My Hamsun curiosities: Miscellaneous

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Hamsun's own handwriting Marie Hamsun The Hamsun family Art Miscellaneous The newest

An old, worn copy - but still a gem in my collection! Hunger in French.

A beautiful photograph of the old Knut Hamsun!

In a German edition of Hamsun's "Kämpfende Kräfte" I found this beautiful photo from Hamsun's stay in Ragusa (Dubrovnik) in 1938. The owner of the book had also succeded in getting an inscription from Marie Hamsun.

No, not greetings from one of the Hamsun family, but a cute postcard showing ' Knut Hamsuns "dikterhytte" ' (Knut Hamsun's "poet's cottage"). Sent from Lillesand 01.10.1930.

Photo

of Knut Hamsun from 1929 (17 x 23 cm). In which town is he taking a stroll? The photo was found in Copenhagen.

"Knut Gamsun", 2 russian postcards. 2 handsome Knut Hamsuns. But different!

Bjørger as pirat edition

Hamsun himself complained that the americans often stole his works and published without his consent and without paying roylties. This pirat edition was published 1925 by "Norgesposten eget forlag" printed at "Knudsen Printing & Publishing" in Brooklyn New York.
Bjørger is also a youth work, that was only published again with Tore Hamsuns permission in 1981 illustrated by Karl Erik Harr.

Unknown Hamsun poem from 1876?

No, thanks to Lars Frode Larsen I know better (unfortunately):

On the frontpage of "Den Gaadefulde" the autor is stated "Kn. Pedersen". This businesslike abbreviation of Hamsuns name has led to some confusion throughout the years. By a coincidence another norwegian poet emerged during the 1870ies with the same name.
A number of researchers and critics were led astray by Hamsuns double and presented what they thought was a discovery of a new Hamsun work. In 1980 dr. phil. H. J. Røgler had found a poem, Hellig Olafs Syn (Saint Olafs apparition), in the supplement to Almuevennen for 1876 - signed "Kn. Pedersen". According to Røgler "there can be no question, that Kn.Pedersen is identical with the young Hamsun".
Hamsuns literary double (also named Knud) was a well established teacher, scolar and local politician from the county of Telemark living in the village of Svelvik.
So no real Hamsun, but still I find this so amusing that I must include it here on my Hamsun page.

"To Knut Hamsun

in memory of a day when the west wind and the rainbow met. 1892-1893".
The lady is the british author Mary Chavelita Dunne (1859-1945). She had read Hunger and was fascinated, wanted to know the man behind the book. In august/september 1890 she met Hamsun in Arendal - a meeting that she has described in the short story Now Spring Has Come from the collection Keynotes (1894). In 1891 she married and took her pen name from her new husband George Egerton Clairmonte. Her translation of Hunger was published in 1899.

The original contract of sale for Hamsun's Cadillac, which he in 1922 bought for 12.000 Norwegian kroner.

The contract now belongs to the Hamsun-centre in Hamarøy.

A business letter from the Russian publishing house Znanie to "Mr. Gamsun", as Hamsun is called in Russian.

La Faim (Hunger)

Did Picasso ever read Hamsun? No matter what, he did make the drawing especially for the cover of this french bibliophilic edition published 1961 in cooperation with the Nobel Committee. Beautifully illustrated with 8 works by Georges Lambert and 1 engraving by Michel Cauvet. Apart from Hunger in french the book contains a preface by Kjell Strömberg, the laudatio at the Nobel Price ceremony by Harald Hjärne, a biography by Rolf N.Nettum as well as a bibliography by Pierre Barkan. A book that I like very much, though I do not understand one single line in it!

2x Growth of the Soil

It's amazing what one finds in antiquarian books. In my copy of Markens Grøde (Growth of the Soil) a newspaper cutting is pasted:
"When I was a booksellers apprentise, a lady came in to buy a book on gardening. I went over to have a look what we had under Garden, but the lady had allready made her choise from the window display. I could not see any book on gardening in the window, but the lady snapped the book herself. - This one, she said, please wrap it a present! And what had she picked? Yes, the classic Growth of the Soil by Knut Hamsun. The Bookworm, Faroe Islands."

Pan german edition from 1895

To find a german first edition of Pan is maybe not so exeptionel, but if one is so lucky to find a photo, which is rarely known in Scandinavia, then my collectors heart is delighted.

Experience in Hamsun House

What must you not bear as a VIP? In "Oplevelse i huset Hamsun" (Experince in the House of the Hamsuns) the german writer Walter Seidl describes, how he on the sly obtained access to Hamsun on Nørholm in 1932 by posing as photographer. The book is a rarity. 100 numbered copies were signed by the author. My copy contains further the authors inscription to first violinist Novak.

"A summers day in 1923

came a young man, a foreigner, into the garden. In not-knowing optimism he had without notice travelled from Switzerland just to meet Hamsun. My mother had to say it was impossible, Hamsun worked and was not to be disturbed.
A short time after I saw him again. He sat looking at the house crying. The man was then invited in for juice and cookies. And then he stayed with us for the summer." (Tore Hamsun).

Hermann Hiltbrunner worked all summer with the aid of Marie Hamsun to translate "Chapter the Last" into german. The year after he published his own "Nordland and Polar Light" with memories of his Norway travels.
In my copy of "Das Lezte Kapitel" (Chapter the Last) Hiltbrunner has written: "...somme kalder det for fri vilje - ...vi kalder det saa her - für Bea(?) zu meinem 35.Geburtstag 24.11.28. Hermann Hiltbrunner Bern 13.Nov 28." (... some call it free will - ...we call it like this - To Bea(?) on my 35.birthday 24.11.28. Hermann Hiltbrunner Bern 13.Nov 28.)

Der Wilde Chor

Not only authors or authors wives write inscriptions. Here the german translator Heinrich Goebel new year 1927 dedicated Mr.Nicolai Neiiendam "in thankfull admiration".

H. Pezold

A personal inscription to a staff member at the Natinal Library from H. Pezold, the artist who created the fine illustrations for all Marie Hamsuns Langerud books.

A long letter from the Swedish sculptor Ebbe with a photograph of one of Ebbe's sculptures.

Salig Baronessen

Here we have the theatre loving (at least for some time of his life) Hamsun: One of Knut Hamsuns friends Carl Birger Mørner, swedish writer, diplomat and folklorist, wrote a play: " Salig Baronessen " (The late Baroness). Hamsun wrote a preface to it and had published in norwegian in 1893. But who was the translater? He is not mentioned in the book - again one of the Hamsunian mysteries. According to hints in letters and books it is Bolette Pavels Larsen! The play was presented at Christiania Theatre the year after.

Please click here to see more of my curiosities:

Hamsun's own handwriting Marie Hamsun The Hamsun family Art Miscellaneous The newest