NORWAY: River of Books

Knut Hamsun, 83, No. 1 Norwegian novelist and No. 1 intellectual pro-Nazi, had always bruised easily. So when Norwegians heard that he had suffered a stroke, some thought they knew the reason. For years his countrymen had loved his books (Hunger, Growth of the Soil, The Road Leads On). But now those books, which had once nudged bibles on Norwegian bookshelves, were boycotted; dog-eared copies were even trickling back to Hamsun at Grimstad. Last week, though Hamsun had since recovered from his stroke, the trickle of books swelled to a river. Though the local post office hired extra help,...

Want the full story?

Subscribe Now

Subscribe
Subscribe

Learn more about the benefits of being a TIME subscriber

If you are already a subscriber sign up — registration is free!