Pan

In his 1894 breakthrough novel, Pan, Knut Hamsun provides a lyrical, yet disturbing analysis of love and the dark recesses of the human psyche. Lieutenant Thomas Glahn roams Norway's northernmost wilds, alone, save only for his faithful dog, Aesop. Living out of a rudimentary hut at the edge of a vast forest, Glahn pursues his solitary existence, hunting and fishing, until the strange girl Edvarda comes into his life. Edvarda is the daughter of a merchant in a nearby town, both are strongly attracted to one another, but neither understands the other's love. Glahn becomes overwhelmed by the society of people where Edvarda lives and suffers a series of tragedies during their time together. A new translation by Terence Cave of Hamsun's 1894 novel restores the power and virtuosity of Hamsun's original and includes an illuminating introduction and explanatory notes.