Yes, we are vagabonds on earth. We wander the roads and howl, sometimes we crawl, sometimes we walk upright and trample each other down. (Landstrykere, 1927)
The wanderer figure is a recurring figure in Hamsun's writings, from Hunger (1890) to Overgrown Paths (1949).
The novels Under the Autumn Star (1906), A Wanderer Playing with a Mute (1909) and The Last Joy (1912) are often called the Wanderer Trilogy. In these books we meet the aging wanderer Knut Pedersen who provides a critical portrayal of the modern spirit of the times. Wandering is also central to the August Trilogy, not least in the portrayal of Edevart and August in Landstrykere .
Hamsun's wanderer figure is most often placed along the country road, but the sea is also used as a wandering arena, as is the case with August. In Markens grøde (1917) we meet Isak, a halting wanderer.
Knut Hamsun himself was something of a wandering figure, with stays on Hamarøy, in Gudbrandsdalen, Kristiania, Copenhagen, America and a number of Norwegian cities.
