Mirrored Sublimation: Essays on the Early Work of Knut Hamsun

In Mirrored Sublimation: Essays on the Early Work of Knut Hamsun, Lisa Yamasaki examines a small selection of the Norwegian dramatist Knut Hamsun’s early work that reveals the theme of sublimation from a psychoanalytic perspective. Although Hamsun wrote many short stories, plays, and novels in the late nineteenth century, Yamasaki focuses on those that comprise Hamsun’s portrayal of sublimation as a culmination of erotic love for humans in nature and art. She also contrasts Hamsun’s representation of sublimation with a play by Henrik Ibsen and a novel by Sigbj rn Obstfelder to solidify Hamsun’s unique portrayals. While other scholars have been drawn to the more controversial aspects of Hamsun’s work, Yamasaki suggests that an examination of how he represented the relationship between women, nature, and art shows his vulnerability, usually more evident in the representation of his male protagonists. Furthermore, to reveal the interconnection between literature and life, Yamasaki includes academic braided essays and her illustrations of Hamsun’s works to demonstrate how the investigation itself comments on the topic of sublimation, thus mirroring the phenomenon. Through the combination of the literary analytical essays, academic braided essays, and the illustrations, she portrays how the three approaches to this topic contribute to a more enriched understanding of the topic and could further enhance the relationship between literature, art, and analysis.

Lisa Yamasaki received her doctoral degree from the University of California Los Angeles and worked in the Scandinavian section at UCLA’s European Literatures and Transcultural Studies Department. In addition to training in pedagogy and cultural studies, Dr. Yamasaki pursues her passion in nineteenth-century Norwegian literature, specifically Knut Hamsun and his contemporaries, and examines the literary themes from the Nyromantikken period. She has published in academic journals, including Scandinavian Studies, Supernatural Studies, and Nordlit. Knowledgeable in four languages, Dr. Yamasaki has worked as a writing consultant for fifteen years and shares her fondness for the writing process. Using her interests in the visual arts and academic training to guide her in her investigations, she wishes to show how literature resonates deeply within humans.