1 November 2017 Susannah

Kristin Lavransdatter

Book of the Month Club newsletter from 1929

Sigrid Undset, one of the authors to appear on a bank note, won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1928, mainly for her novel Kristin Lavransdatter. The book is a trilogy about life in Norway during the Middle Ages (its 3 books are The Wreath, The Wife and The Cross), and I’ve been re-reading it with enormous pleasure. Kristin is a heroine on the lines of Becky Sharp and Scarlett O’Hara, a feisty and wilful woman whose life is a tumultuous one.

There is an excellent translation by Tiina Nunnally. It’s not a short book, but it’s a Norwegian classic. Published in the 1920s, it was controversial because of its portrayal of female sexuality. It is a moving story.

Undset was much praised for her historical accuracy. I look forward to visiting places connected with the novel on my next Scandinavian literary tour.

Have you read this trilogy, or another of Sigrid Undset’s books? Tell me by leaving a comment.

Susannah Fullerton: Sigrid Undset is born
Kristin Lavransdatter by Sigrid Undset

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Featured image credit- Book of the Month Club newsletter from 1929, Kristin Lavransdatter, by Joanna Bourne, CC. https://www.flickr.com/photos/66992990@N00/6773476655/
Body image credit- Sigrid Undset on her first working day at Bjerkebæk. This was the place where she finished her trilogy “Kristin Lavransdatter” during the years 1920 – 1922. by Alvilde Torp – Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=7454286

Comments (2)

  1. Gwen McNeill

    I read the trilogy last year and loved all of it. I found it totally engrossing and a marvellous insight into the times in which she lived.It is a big and heavy volume so I downloaded it so that I could carry it about on my iPad. I really recommend it

    • Susannah Fullerton

      It’s a powerful book, isn’t it. On my Scandinavian tour next year we will visit Sigrid Undset’s house and see where it was written.

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