August

Í 1926 fór 67 ára Knut Hamsun til sálargreining, tí hann var tungur í huga og fekk ikki arbeitt og virkað. Eftir viðgerðina fekk hann nýggja skapanarmegi. Hann fór undir tríggjar geisandi skaldsøgur um August – landastrokið, sum sjarmeraði seg til pening og vinir og sum fekk fólk at gera slíkt, tey ongantíð høvdu droymt um at gera.

Landastrokini er ein av allarbestu skaldsøgum Hamsuns. Eisini var hon ein av teimum longstu – stívar 400 bls. Forlagið Sprotin gevur bókina út í týðingini hjá Hans Thomsen, sum hann upprunaliga gjørdi til Útvarp Føroya.

August er annað bindið í tríverkinum um vallaran og ævintýraran August, droymaran og spekulantin, sum elur órógv og fjáltur, har hann er, men eisini lív og kæti. Í hesari bókini er hann á sínum veldistindum. Hann hevur gjørt lítlu bygdina Pollin um eftir sínum egna høvdi, hevur gjørt stórar ábøtur, hevur lært fólk bæði eitt og annað og sæð til, at tey hava fingið bæði telefon og ravmagn. Men hann sættst ikki við tað. Hann skal hava meira burturúr. Men so svíkur tann svikaliga eydnan.

Knut Hamsun brúkar lívið hjá hesum vallara til at gera upp við nýggju tíðina, ídnaðargerðina og peningavaldið. Og tað ger hann við geisandi frásøgugleði og skemti.
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In 1926, the 67-year old Knut Hamsun underwent psychoanalysis because he had been feeling mentally burdened and had problems working and functioning. After his treatment he began working on a trilogy about August – the wayfarer who charmed his way to money and friends and who got people to do things they never dreamed of doing.

Wayfarers is one of Hamsun’s finest novels, not to mention one of his longest – an entire 400 pages. Book publisher "Sprotin" is publishing the book in Hans Thomsen’s translation, which he originally had written for the national Faroese radio “Útvarp Føroya”.

August is the second piece in this trilogy of the vagabond and adventurer named August – the dreamer and speculator who brings trouble and chaos wherever he is, but also life and laughter. In this book he is at his highest peaks. He reconstructs the little village of Pollin according to his own thinking, makes huge improvements, teaches the villagers a bit of everything and sees to it that they have both electricity and telephones. However, he doesn’t stop here. He wants more, but the unreliable end eventually betrays him.

Knut Hamsun uses the life of this wayfarer as a sort of coming to terms with the new times, industrialization and plutocracy. He does this with such radiating narrative joy and humour.