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of view, near the youngest literary generation that made its
appearance in the last ten years of the century, and who, together
with him, seem to be determining the tone of the new century’s
ouverture. The foremost of these was Knut Hamsun, an autodidact
of peasant birth, whose strength lies in his power to dazzle with
startling paradoxes, no less than with a sparkling verve in his
style. One after another he brought even the most particular of
his readers to his feet with his lyrically elevated descriptions of
a strange mental life, in the stories «Sult» (Hunger), «Mysterier»
and «Pan» (1890—94), in which the ego-centric passion and
hallucinating mysticism vie with one another in dominating the spirit
of the story. After one or two attempts at satire, he entered
the theatre with a dramatic trilogy, of which the central link,
«Livets spil» (The Play of Life) produced an extremely bizarre
effect by the extravagant figure of the heroine, and the flickering
changes of its moods. On the other hand, his latest book, «Victoria»
reads like an adagio from beginning to end.
We also meet with a mystical spirit in the sombre stories
both of the decadence psychologist, Arne Dybfest (died 1892),
and the broadly epic writer, Thomas Krag. They have each created
their own poetic prose. Thomas Krag has gradually won a place
in the foremost ranks of the favourite authors of the public
by his novel-cycle, «Mulm» (Gloom) and «Kobberslangen» (The
Brazen Serpent), «Ada Wilde», «Ulf Ran», «Beates hus» and
«Enken» (The Widow). — The mystical is a conspicious element in
Sigbjørn Obstfelder’s quiet novellettes, «Liv» (Life), «Sletten» (The
Plain) and «Korset» (The Cross); but the action here evaporates
in the poetic fire that glows in the description. Obstfelder is a
pronounced lyric poet; in melancholy musing he gazes into the
quivering life of the soul, and sings his sudden visions in strangely
rhythmical cadences. Nils Collett Vogt, on the other hand,
possesses the jubilant gift of song; and his silvery clear verse
swells with Hellenic joy in a rushing life. Vogt has also, in a
story, shown himself to be touched by the undaunted naturalism
that marks Theodor Madsen’s and Gabriel Finne’s (died 1899)
descriptions of sad young life. Vilhelm Krag sings to his
softly-timed [[** sjk]] lyre white [[** sic = with??]] grief in melodious strophes. He has also, in a
number of novels — «Hjemve» (Home-sickness), «Den glade
løitnant» (the Gay Lieutenant), «Rakel Strømme» — and a play —
«Den sidste dag» (The Last Day) — affected a deep inquiry into rare
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