Sigrid Undset: The Nobel Prize Winner
Sigrid Undset was born May 20, 1882, Kalundborg, Denmark,
and died June 10, 1949, Lillehammer, Norway.
Kristin Lavransdatter. Sigrid Undset did not deliver a Nobel lecture, but said in her brief acceptance speech "I write more readily than speak and I am especially reluctant to talk about myself."
Her father was a well known Norwegian archaeologist, Ingvald Undset. Her mother, Anna Charlotte Gyth Undset, was Danish. The family moved to Kristiania (Oslo) in Norway in 1884. Sigrid was a gifted child. Her home life was steeped in legend,  folklore, and the history of Norway. Her father also taught her to read Old Norse. When her father became seriously ill, she spent much time reading for him. This is supposed to be how she got to learn so much about Norwegian history, including the Viking era and the medieval ages in Norway. Both this influence and her own life story are constantly present in her works.
She knew that her mother needed money, and started to work in the office of an electrical engineering firm at the age of 17, and worked there for 10 years before she married, bore children, and began to write. She started writing while doing this job.
Sigrid Undset's first manuscript, a historical novel, was returned from a publisher around 1905 with the following words: "Never try a historical novel again. You're not capable of this kind of writing.You might try and write something modern. You never know!"
Sigrid Undset was deeply moved by Shakespeare, enthusiastic about Chaucer, attracted to the legends of King Arthur. But she also immersed herself in the work of Scandinavian writers, such as Ibsen, Strindberg, Brandes, and English authors such as the Brontë sisters and Jane Austen. She thus acquired a sound knowledge of the art of writing, preparing herself for what she felt from an early age to be her "fate" in life.
Her early novels deal with the position of women in the contemporary unromantic world of the lower middle class. Not surprisingly, Sigrid Undset was also a frequent participant in debates in newspapers and elsewhere, and she also, in a addition to her books, wrote a large number of newspaper and journal articles.
Undset's second novel, Gunnar's Daughter (1909), was an imitation of Icelandic saga and earned her a government scholarship. She left her job and devoted herself entirely to writing.
 In 1912 Sigrid Undset married the Norwegian painter, Anders Castus Svarstad. She had met him in Rome where she had moved after her second novel, and had a passionate affair with the then still married Svarstad. Undset returned with Svarstad to Norway. Svarstad continued his career as an artist, Undset published several books, took dutifully care of the home, and raised five children - three of them from his previous marriage. They separated in 1919 and Sigrid Undset settled on a farm in Lillehammer in Gudbrandsdal.
Undset converted to the Roman Catholic faith in 1924, and in her later novels, in which she returned to contemporary themes, her new religion continues to play an important role.
In 1939 Sigrid Undset lost both her mother and daughter. When the Germans occupied Norway in April 1940, Undset joined the Resistance. The Nazi authorities banned her books. In 1940 her elder son, Anders, was killed during combat. As an outspoken critic of the Nazis, Undset was forced to flee to Sweden and from there to the United States. She lived in exile in the United States, where her lecture tours gained much publicity. At the end of the war she returned to Norway. Undset was awarded the Grand Cross of the Order of St. Olav in 1947.
In her work Sigrid Undset combines knowledge of history with psychological analysis and a powerful style. With the 'domestic epic', a sweeping drama set against a carefully studied social background, she broke a new ground. Undset turned away from the sentimental style of national romanticism in an attempt to re-create the realism of the Icelandic sagas and write so vividly, that "everything that seem romantic from here - murder, violence, etc becomes ordinary - comes to life." In her personal life Undset devoted herself to medieval interests - she restored house dating from the year 1000 and dressed in the gown of a Norse matron of the Middle Ages. In Lillehammer Undset lived a reclusive life, often refusing to open the doors of her house to journalists.
Bibliography: Undset's books
1. Sigrid Undset's Main Works
Gunnar's Daughter (1909).
