Hunger: A Novel

Knut Hamsun's "Hunger," a groundbreaking psycho-novel, shows a man reduced by his condition to a point where physiological and mental impulses blow him around like a paper in the wind. The hero in "Hunger" entertains grandiose ideas but can't sustain them for more than a few moments. He engages in pointless antics and gives way to spur-of-the-moment impulses. Though he wails and cries, it's clear he enjoys his degradation. He may be the genius he thinks he is, but could equally well be a charlatan. His contacts with other people are minimal and glancing, and only add to his degraded state. You see life as lived from the bottom, in an atmosphere where desperation acts as a kind of drug. Despite the rambling, the novel's violent mood swings and the violation of fictional protocols actually give it strength. "Hunger" remains a classic not because it was influential or important in the history of the novel, but because it still seems so readable and so true. Though "Hunger" was written in the late 1800s, it is still painfully fresh today.