Most Popular Books by Sigrid Undset

Set in medieval Norway, The Snake Pit follows Olav and Ingunn, who, though raised as brother sister, have become lovers in a world caught between the fading sphere of pagan worship and vendettas and the expansion of Christianity.

Set in 13th-century Norway, The Axe is the first volume in Undset''s epic tetralogy, The Master of Hestviken. In it, we meet Olav Audunsson and Ingunn Steinfinnsdatter, who were betrothed as children and raised as brother and sister. In the heedlessness of youth, they become lovers, unaware that their ardor will forge the first link in a chain of murder, exile, and disgrace. Undset''s novel is also a meticulous re-creation of a world split between pagan codes of retribution and the rigors of Christian piety--a world where law is a fragile new invention and manslaughter is so common that it''s punishable by a fine."Undset reproduces medieval Norway in all the rich pageantry of color and form...she can transport us eight centuries and several thousand miles more effectively than most writers can take us into the house next door."--The Nation

Sigurd falls in love with a young girl after sixteen years of happy Norwegian family life.

The author recalls the invasion of her native Norway in the spring of 1940, her retreat to Sweden and her trip across Russia and Siberia to Japan, and finally across the Pacific to the United States.

In an effort to redeem her reputation, Ida Elisabeth imprudently marries her teenage sweetheart, Frithjof. Early in their marriage, she realizes that her charming husband is too irresponsible to support the family and sews dresses to make ends meet. When Frithjof becomes involved with another woman, Ida Elisabeth divorces him. The single mother moves with her children to a small town. Still young and good looking, the admirably hardworking Ida Elisabeth attracts the attention of a successful lawyer, who possesses the manly virtues that her husband lacked. As she contemplates marrying again, Frithjof, now gravely sick, reenters her life. Unlike Undsets famous historical novels, which are set in medieval Norway, the story of Ida Elisabeth unfolds in the 1920s. As in Undsets other fiction, however, Ida Elisabeth poignantly illustrates how poor choices affect the course of a persons life and how the suffering endured because of grievous mistakes can become the means by which a love is purified. Even in her historical novels, the Nobel Prize-winning Undset tackled contemporary themes. With its setting in modern times, Ida Elisabeth examines the difficulties inherent in male-female relationships as they are experienced in contemporary society. Undsets descriptions of the Norwegian people and countryside coupled with her profound understanding of the human heart won her worldwide literary acclaim. Both are powerfully displayed in this compelling drama about fidelity and forgiveness.

Kristin Lavransdatter and her experiences as mistress, wife, and mother against the setting of medieval Norway.

Essayister) ISBN 82-504-2312-7 Sigrid Undset var intens engasjert i sin samtid og skrev en rekke artikler om litterære, historiske, sosiale, moralske og religiøse emner. Liv Bliksrud har redigert dette utvalget. Forhåndsomtale.

"Olav settles in at his ancestral estate and soon brings Ingunn home as his wife. Both hope to put their troubles behind them, but the crimes and shameful secrets of the past have a long reach and tenacious hold. The consequences of sin, suspicion, and familial obligations may prove a greater threat to the pair''s happiness than even their long years of separation"--

A selection of Norwegian folktales chosen by Sigrid Undset, True and Untrue and Other Norse Tales is based on the classic folklore collected by Pieter Christian Asbjornsen and Jorgen Moe. These wonderful stories tell of worlds similar to our own, worlds with love and hate, sorrow and joy, humor and pathos. Beginning with brothers named True and Untrue, the book takes readers through tales of princes and princesses, giants and trolls, husbands and wives, and a castle that is "East o'' the Sun and West o'' the Moon." Strikingly illustrated by Frederick T. Chapman while under fire in Italy during the Second World War and with a remarkable foreword by Undset, True and Untrue and Other Norse Tales has a story for everyone.