In 1926, the 67-year old Knut Hamsun underwent psychoanalysis because he
had been feeling mentally burdened and had problems working and functioning.
After his treatment he began working on a trilogy about August – the wayfarer
who charmed his way to money and friends and who got people to do things they
never dreamed of doing.
Wayfarers is one of Hamsun’s
finest novels, not to mention one of his longest – an entire 400 pages. Book
publisher “SPROTIN” is publishing the book in Hans Thomsen’s translation, which
he originally had written for the national Faroese radio “Útvarp Føroya”.
Wayfarers is about how modern
times come to the little village of Pollin in Norway. It all comes about when the
outlawed wayfarer, August, arrives in the village.
The book depicts village life and its dwellers, the contrasts between the
globetrotter and the residents of Pollin, between the power of change and the
need for security.
August is a vagabond, a charlatan and a liar who people have been warned
against, but he is portrayed as a warm person full of joy.
Wayfarers is probably Knut
Hamsun’s most vibrant novel, radiating with joy, humour and a zest for life.