New Releases by Sigrid Undset

"Nordisk jul" er en samling af nordiske julefortællinger. Nogle af Nordens største fortællere beretter her om alt, der vedrører julen. Der er opbyggelige fortællinger om medmenneskelighed, mirakler og tro, mørkere og hjerteskærende fortællinger, der minder os om vigtigheden af medmenneskelighed i julen, fortællinger, hvor gamle fjendskaber sættes til side, så der opstår en mulighed for forsoning og forståelse julenat, fortællinger om julens forventninger, skuffelser og glæder, om julegilder, juleforberedelser og ikke mindst julegaver. Glædelig jul! Indhold: Den hellige nat – Hulda Lütken En juleaften – Marie Bregendahl Et julegilde – Knut Hamsun Fred på jorden – Selma Lagerlöf I juletravlheden – Marie Bregendahl I kupéen – Victoria Benedictsson Julefred – Sigrid Undset Julegaver – Herman Bang Karens jul – Amalie Skram Legenden om juleroserne – Selma Lagerlöf Pelsen – Hjalmar Söderberg

Cristina Lavransdatter, al cumplir quince años de edad, es prometida en casamiento a Simón Andresseon, hombre de rica herencia. Lavrans Bjoergulfsoen, padre de Cristina, es un hombre honorable, justo, y apreciado por todos aquellos que lo conocen. Desea lo mejor para su hija y su descendencia. Pero estos anhelos se verán puestos en cuestión por Cristina, una joven tan apasionada como rebelde, que desafiará los deseos paternos. Internada en un convento, su vida cambiará para siempre cuando en una escapada conoce al tenaz y encantador Erlend. Sumérgete en el corazón de la Edad Media con la obra maestra de Sigrid Undset, considerada una de las mejores novelas históricas del siglo XX. Cristina, hija de Lavrans cuenta la vida desde la niñez hasta la muerte de uno de los personajes más complejos y vigorosos de la literatura universal. Niña sagaz, joven apasionada, esposa ardorosa, madre impetuosa y creyente devota, su periplo atraviesa todo el siglo XIV, un tiempo en el que la fe, el pecado, la culpa, el honor, las promesas, los odios, las pasiones, las traiciones, las lealtades y el amor conjugaban un mundo cuyas tragedias y alegrías se vivían con la plenitud de quienes se sabían hijos de Dios. «[Mi heroína favorita de ficción] es la tenaz, sensual, devastadora y, en definitiva, sólida Cristina Lavransdatter, de Sigrid Undset. La trilogía de Cristina merece muchas relecturas. De inmediato, uno se identifica de alguna manera con esta hija de la Noruega medieval; pronto uno la compadece en sus sufrimientos. (...) Su fe y lealtad la hacen muy hermosa para mí». William T. Vollman The New York Times

Nobel Prize winner Sigrid Undset presents an acclaimed biography of St. Catherine of Siena, a seminal 14th century woman of the Catholic Church. Undset''s biography of this remarkable saint is a compelling and inspirational read.

Memoarboken Elva år (1934) är Sigrid Undsets barndomsminnen från uppväxten i Kristiania. Staden ses genom författarens barnaögon och de vuxnas problem förstås och förmedlas genom barnet. Men här ryms även lek och bekymmerslös livsglädje. Sigrid Undset (1882–1949) debuterade 1907 med dagboksromanen Fru Marta Oulie, men är mest känd för sina historiska romaner, allra främst Kristin Lavransdotter. Hon tilldelades Nobelpriset i litteratur 1928.

Originally published in Norwegian in 1920 and set in fourteenth-century Norway, The Wreath chronicles the courtship of a headstrong and passionate young woman and a dangerously charming and impetuous man. Undset re-creates the historical backdrop in vivid detail, immersing readers in the day-to-day life, social conventions, and political undercurrents of the period. Her prose combines the sounds and style of Nordic ballads, European courtly poetry, and religious literature. But the story Undset tells is a modern one; it mirrors post-World War I political and religious anxieties, and introduces a heroine who has long captivated contemporary readers. Defying her parents and stubbornly pursuing her own happiness, Kristin emerges as a woman who not only loves with power and passion but intrepidly confronts her sexuality.

