Knut Hamsun (1 Viewer)

HenryChinaski

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Man oh man, talk about being down and out.

I just sat down and read the entire first part of Hunger all the way through.

This book shows just how important and rewarding perseverance can be.
No wonder Buk and Fante were influenced by this book.

I just got finished with Dreams from Bunker Hill, and at the end of it, Bandini is clutching a copy of Hamsun's Hunger and that just spoke to me.

I had the book in the bookshelf but had other things to read at the time, I suppose.

I will finish it soon.
 
I have'nt read it yet but I've seen the movie a couple of times. The book was made into a movie years ago with swedish actor Per Oscarson playing the main character. I think that guy suffered even more than Buk. Great movie. I must read the book some day...
 
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Hunger is excellent. I also enjoyed his Growth of the Soil, but it's very different read.
 
I finished Hunger a week or so ago. Terrific read! I also read Victoria earlier this year. I'll have to check out the other titles you all mentioned.

I read on a bus during my work commute, I am always on the look out for a good place to stop until the ride home. One thing I notice about the style of Hunger is that there are few breaks. It occurred to me that this style, without a lot of breaks, heightened (in my opinion) the feeling of the unrelenting nature of his starvation and fight to survive.
 
Hamsun and Celine, two of Bukowski's literary heroes, were both active Nazi collaborators during WW II. Both went on trial in their respective countries after the war. Makes ya think, don't it?
 
Isn't this thread about books and trying to express your feelings like Henry is trying to do?

Sorry, Bukster, but I think your comment belongs somewhere else.
 
No problem, amigo. You are definitely entitled to your opinion. Since we're talking books and authors and their women and their themes and their booze and their warts and their first experiences with 300 pound Philadelphia whores, why can't we talk about, uh, their politics?

Hank expressed his feelings, feelings that in WWII led him to act the part of a Nazi in his school. Hank admits this and describes it as a reaction against the stupidity of his teachers and society in general. So you see, politics helped to form Hank and I brought up the politics of Hank's favourite authors.

So why can't you deal with it?

Have a nice day!
 
Or try: Charles Bukowski - American author > Charles Bukowski > All things *not* Bukowski
What other writers have you read because Bukowski told you so?

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fascism/nazism in modern writers is a really interesting area of study, and it's pretty simplistic (and dare i say ignorant) to lump them all together, and even moreso to apply the transitive property...
pound was a nazi, and bukowski liked sheri martinelli, who was a disciple of pound... makes you think doesn't it?

how many people have actually read, say, a text in which celine discusses fascism or hitler? or in which hamsun talks about the virtues of fascism? there's more going on than just that they're dirty nazis or whatever. and the problem is that, in a lot of academic circles, taking this attitude gets labeled as apologizing for it. "you can't stand the fact that your hero celine was a nazi sympathizer" or whatnot.

in answer to the "makes ya think" comment, no, it does not make me think. why bukowski liked celine has nothing to do with the fact that he was a nazi sympathizer. in fact, bukowski's favorite celine book has absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with nazism or fascism at all. what i think is a more interesting question is why many writers who have led down and out lives turn toward fascism at some point. that DOES make me think.

sorry, this post should be in a different thread, but i felt like getting it out of my system.
 
in fact, bukowski's favorite celine book has absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with nazism or fascism at all. [...] sorry, this post should be in a different thread, but i felt like getting it out of my system.
To help make your post 'belonging' to this thread (haha), I'd add, that also Buks favorite book by Hamsun had nothing to do with nazism!
In both of these cases ('Hunger' and 'Journey'), the books have been written, before the writers turned to the faschists.

on the other hand, maybe I should shut up on the whole subject, since I am German and that automatically makes me a nazi, I like the conductors Furtwaengler and Karajan and that makes me a nazi, I hate the politics of the state of Israel, which especially makes me a nazi. I like Monet, who painted roses, like Hitler also did (according to Richmond) and I sense Freud and Kafka overrated (both Jews) - all of wich makes me a nazi.

So, all my apologize to Mr. socalled 'Bukster' for being a nazi! I'm sorry, boy. Really.
 

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