Poem of the Day (11/08/18)
Day 3,917, 08:06
•
Published in Norway 
•
by
•
by Violence Seth
Poem of the Day
In One Hundred Years All Is Forgotten by Knut Hamsun (1859 – 1952)
Knud Pedersen (later known as Knut Hamsun) was born in Lom in the Gudbrandsdal valley of Norway. In his early adulthood he travelled to America, writing travel journals and developing his writing technique. Hamsun first received wide acclaim with his 1890 novel Sult (Hunger). The semi-autobiographical work described a young writer's descent into madness as a result of hunger and poverty living in Oslo (then named Kristiania).
The novel predated the work of Franz Kafka and other 20th century novelists with its internal monologue and bizarre logic. Hamsun was a pioneer in psychological literature with techniques of stream of consciousness and interior monologue.
He received the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1920 for his novel Markens Grøde, written in the Norwegian new realism style that was popular in Norway during the early to mid 20th century.
Today he may be considered controversial for his pro-German views during the Second World War. He even met with Adolf Hilter and was a favorite of his minister for propaganda, Joeseph Goebbels. After the war, he was detained by police for acts of treason, and was committed to a hospital in Grimstad due to his advance age. It was there that he died and his ashes where then buried at his home at Nørholm.
Despite his divisive political sympathies, Hamsun’s works remain popular. Ingar Sletten Kolloen, a Norwegian biographer, perhaps explained this paradox best; "We can’t help loving him, though we have hated him all these years... That’s our Hamsun trauma. He’s a ghost that won’t stay in the grave."
In One Hundred Years All Is Forgotten
Tonight I’m adrift, conflicted, and in doubt,
I feel like a capsized boat,
and for all I suffer and moan about
I have found no antidote.
But why should I feel so rotten?
In one hundred years all is forgotten.
I sing songs and prance about in pride
and live my life as a beautiful novel.
Like a full-grown troll I eat at God’s side
and drink like the Devil’s apostle.
And why not live a life so misbegotten?
In one hundred years all is forgotten.
It is best to end this struggle without delay
and to the sea with my tormented soul I will head.
There the world will find me one day
by the bitterest of drownings dead.
But why come to an end so ill-gotten?
In one hundred years all is forgotten.
No, it is better to wander on and stay alive
and write a new book every year
and for the noblest lines continue to strive
until I die a writer of great revere.
If that’s all there is, where then do I begin:
In one hundred years all is forgotten.
This poem is eerily self prophetic. He see's himself as many people see him today. Hamsun seems torn by his identity, almost to the point of self annihilation but endures simply to endure and leave his own testament to the world. If there is one error in his prophesy its this; it's been (almost) one hundred years and no one has forgotten.
If you'd like to learn more about Knut Hamsun I'd suggest reading Enigma: The Life of Knut Hamsun by Robert Ferguson. You can find a link here. Alternatively you could watch Hamsun, a biographical film directed by Jan Troell. It's a little dated but I think Max von Sydow does a great job portraying the man, controversial a character as he is.
Thank you for reading, I'll be posting a new poem everyday so if you enjoyed be sure to subscribe! The button right there at the top right hand corner. If this takes off I might start a Youtube channel devoted to these little vignettes about famous poets and writers. Perhaps I should make this weekly instead? If your interested in helping out or syndicating your music, film or sport blog well then lets get it started!
Lets make eNorway the cultural capital of eRepublik!
Slán go fóill!
Sethesin
In One Hundred Years All Is Forgotten by Knut Hamsun (1859 – 1952)
Knud Pedersen (later known as Knut Hamsun) was born in Lom in the Gudbrandsdal valley of Norway. In his early adulthood he travelled to America, writing travel journals and developing his writing technique. Hamsun first received wide acclaim with his 1890 novel Sult (Hunger). The semi-autobiographical work described a young writer's descent into madness as a result of hunger and poverty living in Oslo (then named Kristiania).
The novel predated the work of Franz Kafka and other 20th century novelists with its internal monologue and bizarre logic. Hamsun was a pioneer in psychological literature with techniques of stream of consciousness and interior monologue.
He received the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1920 for his novel Markens Grøde, written in the Norwegian new realism style that was popular in Norway during the early to mid 20th century.
Today he may be considered controversial for his pro-German views during the Second World War. He even met with Adolf Hilter and was a favorite of his minister for propaganda, Joeseph Goebbels. After the war, he was detained by police for acts of treason, and was committed to a hospital in Grimstad due to his advance age. It was there that he died and his ashes where then buried at his home at Nørholm.
Despite his divisive political sympathies, Hamsun’s works remain popular. Ingar Sletten Kolloen, a Norwegian biographer, perhaps explained this paradox best; "We can’t help loving him, though we have hated him all these years... That’s our Hamsun trauma. He’s a ghost that won’t stay in the grave."
In One Hundred Years All Is Forgotten
Tonight I’m adrift, conflicted, and in doubt,
I feel like a capsized boat,
and for all I suffer and moan about
I have found no antidote.
But why should I feel so rotten?
In one hundred years all is forgotten.
I sing songs and prance about in pride
and live my life as a beautiful novel.
Like a full-grown troll I eat at God’s side
and drink like the Devil’s apostle.
And why not live a life so misbegotten?
In one hundred years all is forgotten.
It is best to end this struggle without delay
and to the sea with my tormented soul I will head.
There the world will find me one day
by the bitterest of drownings dead.
But why come to an end so ill-gotten?
In one hundred years all is forgotten.
No, it is better to wander on and stay alive
and write a new book every year
and for the noblest lines continue to strive
until I die a writer of great revere.
If that’s all there is, where then do I begin:
In one hundred years all is forgotten.
This poem is eerily self prophetic. He see's himself as many people see him today. Hamsun seems torn by his identity, almost to the point of self annihilation but endures simply to endure and leave his own testament to the world. If there is one error in his prophesy its this; it's been (almost) one hundred years and no one has forgotten.
If you'd like to learn more about Knut Hamsun I'd suggest reading Enigma: The Life of Knut Hamsun by Robert Ferguson. You can find a link here. Alternatively you could watch Hamsun, a biographical film directed by Jan Troell. It's a little dated but I think Max von Sydow does a great job portraying the man, controversial a character as he is.
Thank you for reading, I'll be posting a new poem everyday so if you enjoyed be sure to subscribe! The button right there at the top right hand corner. If this takes off I might start a Youtube channel devoted to these little vignettes about famous poets and writers. Perhaps I should make this weekly instead? If your interested in helping out or syndicating your music, film or sport blog well then lets get it started!
Lets make eNorway the cultural capital of eRepublik!
Slán go fóill!
Sethesin
Facebook
Twitter
Discord
Comments
You mentioned Markens Grøde "Growth of the soil".
A funny fact and cultural impact from that novel.
Mark Knopfler, the vocalist in Dire Straits, was sitting on a bus on tour, reading this book. That inspired him to write the long playing and prlude song "Telegraph Road" (from album "Love over Gold"). The beginning words in this song are directly inspired by the beginning words in Hamsun`s novel.