There are some books that have a lasting impact on one’s life, books that leave an indelible mark on one’s deepest emotions. For me there are a number, but Victoria by Knut Hamsun occupies a special place as the most captivating and heart-breaking love story ever written. I read it in my mid-teens, in the full flood of my most romantic period. It’s a short novel; I finished it in less than two hours in a single sitting, overwhelmed by the poetic intensity of the prose, overwhelmed by the story of Victoria and Johannes, two people put on earth to love one another. They do, but there is no happy ending; events, social class, expectations, a sense of duty and circumstances all get in the way. It’s a story of love only fully declared in death, only fully revealed in an ending that absolutely numbed me, reduced me to uncontrollable tears.I’ve now read it again, though I never thought I would; the first time was painful enough. But it came up in a discussion recently, so I decided to take the risk, if risk is the right word, with the aim of refreshing my memory and adding this appreciation. I did not recapture the same raw emotions, knowing what was to happen, knowing the course planned by fate and the writer. Besides, I’m older, a little more controlled, not quite so ready to give over to same teenage passions. Well…that’s not entirely true. There may not have been the same quantity of tears, but there were tears, terrible sadness over beautiful and frustrated love.If you know Hamsun’s work you will know just how wonderfully he writes, how lyrical and poetic his prose. There are some passages that just leap out, memorable and brief. Here are a few of my favourites;The days came and went: mild, lovely days filled with the bliss of solitude and with sweet memories of childhood – a renewed call to the earth and the sky, the air and the hills.If she only knew that all his poems had been written to her and no one else, every single one, even the one to Night, even the one to the Spirit of the Swamp. But that was something she would never know. What, then, is love? A wind whispering among the roses – no, a yellow phosphorescence in the blood. A danse macabre in which even the oldest and frailest hearts are obliged to join. It is like the marguerite which opens wide as night draws on, and like the anemone which closes at a breath and dies at a touch. Such is love. …it is strange to think that all I’ve ever managed to do was to come in to the world and love you and now say goodbye to life. Their days came and went; they came close, but they never managed to blend; there is too much misunderstanding, too many things left unsaid. So, yes, you’ve probably been here before, you will know the mood – it’s a story of unrequited love, Norwegian echoes of Romeo and Juliet, of Heathcliff and Cathy. In its directness and simplicity Victoria is a peerless story of an imperfectly perfect love, one that will remain with me forever.
Hamsun penned an interesting take on the tragic muse tale. However it’s not the story itself that really captures the reader, but how Hamsun digresses from it, through Johannes’ inner musings and the poems and stories that Johannes is writing throughout. It is these sections that transform the basic tale, making it indeed something truly special. There are so many layers of meaning that the reader can extrapolate from these sections...psychological vs. social commentaries on one’s sense of place and how this in turn affects the identity of oneself and others’ perceptions of that identity. How these sections are able to demonstrate Johannes’ inner turmoil are wonderfully achieved.That said, unfortunately I don’t think Hamsun succeeded in writing a convincing love story, or at least, this translation doesn’t really portray a passion that is equally felt by the two doomed lovers. Throughout the story Johannes is haunted by his feelings...a curse he can’t be rid of, no matter what he does. Victoria is his inspiration and his muse, without her in his constant thoughts, he wouldn’t be able to write. In essence, Johannes lives and breathes her. Victoria’s feelings on the other hand, are not so readily apparent. Despite the span of years in which the story takes place, Victoria never seems to grow or change. She very much reminds me of a child who has too many toys...doesn’t know which one she wants to play with, only understanding that she wants them all to be close at hand, ready to be played with. Every move Victoria makes in regards to Johannes seem to be little tests of assurance. Is he still within her grasp? Whenever Victoria is near, Johannes becomes her little puppet. These sections of the text are embarrassing to read, since he essentially fails to recognize his situation. There’s a childlike selfishness attached to Victoria’s every move, and when the reader does come to the final proof of her affections towards Johannes, there can be multiple readings—both good and bad—of what’s said and left unsaid. Heathcliff and Cathy they are not—the love between Victoria and Johannes simply fails to transcend all boundaries.
What do You think about Victoria (2001)?
