The Wreath
In Kristin Lavransdatter (1920-1922), Sigrid Undset interweaves political, social, and religious history with the daily aspects of family life to create a colorful, richly detailed tapestry of Norway during the fourteenth-century. The trilogy, however, is more than a journey into the past....
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In Kristin Lavransdatter (1920-1922), Sigrid Undset interweaves political, social, and religious history with the daily aspects of family life to create a colorful, richly detailed tapestry of Norway during the fourteenth-century. The trilogy, however, is more than a journey into the past. Undset's own life—her familiarity with Norse sagas and folklore and with a wide range of medieval literature, her experiences as a daughter, wife, and mother, and her deep religious faith—profoundly influenced her writing. Her grasp of the connections between past and present and of human nature itself, combined with the extraordinary quality of her writing, sets her works far above the genre of "historical novels." This new translation by Tina Nunnally—the first English version since Charles Archer's translation in the 1920s—captures Undset's strengths as a stylist. Nunnally, an award-winning translator, retains the natural dialog and lyrical flow of the original Norwegian, with its echoes of Old Norse legends, while deftly avoiding the stilted language and false archaisms of Archer's translation. In addition, she restores key passages left out of that edition. Undset's ability to present a meticulously accurate historical portrait without sacrificing the poetry and narrative drive of masterful storytelling was particularly significant in her homeland. Granted independence in 1905 after five hundred years of foreign domination, Norway was eager to reclaim its national history and culture. Kristin Lavransdatter became a touchstone for Undset's contemporaries, and continues to be widely read by Norwegians today. In the more than 75 years since it was first published, it has also become a favorite throughout the world.
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Format: paperback
ISBN:
9780141180410 (0141180412)
Publish date: December 1st 1997
Publisher: Penguin Classics
Pages no: 305
Edition language: English
Category:
Classics,
Novels,
Literature,
European Literature,
Book Club,
Historical Fiction,
Romance,
Literary Fiction,
Medieval,
Womens,
Scandinavian Literature
Series: Kristin Lavransdatter (#1)
This trilogy has been on my to-read list for years, but motivating myself to read a 1100-page classic novel isn’t easy. Finally I decided to simply read the first book, which is just under 300 pages long. It worked, and got me interested enough that I’m now halfway through the second. Turns out this...
I really do try to be stingy with five star ratings--this came close. Sigrid Undset was one of the first women writers to win the Nobel Prize for literature--and the Kristin Lavransdatter trilogy following the life of a 14th century woman more than any work is where she made her reputation. The Wrea...
Ok, first off I didn't finish this book, not even close.Second, I LIKE this book, but...Every time I picked it up, I sat down determined to catch up to the lovely people in the group I was reading it with. However, 10 minutes later, the book would make me so tense I was like one of those unpopular p...
1.5 starsI was bored out of my mind and I skipped a lot.
I have tried to open this up several times and have cast it to one side everytime. This time around though I am reading with Wanda and Hayes so I should be compelled to get further than the first 20 pages. Our groupette is here, not sure why it has to be invite only, however it will suit to cover an...