Notes from the psychoanalysis of Knut Hamsun

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).

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.

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

Notes from Hamsun's psychoanalyst, were published in 2017; the photocopied notes were from [Hamsun's appointments] with his psychoanalyst; the published notes were part of [a work of] art that was published in Vagant(:no:Vagant (tidsskrift)  no:)
[a magazine].

The publication of the psychoanalyst's notes regarding Hamsun, is controversial (as of 2017).

In 2017 Morgenbladet(:en:Morgenbladet en:) asked "Why at all, are the notes owned by the public".

## Current possession by "the national library"; change of status permitting publication

The notes are deposited (as of 2017) at ["the national library" -] Nasjonalbiblioteket in Oslo, Norway;
they are part of a package, [that the national library calls] _manus 4°3565_.

The "national library" (when it was called _Universitetsbiblioteket_)  received the notes, as a gift from the daughter of psychoanalyst Strømme.

### Status permitting publication

In 1999 the daughter of psychoanalyst Strømme, permitted publication of the notes; previously she had put a clause in place that had prevented publication of the notes;

By 2003, no one seems to have discovered [and made use of the general availability of the notes].

## Other websites

- Tankene mine får du aldri – Article from NRK 4 March 2001.
- –Uetisk å utgi psykoanalysen – Article from Dagbladet 2 April 2001