(Translated by Arthur G. Chater.New : York: Knopf, 1936. New translation by Tiina Nanally.) (Norwegian title: Fortællingen om Viga-Ljot og Vigdis. Christiania (Oslo): Aschehoug, 1909.)
 
Set in Norway and Iceland at the beginning of the eleventh century, Gunnar's Daughter is the story of the beautiful, spoiled Vigdis Gunnarsdatter, who is casually raped by the man she had wanted to love.
A woman of courage and intelligence, Vigdis is toughened by adversity. Alone she raises the child conceived in violence, repeatedly defending her autonomy in a world governed by men. Alone she rebuilds her life and restores her family's honor, until an unrelenting social code propels her to take the action that again destroys her happiness.
More than a historical romance, Gunnar's Daughter depicts characters driven by passion and vengefulness, themes as familiar in Undset's own time - and in ours - as they were in the Saga Age. A strong, unsentimental book by Undset.
Bestill Fortellingen om Viga-Ljot og Vigdis på norsk fra Bokkilden!
Jenny (1911).
(
translated by William Emmé. London : Gyldendal, 1920. Norwegian edition: Jenny. Christiania : Aschehoug, 1911. New and much improved translation by Tiina Nanally, see "The Unknown Sigrid Undset", below.).
One evening in Rome, in the beginning of the last century, two people meet in the street: researcher Helge Gram and painter Jenny Winge. They embark  on an affair, and when t hey meet again in Kristiania, Helge introduces Jenny to his family. Helge’s parents are living in a sinister marriage, something Helge is clearly marked by. This becomes a heavy burden to Jenny’s and Helge’s relationship, and after a while, they split up. Jenny, however discovers that she has much in common with Helge’s father; something which in turn leads him to leave his wife. This new relationship is soon to have tragic consequences for Jenny’s life
Jenny is the novel that marked Undset’s breakthrough as a modern writer. It is an intelligent novel about a woman’s dream of love and her tragic fight to make that dream come true. Jenny also deals with female eroticism in a way that was somewhat shocking at the time when it was written. Furthermore, Undset reveals a truth that is hard for the modern individual to accept; that there is no necessary connection between freedom and happiness.
(Please note that the new translation of Jenny in the book The Unknown Sigrid Undset (see further below) is much better. So if you consider buying Jenny, we strongly advise you to buy The Unknown Sigrid Undset instead!)
Bestill den på norsk fra Bokkilden!
(Translated by Arthur G. Chater. New York : Knopf, 1938.) (Norw. title: Splinten av troldspeilet. Christiania (Oslo): Aschehoug, 1917.)
A key theme in Images in a Mirror is the contradictions between new opportunities for women and their traditional duties. The book portrays the unhappy marriage of a former stage actress to a man who falls well short of fulfilling her desire for companionship, much less her persistent dreams of romantic love. Uni's marriage to Kristian has long since lost the brief erotic twinge that brought them together. She has given birth to five children in ten years. The death of one of the boys has weakened her confidence in ever finding a lasting joy in her family.
Falling briefly into an affair, Uni has begun to neglect her children when she unexpectedly is called back to herself by a friend who remarks that she misses the way Uni used "to sing to the children in the evening". Uni's recognition that her change of heart has been noticed leads to a confrontation and eventual reconciliation with her husband.
Kjøp Splinten af Troldspeilet fra Bokkilden(i samlede verker).
Kristin Lavransdatter (1920-22).
(A trilogy.)
This cycle of novels follow the life of Kristin Lavransdatter, a fictitious Norwegian woman who lived in the 14th century. Kristin grows up in Gudbrandsdalen. Kristin Lavransdatter is the daughter of Lavrans, a  charismatic, much-respected farmer in a rural area of Norway, and his depressive wife Ragnfrid.
Raised in a loving yet stern family, Kristin develops a sensitive but willful character, defying her family in small and large ways. At an early age, she is exposed to various tragedies, and a trip to Oslo proves to define her outlook on life. Her life with her husband, Erlend, is complicated. She finds comfort and conciliation in her Catholic faith and eventually dies at peace with her world.
