Growth of the Soil, Knut Hamsun
Growth of the Soil, Knut Hamsun
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Growth of the Soil

Author: Knut Hamsun, Brad Leithauser, Sverre Lyngstad

Narrator: BJ Harrison

Unabridged: 15 hr 5 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Tantor Media

Published: 09/08/2020


Synopsis

Growth of the Soil, Hamsun's Nobel Prize winning novel, is a classic of Scandinavian literature.

The farmer Isak scarcely acknowledges the values of modern living. Illiterate but capable of carrying out the business of running a farm, he has physical strength and works with his hands. Although initially amazed by Isak's prowess—his wife Inger, who came into contact with modern society when imprisoned for killing her infant due to its birth defect, return to the home much less impressed by the country life.

Isak's deeply held passion for the Norwegian countryside is contrasted against the cosmopolitan and intellectual traits expressed in his son Eleseus. Despite his superior mental faculties, Eleseus frequently spends his money carelessly on his travels, exasperating his parents with requests for financial support.

Growth of the Soil openly displays the conflicts between the old traditions of agrarian society, and the ever-mounting wonders and conveniences offered by modern society.

About Knut Hamsun

Knut Hamsun (1859-1952) was a Norwegian author whose best-known works include Hunger, Pan, Under the Autumn Star, and Growth of the Soil. His writing is characterized by deep investigation into the human mind and skepticism about the value of modern civilization, and his novel Hunger is often cited as the literary beginning of the twentieth century and a seminal work in the development of psychologically driven fiction. In 1920, Hamsun was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature.


Reviews

Goodreads review by s.penkevich on February 10, 2023

'Then comes the evening.' Those who have seen the film Hamsun, starring Max Von Sydow, will recall seeing several scenes with Marie Hamsun finishing a novel with this line at book readings. Growth of the Soil, Nobel laureate Knut Hamsun’s 1917 novel widely regarded as his masterpiece, is that novel.......more

Goodreads review by Meghan on July 22, 2007

Despite the fact that this book won Hamsun a Nobel Prize in Literature, it is often Hamsun's most misunderstood novel. Not much seems to happen in the 400+ pages of Isak (a mysterious, near god-like figure) building his farm. Even when things do happen, Hamsun's writing is surprisingly calm despite......more