The Washington times., 1920-11-23

CHRISTIANIA, Norway. Nov 20
| Alfred GoetZc, an authority on Scan
dnavian literature and friend OF
Knut Hamsun. winner Of the Nobel
| prize for literature. has written an
interesting sketch of the poet, who
was practically unknown in America
until he Was awarded the Nobel
prize. Goctz"'s arIIclc roads,
"A year ago the Nobel pr,zc for
literature was intended for kuut
IIaInsun. This year the prize went I"
the most original and peculiar Sean
dinavian poet, whose creations reflect
the great conflict OF his strong char
acter and the suggestive power of
| deep emotions.
1T is restless life, full Of adventure
that We find in Ilamsun's writings,
which are properly called the au-
| thor's confessions.
"knut Hamsun is truly representa-
tive OF the scandinavian EohemianS
whom he let's look in tn" glass in his
novel THE Earth
"Born in Gulbrandstal on Aug. :.
ISGo, Iiamsun wrot" littl" poems
when a young shoemaker apprentice.
He did not like that trade.
His Viking natures irr"prrSSiNc
longing for advrntur" droN" nm
across tn" Atlantic Ocean to the
country where so many Of his com
patriots had found new homes. He
cmiEratCd TO the tnitcd states. her"
he tried to mako living aS cabin
boy. miner. stor" clerk and motor
man. During that period h" wrote
ia, hi
was an aggressive agitat"r of
atheism and anarChiSm. When he
believed he was consumptivc nc
was, for n short time, "A preacher and
devoted his spar" time and energy to
the study of religious mysticism.
"In all dilcmmas of his adventurous
life Hamsun was homcsick. When he
landed at Copenhagen he was with
out money or friends. Disguised with
life. he hid in a Earrct to starvc him
self to death.
His sketch, Hunger was tho off
spring of tho struggle between vol
untsry starvation and tn" instinct OF
that could not be
conquered by the longing for the
great unknown. whom printed in a
Danish newspaper. Hunger placed
Hamsun in the first rank Of Scandi-
navian authors. His novel of thc
same title. Hunger made him world
famous. Tho mastery and impress
sivc analysis of tho human soul in
Hunger is characteristic of all Of
IIamsun's writings.
Ills great success ana fame not
withstanding. Knut IIamsun contin-
ucd to live a solitary life; he did not
care for honors. When his ffti"tn
birthday wa scclebrated throughout
Norway and the Norwegians rha2so-
died over him az the greatest living
poet Hamsun retired to a hut in the
forest near Gulbrandstal When hc
had reason TO assume that his admir-
crs would find him there he went
further north to tho Hamsun farm.
where he lived when "a little child.
FRO mtherc he issued his energetic
Honor to the Young, coming out
tor youth against age. in defiance of
the accepted theory Of the superiority
of the old.
"That he himself had not aged he
proved by his novel. a Wanderer
Plays with the Sardinc Subse
auently he wrote the wonderful satire
of the drama, Gotten by the Devil
which showed that the high quality
Of his own dramatic creations was
not adversely influenced by his con.
tempt of dramatic art and technique.
His other dramatic trilogy AT the
Door Of the wealthy queen TIA
mara (his best drnma). and 'Munken
Vendt ian impressive picture Of the
life Of debauchcd thcologian) is
splendid and powerful
"St$u better arc Hamsun's novels,
among them Mysteries, Editor
Langc.' and the love story, PAN All
these writings arc q strange mixture
of rude realism. dreamy mysticism
and impulsive sentiment. on tho one
hand Hamsun lets loose the reius Of
phantasy and introduces us to a.
world Of wonderfully dear dreams;
on the other hand, he IL a cold critic
of the human soul, who exposes the