KNUT HAMSUN CENTER
Hamarøy, Norway, 1994-Aug 4, 2009
PROGRAM: historical museum for writer Knut Hamsun including exhibition areas, library, reading room, cafe and 230 seat auditorium
CLIENT: Nordland Fylkeskommune (County)
SIZE: 24445 sf
STATUS: completed
This center dedicated to Hamsun is located above the Arctic Circle near village of Presteid of Hamarøy and the farm where the writer grew up. The museum includes exhibition areas, a library and reading room, a cafe and an auditorium. The concept for the museum is “building as a body,” creating a battleground of invisible forces. The stained black wood exterior skin is characteristic of the great wooden stave Norse churches. The spine of the building body is the central elevator, providing handicapped and freight access to all parts of the building. At the roof garden the long grass reflects the traditional Norwegian sod roofs in a different way. Strange, surprising and phenomenal experiences in space perspective and light will provide an inspiring frame for the exhibitions.
“We can’t help loving him, though we have hated him all these years,” said Ingar Sletten Kolloen, author of “Dreamer & Dissenter,” a Hamsun biography. “That’s our Hamsun trauma. He’s a ghost that won’t stay in the grave.”
The 150th anniversary of the birth of the author Knut Hamsun (1859–1952). The Ministry of Culture and Church Affairs (Kultur- og kirkedepartementet) wishes the anniversary of Knut Hamsun’s birth to be commemorated in a manner commensurate with his standing as an internationally renowned author.
Information on the commemorative events and the anniversary organisation Hamsun 2009 may be found on this website (www.hamsun.no).
Knut Hamsun: Nobel Prize in Literature. 1020.