# Endnotes explained — Hunger

> Chapter companion for Hunger by Knut Hamsun.

## What happens

The endnotes provide translator and editor annotations clarifying cultural, historical, and textual details in the novel, including barber pricing, a steam cooking-kitchen, Norwegian nobility, a theatre and garden, a governor's dwelling, specific dates, and a disputed reference to Leeds.

## Key lines

> Endnotes Issued by the barbers at cheaper rates, as few men in Norway shave themselves.

Barbers offered lower prices because most Norwegian men did not shave themselves.

_Clarifies a cultural practice regarding barber services in Norway._

> In the Norwegian original, the man replies that the ship is bound for Leeds, a city which cannot be reached by sea. Translator substituted “Leeds” with “Leith.” Hamsun’s “Leeds” has been restored here, as it remains disputed whether Leeds was a genuine mistake or an intentional misspelling.

The original text said the ship was going to Leeds, which is not a seaport; the translator changed it to Leith, but the editor restored Leeds, noting the debate over whether it was an error or deliberate.

_Highlights a textual controversy regarding the novel's geography._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/hunger_se/chapters/endnotes
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/hunger_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/hunger_se/chapters