no se si llamarlo retrato del artista. no se trata de los problemas de escribir. ni siquiera es exclusivamente sobre el hambre. es mas bien el estilo de vida. hambre, pobreza, destitucion, falta de hogar. es mas bien sobre un impulso autodestructivo, sobre los sicodramas a los que se somete -se obliga a pasar- este escritor. pero si creo que es esencial que se trata de un escritor. no tiene nombre ni biografia. solo este impulso autodestructivo. dificil de leer. la autoflagelacion, self deception, las situaciones extremas, las humillaciones, delusions. esa voluntad de ponerse obstaculos. no hay estrategia. no hay plan coherente. sobre todo el orgullo fragil. un orgullo sospechoso que siempre lo lleva a hacer cosas absurdas. el final es medio abrupto pero tiene sentido. se le perdona porque hubo unas lineas muy buenas justo antes del fin. seguro que no voy a olvidar este libro. ( )

I approached this influential work with high expectations, and i was not disappointed.

The novel is raw, stark, spare -- the effect is visceral. It is psychological realism at its best. We follow a short phase in the life of an impoverished but talented young writer in the streets of Christiana (Oslo) in the late 19th century, who is reduced by his condition to borderline madness. Indeed it seemed that his flashes of brilliance are occasioned by extreme starvation when delirium brings on inspiration and creativity. We witness his misadventures at finding work or something to eat, his humorous encounters with some characters, his sometimes infuriatingly schizophrenic behavior, his spinning of a small world around him rushing from heights of ecstatic revelry and hope to pityingly low depths of self-pity and mockery, and back, always in a mad dash. His is a complex character -- irritatingly self-possessed and proud but also generous to a fault, literally giving away the last shirt on his back. In an unforgettable passage, he challenges God for the injustice of withholding opportunities from a toiling, hardworking, and well-intentioned person as he. We feel his isolation, his torment, self-deception, his caprices, his small joys, his passions, his dignity. He is a man destined to write, and he lives because he writes.

With such themes, the novel could easily have been dark and depressing, but it is not. There is plenty of comic relief and the mood is exhilarating, fast-paced, rebellious. The character reminded me of Dostoevky's Raskolnikov but without the drama.

Definitely a must-read. ( )

Fascinating and idiosyncratic tale of young writer's struggle to simply survive. His suffering is conveyed as real yet humorous. ( )

Klassikker som ændrer på mennekesynet og en slags selvbiografi. ( )

Writing a bit stilted could be the translation. The story of a writer's struggle to keep himself fed and alive. ( )