Navigating the Depths of Despair | Hunger by Knut Hamsun Book Review

“Keep it, keep it!" I answered. "You are very welcome to it! It is only a couple of small things, doesn't amount to anything—about everything I own in the world.”

Imagine feeling so incredibly hungry, helpless and desperate, grasping for anything to try and save yourself while slowly losing all hope for a positive outcome. That in short is a basic premise of this week's book. Needless to say this is not an easy read and it might trigger some people. If you've ever experienced real, prolonged hunger or didn't know how you'll manage to pay the bills, then you will certainly empathize with our protagonist.

Story takes place in Kristiania, Norwegian city now known as Oslo, towards the end of 19th century. In part it is autobiographical, portraying struggling, student days of Knut Hamsun. Heavily influenced by Dostoevsky, Hamsun delved deep into the human psychology trying to get to the bottom of what makes us want to keep going despite the endless struggles.

Hunger is a book about desperation and it's written in a raw, honest way. As you read you feel like you are on the streets of Norway, figuring out where your next meal will come from. The main character, nameless, is a young writer who earns money by writing news articles and theater plays. But often weeks and months go by without him earning anything, his stories are rejected and his motivation to write is slowly disappearing.

Overwhelmed, not knowing whether he'll have roof over his had that night or any food to eat, he is unable to focus on writing. He'll sit at the table for hours but no words come out. Only occasionally, as a short-lasting moment, does inspiration come back to him before it's gone again. With existential crisis going on, there's a mind blockage that happens that make a person freeze and not being able to do anything. Struggle of our protagonist is still relatable today. I've personally felt it's tightening grip many times.

True hunger, the one where person doesn't eat for days on end, leaves a big physical and psychological toll on a person and our protagonist starts to lose touch with his sanity. Talking to oneself, snapping at people, cursing god, making irrational choices - unfortunately that's all a potential side product of extreme hunger. It is all so vividly depicted in the book.

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But how many of these struggles are self inflicted? In order to stay morally right or keep your pride, would you hold on to money that was not yours/gifted to you or trick people? If it means saving your life...

If you've ever done a fast of sorts, ideally a water fast for a few days, you know how it feels to struggle yet get better afterwards, because the body got the rest it needed to repair itself. Hunger is a double-edged sword, it brings out the worst in you. It also has the potential to transform.

Can it be that intentionally we bring ourselves into such hopeless situation in order to purify parts of ourselves that we don't like? Suffering can sometimes have purifying and transformative effect. We might do it subconsciously in order to heal our soul. Because when in a state of complete poverty and hunger, our senses are heightened to the max, everything irritates us, but it also brings us back into the body, into the mind and ourselves. When you are desperate towards something, it makes you irrational and makes you question everything. The mind goes 1000mph. The protagonist's internal monologue and erratic thought processes offer a profound insight into the mind of someone on the brink of starvation. Does the protagonist just want to figure our what is wrong with him, on a deep level? Refusing to beg, giving away his last money, refusing to work regular jobs, he gets himself to the brink of survival, to the brink of death, hoping possibly that somewhere in there is hidden the idea about how to change his life.

“The dark monsters out there would suck me up when night came on, and they would carry me far across the sea and through strange lands where no humans lived.”
― _{Knut Hamsun, Hunger}

I absolutely loved following this troubled individual with existential dread, witnessing his inner conflicts and moving between the desire for transformation and self-destruction. Strongly recommend this powerful book. 5/5 stars.

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