Knut Hamsun Film Series and Lectures in NYC
A scene from Markens Grøde (Growth of the Soil). Photo: Norwegian Film Institute
The New York Public Library present lectures on Knut Hamsun, and relevant films every Tuesday through Dec. 8. The documentary Divine Madness: Hamsun in America followed by discussions will also take place at Scandinavia House on Nov. 19.
The commemoration of the 150th anniversary of Knut Hamsun’s birth is a tribute to his literary achievements, including the Nobel Price in Literature and to his position in European literature. Several events have been held in Norway and abroad.
The opening of the Hamsun Year took place in Oslo on Feb. 19.
Documentary and discussion at Scandinavia House:
Thursday, November 19 at 7 pm. $9 ($6 ASF members. In recognition of the 150th anniversary of Knut Hamsun’s birth, the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation, NRK, has produced a series of films about the author’s life and work. Divine Madness: Hamsun in America portrays the hardships of Hamsun’s childhood, his intense desire to become a writer and his journeys through the United States in the 1880s. Robert Ferguson, Hamsun scholar, will introduce the film, and a discussion with Ferguson and the series producer, Per Christian Olsen will follow the screening. 50 min.
Lectures New York Public Library, Mid-Mahattan branch:
November 23 at 6.30 pm. Lecture and introduction to Hamsun’s life and literary work, and a discussion of the controversies surrounding his legacy with Robert Ferguson, author of “Knut Hamsun, his brilliance, his tragedy, his legacy”.
November 30 at 6.30 pm. Join a discussion of how Knut Hamsun’s early novels have inspired and influenced a series of modernist authors such as Ernest Hemingway, William Faulkner, James Joyce and Isaac Bashevis Singer. Lecture by Frode Saugestad (Post-doc Fellow Havard), author of “Knut Hamsun and the birth of the modern novel”.
Film Series Tuesdays at 2:30pm at the Library for the Performing Arts at Lincoln Center
November 3 – GROWTH OF THE SOIL, Directed by Gunnar Sommerfeldt, 1921
November 10 – HUNGER, Directed by Henning Carlsen, 1966
November 17 – SHORT IS THE SUMMER, Directed by Bjarne Henning-Jensen, 1962
November 24 – MYSTERIES, Directed by Paul de Lussanet, 1978
December 1 – WAYFARERS, Directed by Ola Solum, 1989
December 8 – HAMSUN, Directed by Jan Troell, 1996
Source: Norway.org