Kristin Lavransdatter is a very remarkable work. Sigrid Undset knows Norwegian history well, and manages to make the civilization of this distant period come alive again. It is one of the greatest literary achievements in the modern age!
Kjøp hele serien i en bok på norsk fra Bokkilden!
A short note on translations: The old translation was really bad, with heavy, archaic language. The new translation of Kristin Lavransdatter, in the Penguin Classics series, is much, much better, and highly recommended.
As a reader puts it, "Nunnally's translation returns dignitiy and immediacy to the work." We have linked to this new edition only.
Kristin Lavransdatter: The Wreath
(1920).
(Norwegian title: Kransen.)
The timeless problems of forbidden love, children born out of wedlock, and familial conflicts are presented through the   eyes of a perfectly ordinary woman: Kristin Lavransdatter. It's been said she was the first perfectly real woman in all literature. In The Wreath, the reader encounters Kristin's early life to her marriage and the difficult decisions she makes.
We follow Kristin as she comes of age. She is a passionate girl, and this is the story of her passion.
In this book, the young Kristin Lavransdatter -- beautiful, wild, and passionate --engages in a romance with a man whom her father strongly dislikes.
Kristin Lavransdatter: The Wife (1922).
(Norwegian title: Husfrue.)
  In this second book of Kristin Lavransdatter, Kristin has married Erlend and is racked with guilt for having conceived a child out of wedlock. She insists on a pilgrimage in order to receive penitence for her sin. The years pass, and with them, Kristin gives Erlend more sons. Erlend proves himself a less than competent breadwinner. But no matter what, Kristin is determined to stick with him. Erlend gets mixed up in an intrigue against the king. Now that she has the opportunity to leave him, will Kristin renege on the marriage and concentrate on raising their seven sons?
The wife paints a vivid portrait of a marriage buffeted not only by private passions and recriminations, but by the forces of history.
Kristin Lavransdatter: The Cross (1922).
(Norwegian title: Korset.) In The Cross, Kristin returns with her husband and sons to her childhood home after Erlend's narrow escape from the law. Kristin quickly discovers that the community where she was once loved and respected as   her father's daughter is not so willing to accept her and her family. The solicitous attention of her brother-in-law brings Kristin much-needed comfort, but even this relationship is fraught with unspoken tensions.
Erlend and their sons, scorned as outsiders who arrogantly refuse to adapt to the customs of the region or its people, are bound to one another with an affection so strong that Kristin herself feels excluded. With the willfulness that is both her strength and her weakness, Kristin devotes herself to maintaining the farm and to instilling in her sons a sense of morality and purpose.
The third and final volume of Kristin Lavransdatter, The Cross unveils the complexities of maternal love, portraying with power and sensitivity the conflicts that arise as Kristin's children forge their own identities. It explores, too, the impact of Christianity on a world still emerging from paganism and the significance of the Church's teachings to people seeking answers to mysteries of life and death, sin and redemption.
The Master of Hestviken (1925).
(Norwegian title: 0lav Audunssøn i Hestviken, (Oslo : Aschehoug, 1925) and Olav Audunssøn og hans barn (Oslo : Aschehoug) 1927). These two large volumes were split into four books when Sigrid Undset's The Master of Hestviken was published in English by publisher Alfred A. Knopf (in 1928-1930).
Bestill Olav Audunssøn i Hestviken og Olav Audunssøn og hans barn på norsk fra Bokkilden!
The Master of Hestviken: The Axe (1928).
(New York : Knopf.) "The basic plot follows Olav Audunsson and Ingunn Steinfinnsdatter... They were betrothed as children under rather mysterious circumstances and were then raised together. Eventually, the two fall in love, and want to finally get married... Times have changed, though, and the   powers that be have decided to marry them off elsewhere. Olav and Ingunn vow to fight for their marriage, and the remainder of the action is this intense struggle.
