Title: Notes from the psychoanalysis of Knut Hamsun Content: During the psychoanalysis of Knut Hamsun, notes were made by his psychoanalyst, Johannes Irgens Strømme; sometimes the notes are referred to as the Strømme/Hamsun manuscript (Norwegian: Strømme/Hamsun-manuset). Hamsun died in 1952 and copies of the notes were published in 2017; the publication is controversial (as of 2017).Emil Flatø. "Fra det upubliserte sjeleliv" (2017-juni-30) Morgenbladethttp://www.dagbladet.no/kultur/hamsuns- psykoanalyse-er-ikke-et-offentlig-anliggende/67667170 The existence of the notes led to a race between a group related to [the community of persons who do] research [for a living,] and a group related to publishing. Danish author Thorkild Hansen (en:) has said that the notes must certainly be viewed as [an] extremely important source. Media sometimes refers to (as of May 2017,) the notes as "the classified notes". ==Description == The notes consist of 474 pages. The notes were written in one version of shorthand, called Gabelsberger. ==Psychoanalysis; non-voluntary psychiatry during the Legal purge in Norway after World War II== In 1925, Hamsun had writer's block, and "he could not write a sentence". To go to consultations, at a specialist of psychoanalysis [was a voluntary decision by Hamsun]; he went to Johannes Irgens Strømme(:no:Johannes Irgens Strømme no:) - who had been a student of Oskar Pfister(:en:Oskar Pfister en:) \- from 4 January 1926. During a two year period, Hamsun made visits to Strømme; Hamsun would lie on a divan [or a couch-like sitting furniture] while being psychoanalyzed, and Strømme would sit (on a chair) behind Hamsun.http://www.dagbladet.no/kultur/uetisk-a-utgi- psykoanalysen/65703433 In 1926 the writer's block eased, and the year after he published the novel Wayfarers; He thanked the psychoanalyst "for the rest of Hamsun's life", for getting back his apetite for writing. ===Non-voluntary psychiatry=== During the Legal purge in Norway after World War II(:en:Legal purge in Norway after World War II en:) , Hamsun was examined by a court- appointed psychiatrist - without Hamsun giving permission for the examinations; [part of the diagnosis ] of Hamsun said that he had [a permanent reduction of sanity ] varig svekkede sjelsevner; to disprove and discredit the diagnosis, Hamsun wrote On Overgrown Paths(:en:On Overgrown Paths en:) (published in 1949); ==Storage of the notes== The notes by psychoanalyst Strømme, were [years later] "left to" a friend (of the psychoanalyst) - Ørnulf Myklestad; this friend was also the publisher of works by the psychoanalyst; On a document dated 1958, Myklestad wrote that he would not do anything while Hamsun's widow was alive; the notes were put in safe deposit box (at a bank); Out of the safe deposit box, the notes came in the autumn of 1978; The daughter of psychoanalyst Strømme had the shorthand notes, transferred to her. ==Interpreting and transcribing the notes== The stenographied notes were [borrowed] by [publishing house] Gyldendal(:en:Gyldendal en:) for more than two months; Gyldendal returned the notes [together with a letter dated] 18 January 1979; "with the help of a stenographer employed by Norway's parliament", Gyldendal was able to interpret 30 pages of the shorthand notes, and Gyldendal transcribed those (in 1979); [in the letter, the female stenographer said that more] deciphering could be achieved - but it probably would take years and it would be expensive. ==Attempts at publication (of psychoanalysis)== The interest in the notes regarding Hamsun, reached a climax [or top point] in 2001, when several groups [of people] wanted to use the notes. A letter was sent - sometime before 2 April 2001 - from the national library, to the Ministry of Justice, regarding the library's [idea] to publicize the [notes regarding the] psychoanalysis ([that was] performed by Strømme); the notes were to be publicized together with comments from literary scientists and psychoanalysts; the project was to be led by Atle Kittang(:en:Atle Kittang en:) - an expert (on research regarding Hamsun) and a professor of literature. Media wrote about the letter; psychiatrist Sigmund Karterud(:no:Sigmund Karterud no:) said (on 2 July) that psychiatrists [as a group] are shocked; However, the spokesman for the Hamsun family - Leif Hamsun (a grandchild of Knut Hamsun) - said that the project was not problematic. ===Project by publishing house Gyldendal; the stopping of a project by "the national library"=== At the same time, a major project was started by Gyldendal: Ingar Sletten Kolloen(:en:Ingar Sletten Kolloen en:) was [expected] to write a significant biography about Hamsun; a group of people were put together by Kolloen [to help him]: members of the group included literary scientists and experts of psychoanalysis; the group included psychiatrist Sigmund Karterud(:no:Sigmund Karterud no:); The national library cancelled plans to publish the psychoanalysis notes, media said on 23 September 2001; furthermore, Kolloen was granted access to the psychoanalysis notes, because of Gyldendal's plans for him to write a biography (about Hamsun); ==Publication