Title: Mysterier
Author: Knut Hamsun
First published January 1, 1892
237 pages, Paperback
Rating: 4.05
Overview
When Mysterier was first published in 1892, it left readers both puzzled and intrigued. Hamsun’s most experimental and modernist novel in terms of form, it follows the protagonist Johan Nilsen Nagel, who is characterized as “an outsider to existence”, as he grapples with fundamental existential questions.
Is Mysterier a work of autobiography? Or should it be read as a crime novel?
The answers are no less fascinating now than they were in 1982.
About the Author
Knut Hamsun, a Norwegian writer who went by the pen name Knut Pedersen, penned memorable novels like Hunger (1890) and The Growth of the Soil (1917). His contributions to literature were so significant that he won the Nobel Prize in 1920.
Hamsun believed that the complexities of human thought and emotion should be the focus of modern literature. He wanted to capture the essence of the “whisper of the blood, and the pleading of the bone marrow.” Throughout his career, Hamsun remained committed to this literary vision.
He debuted in 1890 with a psychological novel that set the tone for his future works.
Editoral Review
Knut Hamsun’s Mysterier, first published in 1892, is a classic Norwegian novel that has stood the test of time. Hamsun, a prolific author and Nobel laureate, is widely considered one of the most important writers of modern times, and his work has been an influence on many subsequent writers.
Mysterier is one of his most famous and critically acclaimed novels, and for good reason. The novel is a psychological thriller that explores the dark side of human nature, as well as the mystery of existence itself.
Set in a small Norwegian town, the story revolves around Johan Nagel, a young man who is haunted by the sins of his past. Johan is a restless and troubled soul, who seeks redemption through his artistic pursuits, but finds himself drawn into a web of secrets and lies.
Hamsun’s prose is spare, yet evocative, and his descriptions of the Norwegian landscape are breathtaking. He has a keen eye for detail, and his characters are fully realized and complex.
The novel is a masterclass in suspense, as Hamsun gradually reveals the truth about Johan and his troubled past. At its core, Mysterier is a meditation on the nature of identity and the mystery of human existence.
Hamsun explores the existential themes that would come to define much of modern literature, and his novel is a powerful evocation of the human condition. While there are a few flaws in the novel, notably a rather slow and meandering pace at times, these are minor quibbles in an otherwise superb work of literature.
Mysterier is a masterfully crafted novel that deserves its place in the canon of great literature. For readers interested in modernist literature, Mysterier is an essential read.
It is a work of profound psychological insight, and its themes remain as relevant today as they were more than a century ago when the novel was first published. This gripping and suspenseful novel is a must-read for anyone interested in the mysteries of the human psyche.
I highly recommend it.