The Axe, like the whole Master of Hestviken series, is superb. The writing at some moments, particularly the early love scenes, is truly sublime, with the lush imagery set up against the unique medieval Norwegian backdrop. I had to read a number of passages over and over just to re-experience their beauty. The moral scope of the novel also strikes me as particularly powerful and certainly invites comparison to Tolstoy. The events of the novel are all marked by a sin early in the novel which sends everyone into a moral tailspin. The characters are trapped in a moral maelstrom of their own making and in their struggle to find some sort of redemption is the ultimate meaning of the novel.
The Axe is one of the best novels I have ever read. Sigrid Undset cannot be forgotten. I can scarcely wait to read the rest of the Hestviken saga." (Reviewed by "oddfish" at the amazon.com site.)
The Master of Hestviken: The Snake Pit (1929).
(New York : Knopf.) In this second volume of the Master of Hestviken series, Olav has returned from his voluntary exile to Denmark,  and has reclaimed his homestead at Hestviken. He reclaims, also, Ingunn as his wife, and even puts forth her illegitimate son, Eirik, as his own heir to the manor. His attempts to restore his honor, however, are stymied by Ingunn's inability to give him a legitimate son and heir, and by a gloomy atmosphere of loss, exile and death.
The Snake Pit is more explicitly religious than the first, though the two parts were once contiguous. The reader cannot avoid the implication that Olav and Ingunn's youthful indiscretions are now the source of their sufferings.
The Master of Hestviken: In the Wilderness (1929).
(New York : Knopf.) It is Norway in the thirteenth century, a land rent   by unremitting warfare and feebly lit by Christianity. In this third volume of her medieval epic, Sigrid Undset plunges readers into a world that is both profoundly alien and yet inhabited by men and women as recognizable as our own kin.
In the Wilderness portrays the terrible conflicts of a man who is both sinner and penitent in an age that lies on the cusp of savagery and faith.
Olav Audunsson was once an outlaw; now he is a man of wealth and stature. But he is haunted by the memory of crimes for which there is no easy atonement and by losses that may never be redeemed.
The Master of Hestviken: The Son Avenger (1930).
(New York : Knopf.) As a young man Olav Audunsson committed two murders for love. Now he has outlived his enemies and the woman he killed for.
  But in the last years of his life, Olav must watch his grown children--and particularly his rebellious son Eirik--reenact the sins of his youth, with even more fearful consequences. Cecilia Olavsdatter, the daughter of Olav and Ingunn, makes an unhappy marriage to a wastrel who becomes a thief. After he is killed, she marries the man who was her first choice.
Olav also suffers a stroke that makes it impossible for him to confess, despite his great and constant remorse.
The Son Avenger bring to conclusion the wonderful Master of Hestviken series. A great book, and a fitting end to the saga.
(Alfred A. Knopf, New York, 1931)(Norwegian title:
Gymnadenia.) The Wild Orchid tells the story of Paul Selmer and his family, living  outside Kristiania (Oslo). His mother is divorced, and a strong woman who takes care of her family and runs a small shop on her own. We follow Paul from youth to manhood.
This is a great and very interesting portrait of a modern man at around 1900. The Wild Orchid shows us all the various roles Paul has to play, and the contradictions and constrains inherent in the "role set" of a modern, searching man. He is attracted to religion as well, and struggles with it. An interesting and good book.
Bestill Gymnadenia (på norsk) fra Bokkilden!
(Norwegian title: Den brændende  busk, Oslo : Aschehoug) ('Alfred A. Knopf, New York, 1932.) This is the continuation of the story in The Wild Orchid. The First World War is on, and Paul has problems in his marriage. Also his childhood love, Lucy, enters the scene.
The Burning Bush is a story of love, lust, marriage problems, religion, the challenges posed by daily life - a story of real life. Written with love, humor, and understanding by a great author. The two books are highly recommended!
Bestill Den brændende busk på norsk fra Bokkilden!
