Knut Hamsun (1859-1952) is both revered as one of the pioneers of modernist writing-of which Hunger is a perfect example-and vilified as an enthusiastic and unwavering supporter of the Nazi occupation of Norway during 1940-45. While the debate about his political convictions has raged unabated since his 1946 trial, intensifying after the release of Jan Troell's 1996 movie Hamsun, the consensus about his literary genius has never been shaken.