Mysteries - Knut Hamsun [156]
128 Henri de Rochefort, Marquis de Rochefort-Luçay (1831-1913), a prolific French nineteenth-century journalist noted for his political adventurism. Over a few decades during the century’s second half he managed to enact a wide gamut of roles, of which the following is a sampling: as an extremely vocal critic of the Second Empire, with periods of exile and imprisonment; an elected deputy (1870), a position from which he resigned after a few days; a supporter of the Paris Commune, imprisoned and subsequently deported to New Caledonia ; and a passionate follower of General Boulanger. See note to p. 67.
129 The prime minister here referred to is Emil Stang (1834-1912), leader of the Conservative Party in the 1880s and 1890s and premier for two periods, including 1889—91. Lie and Haug, meaning “hill-side” and “hill” respectively, are more common Norwegian names.
146 “The Ramparts” most likely refers to Akershus Castle and Fortress, situated on a promontory by the Oslo Fjord. It is an important Oslo landmark.
147 The Drammen Road is a scenic street running in a westerly direction from the Oslo city center.
154 Adolf Stocker (1835-1909), Lutheran pastor and court preacher, in 1878 founded the Social-Christian Party, which became the first anti-Semitic organization in Germany, indeed, in all of Europe. An indefatigable traveler, he used his considerable oratorical gifts to spread anti-Semitism, to the point of urging the government to consider passing laws inimical to Jews. In 1882 he organized, in Dresden, the first international anti-Semitic congress, of which he was elected president. Though he was eventually censured by the Supreme Council of the Evangelical Churches, he remained a member of the Reichstag until 1908, a year before his death.
155 William Booth (1829-1912), a London evangelist and social reformer, in 1865 founded the movement which subsequently, in 1878, became the Salvation Army. He called himself “General.”
164 Guy de Maupassant (1850-93), a French psychological realist whose novels and short stories portray ordinary people and their appetites in a coolly objective, often ironic style.
165 torpedo under the ark: from Ibsen’s poem “Til min venn revolusjons-taleren!” (To my Friend, the Revolutionary Speech-maker). The last line of the poem reads, “I gladly place a torpedo under the ark,” the reference being to Noah’s Ark.
170 Gertrude Colbjornsen (1879) is the principal work of Hamsun’s friend Erik Skram (1847—1923), a Danish novelist and critic. The book attracted attention by its attack on conventional marriage.
187 La Glu is the title of a novel (1881) by Jean Richepin (1849-1926). It deals with a Parisian courtesan, an adventuress who, among other things, ensnares a young Breton lad and then abandons him. When the siren reappears on the scene, her interest in the youth reawakened by his attempted suicide on her account, she is murdered by the young man’s mother. Though Nagel’s anecdote echoes some elements of Richepin’s novel, it is wholesome by comparison with this sordid story. The woman’s name is appropriate: La Glu has a fatal attraction for susceptible males; they are entrapped by her, like birds caught by birdlime, the literal meaning of the French word glu.
208 Mittelwalder: The correct name would be “Mittenwalder,” derived from Mittenwald, a village in Bavaria, Germany, which has a school for making violins and other string instruments.
232 This biblical verse, in which Jesus addresses ten lepers who appealed to him for mercy, runs: “Go show yourselves unto the priests” (Luke 17:14).
232 The kingdom of Barnum: P. T. Barnum (1810-91), the American showman, became notorious for his extravagant self-advertising. His famous circus was opened in 1871. He was given the cognomen “king of humbug.”
232 Sirius, in the constellation Canis Major, is the brightest star in the heavens. It is also known as the Dog Star.
232 Antoine Lavoisier (1743-94), French scientist and a founder of modern