(Oslo : Aschehoug, 1932, New York : Knopf, 1933.) Ida Elisabeth marries Frithjof, her teenage sweetheart. They get four children together, but only two of them live to grow up. Soon Ida Elisabeth discovers that she has married a real shirker of a man.
When Frithjof embarks on an affair with another woman, Ida Elisabeth chooses to live alone with her children. She provides for herself by becoming a seamstress, and her new life as a working woman entails wholly new qualities.
In a number of ways, this novel deals with conflicts and tensions that parallel aspects of Sigrid Undset’s own life. Ida Elisabeth is one of Undset’s great contemporary novels about women’s conditions and the difficult relationship between the sexes.
Bestill Ida Elisabeth på norsk fra Bokkilden!
(Norwegian title: Den trofaste hustru, Oslo: Aschehoug.) New York : Knopf, 1937.
In The Faithful Wife, Sigrid Undset examines women’s relationship to  professional life, to eroticism and childlessness. Nathalie is a modern woman of her time; she is liberated, has a good education and a leading position. She has been married to Sigurd for sixteen years, but they have no children. Nevertheless, their marriage has been happy and safe, Nathalie thinks. But it is not enough that she is faithful, when her husband is not.
The Faithful Wife is Sigrid Undset’s last contemporary novel, and it also bears witness to the age in which it was written – an inter war period marked by rising Nazism and discussions about the value of human life. Sigrid Unset once again proves herself as a perceptive interpreter of the conditions and lifes of women in this period.
Bestill Den trofaste hustru på norsk fra Bokkilden!
The Unknown Sigrid Undset (2001).
The Unknown Sigrid Undset is a re-publication of some of Undset's early works (unforunately with a pretty ethno-centric introduction). Jenny, first   published in 1911, is the most important piece published here. The original translation of Jenny, a really great book in Norwegian, was almost horrendous, with bad English and whole passages deleted (censored). In this edition, beautifully translated by Tiina Nunnally, the book has been restored to its real glory in terms of writing as well as content.
In addition, this book contains two great short stories, Thjodolf (from The Happy Age - 1908) and Simonsen (from Fates of the Poor - 1912). These are two of the best short stories Undset wrote in her early career, and really a great choice for inclusion in this excellent book.
Finally, the book contains a collection of letters from the young Sigrid Undset.
Overall, a great book, excellent work, and very important in restoring Undset to the position in the world literature that she deserves. If you consider purchasing Jenny, you should buy The Unknown Sigrid Undet instead.
2. Sigrid Undset: Minor works
Fru Marta Oulie.
(Kristiania (Oslo): Aschehoug, 1907 - not translated to English.) This is a  short, realistic novel on adultery, set against a contemporary background. The book has the form of a diary. The opening sentence of this book shocked the readers: "I have been unfaithful to my husband." These were the words of the book's main character. This book was refused at first, but after the intervention of a well-known writer of the time, it was subsequently accepted.
Kjøp Fru Marta Qulie på norsk fra Bokkilden!
Den lykkelige alder.
(Short stories.) Christiania (Oslo): Aschehoug, 1908.) (The Happy Age - not translated to English.)
Ungdom: dikte
(Poetry.) Christiania (Oslo): Aschehoug, 1910. Not translated to English.
Fattige skjebner
(Short stories.) Christiania (Oslo): Aschehoug, 1912. (Fates of the Poor - not translated to English.) I Fattige skjebner møter leseren fattigdom og urett. I De kloke jomfruer møter leseren kvinner som øser sin omsorg og varme over andres barn, men som møter svik og uforstand.
Kjøp Fattige skjebner fra Bokkilden!
Spring (1914).
(Norwegian title: Vaaren.There is supposed to exist a British English translation in Édition Rombaldi, but we have not been able to locate it.)
This book tells the story of a woman who succeeds in saving both herself and her love from a serious matrimonial crisis, finally creating a secure family. This book, along with Jenny, placed Undset more or less clearly apart from the incipient women's emancipation movement in Europe, as viewing the issues of women and family from a distinctly different perspective.