"Det året Kristin fyllde femton år på våren stämde Lavrans Björgulfsson och riddar Andres Gudmundsson av Dyfrin möte på Holledis ting. De avtalade då att Andres andre son, Simon, skulle fästa Kristin Lavransdotter och få Formo, som var herr Andres arvegård på mödernet." Kristin Lavransdotter är Sigrid Undsets stora historiska romantrilogi som utspelas i Gudbrandsdalen på 1300-talet. I den första delen, Kransen (1920), följer vi den unga Kristin som blir lovad till faderns vän Simon Darre. Men under sin tid som ungsyster i klosterskolan råkar hon en dag illa ut och räddas i sista stund av den stilige riddaren Erlend. Kristin blir förälskad, trots att den högättade unge mannens rykte är tvivelaktigt och att deras förhållande riskerar att få våldsamma konsekvenser för deras respektive familjer. Med Kristin Lavransdotter fick Sigrid Undset sitt stora internationella genombrott och erhöll kort därefter Nobelpriset med motiveringen "förnämligast för hennes mäktiga skildringar ur Nordens medeltida liv". Nu presenteras hela trilogin i en efterlängtad nyöversättning av Gun-Britt Sundström, som även skrivit förordet. "Kristin Lavransdotter är ju känd som en av världens största kärleksromaner, men den är större än så. Visst är den erotiska passionen ett bärande tema, men märkvärdigare ändå är skildringen av kärlek till barnen (konkret, sensuellt beskriven så underligt sällsynt i litteraturen) och hur den samspelar och konkurrerar med kärleken mellan föräldrarna. Det mästerliga är den stora väven av olika slags relationer." Ur Gun-Britt Sundströms förord.

Kristin Lavransdatter er beretningen om den smukke Kristins liv fra fødsel til død i middelalderens Norge, et liv præget af stor kærlighed, fortvivlelse og dyb tro. Kristin er en stolt kvinde, født med et usædvanligt varmt, krævende og gavmildt sind. Kristin Lavransdatters forældre har bestemt, at hun skal gifte sig med Simon Andressøn, søn af en ridder og et godt parti tillige. Men inden giftemålet må Kristin på grund af sin unge alder tilbringe et år i kloster i Oslo. Her møder hun den smukke Erlend Nikulaussøn, ridder og af ædel byrd. De forelsker sig inderligt i hinanden, og Kristin ved, at det er Erland hun vil tilbringe sit liv med. Derfor er det med sorg i hjertet, at hun trodser sine forældre og bryder sit ægteskabsløfte til Simon. Kristin og Erland gifter sig og får sammen otte sønner. Men hele sit liv kæmper Kirstin med en stor skyldfølelse overfor både sine forældre og Gud. Fortællingen om Kristin Lavransdatter skildrer slægten op gennem generationer med Norges historie og natur omkring år 1300 som fængslende baggrund. KRANSEN er første bind i Sigrid Undsets trilogi om Kristin Lavransdatter, der yderligere består af romanerne Husfrue og Korset. Trilogien udkom i perioden 1920-22 og blev filmatiseret af Liv Ullman i 1996. "De tre bind er på tilsammen næsten 1000 sider – men romanen taber ikke på noget tidspunkt højde. Handlingen er medrivende og dramatisk. Her er stor og vedvarende kærlighed – mellem kvinde og mand, mellem forældre og børn, mellem venner. Her er sorg, lidelse og død. Her er svigt og sammenhold. Personerne er sammensatte – de er overbevisende beskrevet som mennesker på godt og ondt." - Litteratursiden "Kristin Lavransdatter er en lyst for læseren, og den er en af de romaner, som man vender tilbage til mange gange i sit liv. Det skyldes nok, at romanen, selv om den er en historisk roman, i så høj grad også er styret af det moderne menneskes - især den moderne kvindes - længsler." - Forfatterweb "Historien om Kristin Lavransdatter er et af de smukkeste kvindeportrætter i verdenslitteraturen." - Gitte Raaschou, bibliotekar Sigrid Undset (1882-1949) blev født i Kalundborg og opvoksede i Norge. Hun modtog nobelprisen i litteratur i 1928.

