Kratskog. Historier og Skitser.

Original edition with the original printed wrappers bound in (back wrapper with Gyldendal imprint).The collection includes some of Hamsun’s best-known short stories, such as "Kærlighedens Slaver" and "Livets Røst." 

The stories here are diverse, from the comic to the gloomy, with self-experienced elements and travel stories. The collection was published during an "intermediate period in his writing", during which Hamsun published books of various kinds – in addition to the short story collection, this included plays, folktales, a travelogue and a single collection of poems. After marrying for the second time in 1909, he settled down as a farmer in his childhood village, after which his writing took a new turn: He "turned his back on the subjective poetry" that he had cultivated before the 1990s, and in which he emphasized the contradictions in the spiritual life of modern man. (see Rottem) 

The Norwegian Nobel Prize winner Knut Hamsun (1859-1952) is not an uncontroversial author, as he supported the German occupation in Norway: "The discussion has been about whether it is possible to distinguish between the politician and the poet Hamsun" (see Rottem). According to Bredsdorff, his early short stories show how great a poet he was – a writer who, with his short stories, "could make realism cross over into surrealism" (see Bredsdorff 2019).

Anker Kyster (1864-1939) was a leading Danish bookbinder known for his high-quality craftsmanship and collaborations with prominent artists of his time.

Sources: 

Bredsdorff, T. (2019, 20. oktover). 5 hjerter: Hamsun blev nazist – men hans tidlige noveller viser, hvor stor en digter han var. Politiken. https://politiken.dk/kultur/boger/boganmeldelser/skonlitteratur_boger/art7416792/Hamsun-blev-nazist-men-hans-tidlige-noveller-viser-hvor-stor-en-digter-han-var 

Rottem, Øystein: Knut Hamsun i Lex på lex.dk. Hentet 8. september 2026 fra https://lex.dk/Knut_Hamsun