Fortællinger om kong Arthur og ridderne av det runde bord (1915).
A historical novel.
De kloge jomfruer (1918).
(The Wise Virgins, short stories. )
In these three stories, Sigrid Undset addresses relationships: man and woman, mother and child. She paints an honest, unvarnished picture of life and of people, but underneath the almost brutal honesty lies real warmth and compassion for her fellow human beings.
Little Girls is a gem of a children’s story; cheerful and melancholy at the same time, it is the story of two best friends. Thjodolf is the moving and upsetting story of Helene Johansen’s love for the little boy she has taken under her wings, but then has to send away. Gunvald and Emma tells the story of a sturdy and reliable worker in Kristiania and his marriage to two different women, as dissimilar as night and day. Klara, who is the first, is a lively, warm woman, but careless and irresponsible, while Emma is the perfect image of the good and faithful mother and wife.
Et kvindesynspunkt (1919).
(Essays.)
Shows the complexity and depth of Undset's positions concerning the role of, in particular, women. On the one hand, Undset discusses, among other things, the roles of females as mothers, wife's, and housekeepers. This did not go down to well with the feminists of the time. On the other hand, she remarks, in her essays, that the prophets of sexuality as biology robbed sexuality of its meaning and beauty.
Katholsk propaganda (1927).
(Oslo : Aschehoug.) Essays.
Etapper (1929).
(Oslo : Aschehoug.) Essays.
Stages on the Road (1933).
(Norwegian title: Etapper : ny række, Oslo: Aschehoug.)( New York : Knopf, 1934.) Autobiographical essays.
Madame Dorthea (1939).
(Oslo : Aschehoug, 1939, first published in English in 1940, Alfred A. Knopf, New York.) Madame Dorthea has a great life, with children and a good husband. When the husband dies, her life changes fundamentally, and she has to adapt to the new situation.
Return To the Future (1942).
(Norwegian title: Tilbake til fremtiden, Oslo : Aschehoug, 1945 first published 1942 by Alfred A. Knopf, New York, latest edition by Scandinavian Marketplace,   Hastings, Minnesota). The passionate journal of Undset's courageous flight to freedom during World War II:
"Can it surprise anyone that we hate with full and passionate hearts the strangers who now destroy with lawlessness, the country which we have built up with law through thousands of years?"
In 1940, when Norway was brutally invaded by Nazi Germany, Sigrid Undset fled to Sweden, across Russia to Japan, and finally to the United States. She worked passionately for the underground resistance movement. This book depicts the pain, the human frailties of life, her passion for freedom, and her vision for an unknown future.
Happy Days (1942).
(Norwegian title: Lykkelige dager, Oslo : Aschehoug (1947), first published 1942 by Alfred A. Knopf, New York.) (Memoirs.) Happy Days in Norway is written for an American audience. Undset tells of the happy time with her children at Bjerkebæk in Lillehammer in peacetime.
Sigurd and His Brave Companions : a Tale of Medieval Norway, 1943
(Norwegian title: Sigurd og hans tapre venner. Oslo: Aschehoug, New York : Knopf.) 11 year old Sigurd Jonsson and his two riends, Ivar and Helge Arnesson, grow up on a large farm in the country of Telemark around the year 1255. One day they see something that sets in motion a series of events which change their lives forever.
(Norwegian title: Caterina av Siena, Oslo : Aschehoug, New York : Sheed & Ward, 1954. New Norwegian edition by Aschehoug in 2007.) Biography. Catherine of Siena was a visionary and courageous Italian woman who worked, among other things, for reforms in the Church and to promote the Crusades.
