Articles

Knut Hamsun's late life was characterised by a sequence of betrayals, most notably his support for the Nazi occupation of Norway. This paper investigates how Hamsun utilised these acts of treachery to mount a unique defence against forensic psychiatrist Gabriel Langfeldt. Langfeldt's diagnosis of "permanently impaired mental faculties" served as a provocation that spurred Hamsun to write his final work, On Overgrown Paths. The paper argues that this book represents a "final betrayal" – an act where Hamsun disobeyed the conventions of autobiography to remain committed to his artistic calling. Utilising Kierkegaardian ethics, the author frames Hamsun's defiance as a form of resistance that ultimately led to personal reconciliation through art and love.