Smith College Class Book 1922 Vol 26 Classic Reprint PDF Download

Excerpt from Smith College Studies in Modern Languages, Vol. 3: October, 1921-July, 1922 Among the Scandinavian novelists of the present day, Knut Hamsun stands in the foremost rank, and by the nature of his productions he is sharply distinguished from all the rest. The manner of his rise and development, as well as the experiences of his earlier years have also been unusual, and, all in all, Hamsun is a unique figure in the literary world of to-day. Knut Hamsun was born on August 4, 1860, at Lom, in Gudbrandsdalen, in the eastern part of Norway. His parents were of an old peasant family in which artistic talent had cropped out repeatedly. Hamsun's grandfather, a blacksmith, was an expert in ornamental work. The parents did not prosper in Gudbrandsdalen and removed to the Lofoten Islands when Hamsun was but four years old. Here the boy grew up, surrounded by the wild, rugged, and mighty nature of Nordland with its light summer nights, throbbing with intense life in man, beast, and vegetation, only to sink back again into sleep and oblivion on the approach of the long, dark winter. During the last decades many changes have taken place in the mode of life of the people dwelling in these latitudes. The development of natural water power has resulted in an abundant and cheap supply of electricity, and the long winter nights have been made thereby more endurable, some industries have been established, improved means of transportation have brought about speedier, more regular, and dependable communication with the rest of the world. Civilization has been brought closer to the people of Nordland, but their habits of life have remained simple and their emancipation from the influences and forces of nature has as yet not progressed very far. Sixty years ago, i.e. in the childhood of Hamsun, life in Nordland was still more primitive. On the Lofoten Islands, fishing is almost the sole occupation of the people. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.