunger. He lacks human contact and at times seems demented. Although he has occasional hunger-induced hallucinations, he neither feels sorry for himself nor tries to rectify his situation.
The book’s impulsive, lyrical style marked a clear departure from the then-prevalent social realism and had an electrifying effect on European writers.
This article was most recently revised and updated by Kathleen Kuiper.
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