LOVE

Love is God's first word, the first thought that sailed through his brain. When he said: Let there be light! it became love. And all that he had created was very good and he would have left nothing undone. And love became the origin of the world and the ruler of the world; but all its paths are full of flowers and blood, flowers and blood. (Victoria, 1898)

Love is a recurring theme in Knut Hamsun's writings, both love between people and love for nature.

The love depicted is of varying degrees. There are often depictions of asymmetrical love relationships, where the male character's lower social status creates problems in the relationship. This is the case, for example, with Victoria – the novel that is often referred to as a "hymn to love".

But Hamsun also depicts equal social erotic relationships, where the characters' different values ​​drive them apart for longer or shorter periods of time.

Love for children is also a recurring theme in Hamsun's writings, and in several of his novels, including The Last Joy (1912), motherhood is presented as the truly meaningful thing. In On Overgrown Paths (1949), love of country is depicted, a theme Hamsun also touches on in several of his short stories and articles.