“No, heaven, what a void of content!” Kamilla Aslaksen reads one of Knut Hamsun’s handwritten comments in one of the author’s private books. Photo: Hans Erik Weiby In recent years, Aslaksen, who is an associate professor of literature at Høgskolen i Innlandet, has gone through the entire library of writer Knut Hamsun in the poet’s room at Nørholm. – He often wrote in the margins “no!” and “huff!”, or he could write in the middle of a book “now I can’t be bothered to read any more”. Hamsun often expresses that he does not like this. Most of the comments the author has left are often negative, according to Aslaksen, who also has a doctorate in book history and library science. Between 6,000 and 7,000 of Knut Hamsun’s private books have been cleaned of moisture and mold, and are now back in the poet’s room at Nørholm. Photo: Hans Erik Weiby / news Four types of comments Aslaksen’s work is a continuation of the registration county archivist Anton Olav Aalholm began in 1959. She started the work of going through the 6,500 books in the poet’s room in the spring of 2020. Knut Hamsun in his poet’s room at Nørholm in 1929. Photo: Owner: The National Library The library contains both fiction, non-fiction, Marie and Knut Hamsun’s own publications in various languages and a lot of translated fiction. Kamilla Aslaksen has gone through all the books again, and is creating a catalog which will be made available to researchers. Photo: Hans Erik Weiby Many of the books are pure entertainment novels. – Hamsun read a lot of this type of novel, but he was not always satisfied, says Aslaksen. She shows a book in which Hamsun concludes this way after reading the book: “No you sky, what a void of content!” Aslaksen has looked at everything he has written down in these books and sorted the comments into four different types. – The comments say a little about Hamsun as a reader. Preoccupied with action Some are pure proofreading, other comments are based on logic – whether Hamsun thinks there is realism and coherence in the book’s action and plot: “NB. However, it is very unnecessary for a General’s Daughter to leave such intimate papers in a drawer after her death. She didn’t die suddenly.” – Those comments are interesting, because it says something about what Hamsun himself thinks about how a good book should be put together. In one book, he concludes on the last page: “I have a hundred objections to this book, which, however, here and there is not so bad!” Knut Hamsun concludes after reading the entire book. Photo: Hans Erik Weiby Catalog of the books Kamilla Aslaksen has also run book auctions and bought millions of books – an experience that has come in handy when she has now leafed through all of Hamsun’s. – I was contacted by Stiftelsen Nørholm to create a catalog of the books. It is primarily interesting for researchers, and will be made available in due course, says Aslaksen. The covers of Hamsun’s books were often made by artists, including Olaf Gulbransson. – Books are material objects, not just text. The whole is cultural-historical memories, says Kamilla Aslaksen. Photo: Hans Erik Weiby – By looking at each individual book, you can see what Hamsun has partially read – and what he hasn’t read, says Aslaksen. Some of the books in Hamsun’s private library have pages that have not been cut. – So he hasn’t read those books, but of course he may have read other editions. Kamilla Aslaksen is creating a new, updated catalog of Knut Hamsun’s books. She has also read the author’s comments, and placed them into four different types. Photo: Hans Erik Weiby / news – Exciting – For those of us who teach Hamsun, do research on Hamsun and have students who are interested in Hamsun, this is of course very exciting. So says Professor Bjarne Kristian Markussen at the Department of Norwegian and Media Studies at UiA. UiA professor Bjarne Kristian Markussen. Photo: Hans Erik Weiby / news – A book collection says quite a lot about the person who owns the books. And when we also get the personal notes, such a collection can tell us something new that we don’t know from the published material, he says. Cleaned of moisture and mold In recent years, Hamsun’s poet’s room has been thoroughly restored so that it is now possible to store books there again. It was here that he sat and worked on many of his works until his death in 1952. Also this summer, there will be guided tours of Knut Hamsun’s poet’s studio in Nørholm. Grimstad’s museums are behind the tours. Photo: Hans Erik Weiby Knut Hamsun and the poet’s studio Writer Knut Hamsun (born 4 August 1859) moved with his family to the large farm Nørholm, deep in a wedge between Grimstad and Lillesand in 1918. He lived here until his death, 19 February 1952. For In order to get a break from work, in 1925 Hamsun moved an old farmhouse closer to the main farm, with a peaceful view of the Nørholm lake. The tiny homesteader’s living room was turned into a workplace and library, and Hamsun just called it “my house”. Here he wrote several of his novels and letters. After several years of decay, a thorough restoration of the poet’s room began in 2016, following the initiative of Ellinor Hamsun’s Legacy to Nørholm’s Preservation and Stiftelsen Nørholm. The books are also cleaned of moisture and mold. In connection with the restoration, a catalog is now being made of all the books in the poet’s room. Nørholm is still privately owned by the Hamsun family, but in the summer it is possible to get a guided tour under the auspices of Grimstad’s museums in the poet’s room itself. The books that were on the shelves when Hamsun was alive have also been cleaned of moisture and mold and placed back. – The books were left to dry for around two years in a climate-controlled tent in a warehouse at Nes jernverksmuseum. Then each individual book was cleaned by hand. Fortunately, the books had suffered very little damage, says Aslaksen. The work on the catalog is the last part of the work on the restoration of the poet’s room and its contents. – It has been very exciting. And very meaningful, because there is important work to be done – together with all the other work that has been done with the poet’s room, says Aslaksen.
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Have gone through Hamsun’s book collection – news Sørlandet – Local news, TV and radio
