THE WALKER'S CHARACTER

Yes, we are vagabonds on earth. We wander the roads and howl, sometimes we crawl, sometimes we walk upright and trample each other down. (Landstrykere, 1927)

The wanderer figure is a recurring figure in Hamsun's writings, from Hunger (1890) to Overgrown Paths (1949).

The novels Under the Autumn Star (1906), A Wanderer Playing with a Mute (1909) and The Last Joy (1912) are often called the Wanderer Trilogy. In these books we meet the aging wanderer Knut Pedersen who provides a critical portrayal of the modern spirit of the times. Wandering is also central to the August Trilogy, not least in the portrayal of Edevart and August in Landstrykere .

Hamsun's wanderer figure is most often placed along the country road, but the sea is also used as a wandering arena, as is the case with August. In Markens grøde (1917) we meet Isak, a halting wanderer.

Knut Hamsun himself was something of a wandering figure, with stays on Hamarøy, in Gudbrandsdalen, Kristiania, Copenhagen, America and a number of Norwegian cities.