Reception of the National Trauma “Knut Hamsun” in Norway. Notes on Gabriel Langfeldt’s and Leo Eitinger’s Psychiatric Discourse
Reception of the National Trauma “Knut Hamsun” in Norway. Notes on Gabriel Langfeldt’s and Leo Eitinger’s Psychiatric Discourse
Author(s): Miluše JuříčkováSubject(s): Psychology, Novel, Other Language Literature, Philosophy of Mind
Published by: Masarykova univerzita nakladatelství
Keywords: Knut Hamsun; 20th century Norwegian literature; reception; psychiatrist Leo Eitinger;
Summary/Abstract: Knut Hamsun, one of the most famous Scandinavian novelists of the first half of the 20th century, represents with his pro-Nazi opinions and sympathies a long-term challenge to Norwegian literature, culture and society. My paper reflects the ambiguity of Hamsun’s personality and texts during the most significant reception phases from 1945 until today. Against the backdrop of the controversial medical report written by psychiatrist Gabriel Langfeldt, Knut Hamsun published a literary diary, his last book ever, On Overgrown Paths (På gjengrodde Stier, 1949) where he criticizes the psychiatrists and the judges. By contrast, psychiatrist Leo Eitinger, born in former Czechoslovakia and Holocaust survivor, extended and enriched the professional perspective with the dimension of personal experience.
Journal: Bohemica litteraria
- Issue Year: 16/2013
- Issue No: 2
- Page Range: 57-67
- Page Count: 11
- Language: English