3. Other writings by Sigrid Undset:
Sankt Halvards liv, død og jærtegn. – Oslo : Aschehoug, 1925
Hellig Olav, Norges konge (essays) 1930
To europeiske helgener. – Oslo : Aschehoug, 1933
Elleve aar (Eleven Years) (autobiography) 1934: American English ("The Longest Years" first published 1934 by Alfred A. Knopf, New York<
Literature (a selection)
Norske helgener (history) 1937
Selvportretter og landskapsbilleder (history) 1938
"Klosterliv - På pilegrimsferd - Sognekirken" (I «Norsk kulturhistorie II») 1939
Artikler og taler fra krigstiden (essays) 1952
Sten Steensen Blicher (cultural history) 1957
Sigurd og hans tapre venner (novel for young adults) 1965 (Sigurd and His Brave Companions): American English ("Sigurd and his Brave Companions" first published 1943 by Alfred A. Knopf, New York),
I grålysningen (novel) 1968
Kjære Dea (Dear Dea) (letters) 1979
Fred på jorden (short stories) 1992
Essays og artikler (1): 1910-1919. Oslo: Aschehoug: 2004.
Essays og artikler (2): 1920-1929. Oslo: Aschehoug: 2006.
Essays og artikler (3): 1930-1939. Oslo: Aschehoug: 2007.
4. Biographies and other materials about Sigrid Undset
Anderson, Giske: Sigrid Undset.
(Oslo: Gyldendal: 2003)
(Olso : Aschehoug, 1994)
(1970)
Bliksrud, Liv: Natur og normer hos Sigrid Undset. Oslo : Aschehoug: 1995
(Oslo, Gyldendal: 2007, in Norwegian) Good presenation of the person, the writen and the public discussant Sigrid Undset.
Deschamps, Nicole: Sigrid Undset ou la morale de la passion. Montréal : Presses univ. de Montreal, 1966
Gustafson, A. (1940): Six Scandinavian Novelists.
Maman, Marie: Sigrid Undset in America: An Annotated Bibliography and Research Guide. (Reviews). (book review): An article from: Scandinavian Studies . Lanham, MD : Scarecrow, 2000
Oftestad, Bernt T.: Sigrid Undset : modernitet og katolisisme. Olso : Universitetsforlaget, 2003.
Ragde, Anne B. Sigrid Undset.
(Oslo: Gyldendal Tiden: 2001, in Norwegian)  A great biography about the person and author, with references to and discussions of the her works. Ragde manages to make the person Sigrid Undset come alive. Recommended.
Bestill Ragdes Sigrid Undset fra Bokkilden.
Sigrun Slapgard:
Sigrid Undset: Dikterdronningen.
Oslo: Gyldendal. (In Norwegian only) Focuses on the author's life rather than her writiings. Discusses her early life in Kristiania, her stay in roman, and other important parts of her life.
Bestill Sigrid Undset: Dikterdronningen fra Bokkilden!
Elisabeth Solbakken (1992): Redefining Integrity: The Portrayal of Women in the Contemporary Novels of Sigrid Undset (Europaische Hochschulschriften Reihe I, Deutsche Sprache Und Literatur) .
Steen, Ellisiv: Kristin Lavransdatter : en kritisk studie. Oslo: Aschehoug, 1959.
Thorn, Finn: Sigrid Undset : kristentro og kirkesyn. Oslo : Aschehoug, 1975
Winsnes, A.H.: Sigrid Undset - A Study in Christian Realism . (1953, reprinted 1970; originally published in Norwegian, 1949).
Vinde, V.(1930): Sigrid Undset
Ørjasæter, Tordis: Menneskenes hjerter : Sigrid Undset – en livshistorie. Oslo : Aschehoug, 1993.
Seymour-Smith M. and A.C. Kimmens (eds.): World Authors 1900-1950. (1996);
5. Films based on Undset's works:
Liv Ullmann played the title role in a 1982 mini-series based on Undset's novel Jenny.
Ullmann also wrote and directed a three-hour film based on Kristin Lavransdatter in 1995, which was wildly popular in Norway but poorly-received beyond the Scandinavian Peninsula.
6. Online sources about Sigrid Undset:
A good online Undset biography can be found here.
Here is another good link.
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