Mysteries

Knut Hamsun was a Norwegian Author who lived from 4 August 1859 – 19 February 1952 and was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1920. His work spans more than 70 years and he is considered to be "one of the most influential and innovative literary stylists of the past hundred years" (ca. 1890–1990). *Source Wikipedia*

 

Mysteries is Hamsun’s second novel, published in 1892. It undoubtedly is a towering work and an amazing achievement showing insights into human nature hitherto unseen.

 

It centres on Johan Nagel, a Norwegian who turns up in a very small town in the 1890s on the Norwegian Coast. He manages to shock everybody with his erratic, and to them, non-understandable behaviour but possesses an insight they do not recognise nor do they understand. He leaves as abruptly as he arrived and leaves them none the wiser.

 

I did not enjoy this book as much as I enjoyed Hamsun’s first book, Hunger, but I’m glad that I stayed with it as I was rewarded with a surprise that I didn’t see coming at all and which caused me to question my own assumptions.

 

In my opinion, it’s a difficult book – as you read it comes across as boring with not much happening except the constant whining of the central character. It’s not until near the end that you (for that read I) have something of an understanding of what the author was trying to communicate. I do feel richer having read it and remain sure that I’ll get more out of it when I read it again.

 

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