Two books by Norwegian author Knut Hamsun<\/p>\n
Knut Hamsun<\/b>\u00a0(August 4, 1859 \u2013 February 19, 1952) was a major Norwegian writer, who was awarded the\u00a0Nobel Prize in Literature\u00a0in 1920. Hamsun’s work spans more than 70 years and shows variation with regard to the subject, perspective and environment. He published more than 20 novels, a collection of poetry, some short stories and plays, a\u00a0travelogue, and some\u00a0essays (Wikipedia)<\/a>.<\/p>\n The peasant characters are simply trying to live life in the Norwegian backcountry and learn to face tragedy and evil, without experiencing absolute disaster. Thanks in part to a simplistic writing style and calm, almost detached third-person point-of-view, Hamsun blends misery and misfortune with tenderness, wisdom, and even humor. Readers come to learn from and identify with the fortitude, principals, and inner strength of these souls throughout their epic tale of early settler life.<\/p>\n The novel contains two sections entitled\u00a0Book One<\/i>\u00a0and\u00a0Book Two<\/i>. The first book focuses almost solely on the story of Isak and his family and the second book starts off by following the plight of Axel and ends mainly focusing on Isak’s family.<\/div><\/div> Growth of the Soil<\/span><\/h5>\n