حاولت أن أفهم شخصية كنوت من خلال هذه الرواية التي فاجأني توجهها فلايبدو أبدا أن الرواية الرومانسية الكلاسيكية الطابع من توجهات هامبسون خاصة لمن قرأ ملحمته الزراعية واخضرت الأرض أو لمن قرأ رائعته الجوع .. هناك إنقلابا في هذه الرواية لكن ليس كل الإنقلابات ذات نتيجة مرضية .. ربما قارىء الجوع لن يتقبل أن تكون فيكتوريا بعدها ولكن لو كان العكس فقد يبدو الأمر مهضوما .. ليست سيئة لكن ليست متوقعة حقيقة وليست من نوعية الروايات التي أحب .. كتب كنوت الرجل الغاضب في الجوع و الرجل الصانع في واخضرت والآن يأتي دور الأديب العاشق .. حسنا يبدو التنوع ميزة لهامبسون فكل شخصياته بعيدة عن بعضها البعض وهذا ما يشجعك على البحث عن المزيد من هامبسون .. في هذه الرواية كانت رسالة فيكتوريا الأخيرة عن الرواية بأكملها .. غير أن اللغة فاتنة وأجواء الريف بديعة جدا ولعشاق الروايات الرومانسية فهذه الرواية خيار جيد .. قرأتها في الطائرة وكانت سهلة سريعة تمضي بخفة طائر
—mai ahmd
The first time I read Victoria I was 11. Ok, I know, a little young for this type of novel.. I remember being able to appreciate the prose, the fluidity of it (at least in Norwegian), but I also remember being irritated at both Johannes and Victoria, not understanding their love or their actions. An 11-year old hasn't typically had the life experience to be able to understand or appreciate this type of work, or at least I certainly hadn't. Not having reread it since, I happened on it as I was organizing my bookcase. I love Hunger/Sult by Hamsun, but was a little wary, thinking Victoria would be too light, somewhat insubstantial. And of course it wasn't. Hamsun isn't the easiest of authors, but that shouldn't stop those of you that have been daunted by his other work (Hunger or Growth of the Soil). This is a beautifully rendered love story, with class differences and poverty at its centre. Just give it a try, and see Manny's review below. Says it all really.
—Henni
Llegué a este libro debido a mi lectura inmediata anterior que fue la novela “Hambre” de este mismo autor, la cual me impactó bastante y por esta razón y también debido a que encontré una edición muy bonita de la novela “Victoria” del mismo autor, pensé que era una buena idea hacer algo que nunca había hecho: leer dos obras seguidas de un mismo autor.Sin embargo considero que la obra llamada “Hambre” ha dejado el listón muy alto y las expectativas que me formé en torno a toda la obra de Hamsum (Premio Nobel de Literatura en 1920), fueron nos sólo altas en cuanto a calidad de la obra sino en cuanto a temática. No cabe duda que las expectativas positivas continuamente nos juegan en contra de nuestras percepciones concretas o reales al predisponernos a esperar cierto grado de satisfacción. Éste es un típico caso.Definitivamente la novela no me ha decepcionado pero sí esperaba más de este autor de “Hambre” y no lo atribuyó a que no sea un buen trabajo sino a mi falta de adaptación o a mi falta de capacidad para asimilar rápidamente un cambio de estilo, de temática, de contexto, o de graduar mis expectativas. La presente narración se desarrolla en un ambiente absolutamente bucólico y destaca el cariño y apego que siente el autor por la naturaleza. La acción se desarrolla en torno al amor de Victoria y Johannes y Hamsum desarrolla esta relación con una narración a base de frases cortas, de ideas puntuales; aunque también desarrolla frases y construcciones más elaboradas. Eso sí: su prosa es bella y clara y a veces salpicada de frases e ideas muy poéticas. Se trata de una novela corta cuya acción se encuentra bien hilvanada, aunque de vez en vez el autor inserta pasajes que cortan la dimensión lineal del tiempo que envuelve a la narración. Considero que debido a que esta novela no fue de las primeros trabajos de Hamsum, aunque todavía le faltaban 50 años para escribir la obra que le dio el Premio Nobel, ya había hecho acopio de muchos recursos literarios y de una gran sutilidad de lenguaje que le hicieron evolucionar a este estilo para dar a luz “Victoria”. Termino esta breve reseña con una frase que ilustra el tono general de la novela:“…el amor fue el origen y el señor del mundo, pero todos sus caminos están llenos de flores y de sangre, de flores y sangre…”
—Jorge
