On Overgrown Paths
Encyclopedia
On Overgrown Paths is the last literary work by Norwegian
author Knut Hamsun
, and is seen as the author's attempt at proving his soundness of mind after his sanity was called into question. The English language translation was carried out by Sverre Lyngstad and the original Norwegian version was published in 1949 with the title of Paa gjengrodde Stier.
The book is part fiction
, part diary
, part an old man's apologia and part a pamphlet in opposition to the ruling given in the 1948 court trial against him, that he had "permanently impaired mental abilities".
The writing of this book is shown, in part, in the film Hamsun
(1996), directed by Jan Troell. In the film, Hamsun is portrayed by Swedish actor Max von Sydow
.
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
author Knut Hamsun
Knut Hamsun
Knut Hamsun was a Norwegian author, who was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1920. He was praised by King Haakon VII of Norway as Norway's soul....
, and is seen as the author's attempt at proving his soundness of mind after his sanity was called into question. The English language translation was carried out by Sverre Lyngstad and the original Norwegian version was published in 1949 with the title of Paa gjengrodde Stier.
The book is part fiction
Fiction
Fiction is the form of any narrative or informative work that deals, in part or in whole, with information or events that are not factual, but rather, imaginary—that is, invented by the author. Although fiction describes a major branch of literary work, it may also refer to theatrical,...
, part diary
Diary
A diary is a record with discrete entries arranged by date reporting on what has happened over the course of a day or other period. A personal diary may include a person's experiences, and/or thoughts or feelings, including comment on current events outside the writer's direct experience. Someone...
, part an old man's apologia and part a pamphlet in opposition to the ruling given in the 1948 court trial against him, that he had "permanently impaired mental abilities".
The writing of this book is shown, in part, in the film Hamsun
Hamsun (film)
Hamsun is a 1996 Danish-Swedish-Norwegian-German drama directed by Jan Troell, about the later life of the Norwegian author Knut Hamsun , who together with his wife Marie Hamsun , went from being national saints to national traitors after supporting Nazi Germany during their occupation of Norway...
(1996), directed by Jan Troell. In the film, Hamsun is portrayed by Swedish actor Max von Sydow
Max von Sydow
Max von Sydow is a Swedish actor. He has also held French citizenship since 2002. He has starred in many films and had supporting roles in dozens more...
.