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Hunger
- Narrated by: Gunnar Cauthery
- Length: 6 hrs and 39 mins
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Hunger
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Summary
Verging on death, a starving, destitute writer navigates the cold and indifferent city of Kristiania in search of his next meal. Frenzied and fevered, he chews on stale bread, devours scraps of wood, and bites his own finger, sleeping under the stars in old, pungent blankets, until one day he is able to sell an article and buy some food - only for the cycle then to repeat itself....
Knut Hamsun's first novel, Hunger, won the author the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1920 and went on to influence the likes of Albert Camus, Franz Kafka, Charles Bukowski, and Henry Miller. This recording uses the 1996 translation by Sverre Lyngstad, which is considered to be the definitive version in English.
PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.
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What listeners say about Hunger
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- S. Moorcroft
- 08-06-21
Hunger and Madness
could occasionally be heavy going and even repetitive, but rises above the dangers of describing the monotonous and banal to weave a magical spell of the despair and desperation of hunger.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Sally Silvers
- 07-08-23
Emptiness Fulfilled
His step by step journey and thought processes revealed disorganised chaos and a mad determination to lose…or so it seemed to me…
I had to keep listening. The reader was perfect in his rendition.
Highly recommend
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Papyrus11
- 07-12-19
Hypnotic descent into abjection
It was sometimes hard to believe Hunger was first published in 1890 while listening to this: it seemed so modern. Admittedly some of this is to do with the translation, which is immensely fresh and readable, but also because the style and content differed so from the typical novels of the era. It involves a young writer's descent into poverty and starvation, and details his psychology and actions during the process. It is harrowing, but also funny and lively, and despite the bleakness never less than scintillating. I would describe it as a hypnotic journey for those with an interest in existential or philosophical literature (Kafka, Camus, Sartre, et al.), but this should not suggest that it is in any way dense or didactic: it is above all other things a highly readable and affecting examination of a man's fracturing psyche and failing body, and I would recommend it to anyone seeking good, and historically important, literature.
I must also mention how great the reader was: I felt that his tone was perfect for the character, and that his pace and rhythm enhanced the above mentioned hypnotic nature of the text, while also accentuating the humour and pathos. Thanks to Naxos for continually bringing these kinds of classic, but lesser read, texts to audiobook, and for consistently using excellent readers.
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6 people found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Cliff Moyce
- 23-11-22
Grim and gritty, but believable
The most believable story of poverty and hunger that I have read / heard. The thought processes and (sometimes embarrassing) behaviours of the protagonist will resonate with anyone who has found themselves jobless and homeless for a protracted period.
I think the book worthy of its Nobel prize and well worth reading, but if you do not know the author you may wish to acquaint yourself with his naive attempts to appease Hitler (if that might bother you).
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Overall2 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story1 out of 5 stars
- Fatima
- 20-11-20
What is the plot??
It was boring. couldnt finish it. No plot just hunger and how it's ravaging his physical and mental state.
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