Kristin Lavransdatter er beretningen om den smukke Kristins liv fra fødsel til død i middelalderens Norge, et liv præget af stor kærlighed, fortvivlelse og dyb tro. Kristin er en stolt kvinde, født med et usædvanligt varmt, krævende og gavmildt sind. Kristin Lavransdatters forældre har bestemt, at hun skal gifte sig med Simon Andressøn, søn af en ridder og et godt parti tillige. Men inden giftemålet må Kristin på grund af sin unge alder tilbringe et år i kloster i Oslo. Her møder hun den smukke Erlend Nikulaussøn, ridder og af ædel byrd. De forelsker sig inderligt i hinanden, og Kristin ved, at det er Erland hun vil tilbringe sit liv med. Derfor er det med sorg i hjertet, at hun trodser sine forældre og bryder sit ægteskabsløfte til Simon. Kristin og Erland gifter sig og får sammen otte sønner. Men hele sit liv kæmper Kirstin med en stor skyldfølelse overfor både sine forældre og Gud. Fortællingen om Kristin Lavransdatter skildrer slægten op gennem generationer med Norges historie og natur omkring år 1300 som fængslende baggrund. HUSFRUE er andet bind i Sigrid Undsets trilogi om Kristin Lavransdatter, der yderligere består af romanerne Kransen og Korset. Trilogien udkom i perioden 1920-22 og blev filmatiseret af Liv Ullman i 1996. Sigrid Undset (1882-1949) blev født i Kalundborg og opvoksede i Norge. Hun modtog nobelprisen i litteratur i 1928. Det skrev anmelderne om Kristin Lavrandsdatter: "De tre bind er på tilsammen næsten 1000 sider – men romanen taber ikke på noget tidspunkt højde. Handlingen er medrivende og dramatisk. Her er stor og vedvarende kærlighed – mellem kvinde og mand, mellem forældre og børn, mellem venner. Her er sorg, lidelse og død. Her er svigt og sammenhold. Personerne er sammensatte – de er overbevisende beskrevet som mennesker på godt og ondt." - Litteratursiden "Kristin Lavransdatter er en lyst for læseren, og den er en af de romaner, som man vender tilbage til mange gange i sit liv. Det skyldes nok, at romanen, selv om den er en historisk roman, i så høj grad også er styret af det moderne menneskes - især den moderne kvindes - længsler." - Forfatterweb "historien om Kristin Lavransdatter er et af de smukkeste kvindeportrætter i verdenslitteraturen." - Gitte Raaschou, bibliotekar

""I have been unfaithful to my husband." Marta Oulie''s opening line scandalized Norwegian readers in 1907. And yet, Sigrid Undset had a gift for depicting modern women "sympathetically but with merciless truthfulness," as the Swedish Academy noted in awarding her the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1928. At the time she was one of the youngest recipients and only the third woman so honored. It was Undset''s honest story of a young woman''s love life--"the immoral kind," as she herself bluntly put it--that made her first novel an instant sensation in Norway. Marta Oulie, written in the form of a diary, intimately documents the inner life of a young woman disappointed and constrained by the conventions of marriage as she longs for an all-consuming passion. Set in Kristiania (now Oslo) at the beginning of the twentieth century, Undset''s book is an incomparable psychological portrait of a woman whose destiny is defined by the changing mores of her day--as she descends, inevitably, into an ever-darker reckoning. Remarkably, though Undset''s other works have attracted generations of readers, Marta Oulie has never before appeared in English translation. Tiina Nunnally, whose award-winning translation of Undset''s Kristin Lavransdatter captured the author''s beautifully clear style, conveys the voice of Marta Oulie with all the stark poignancy of the original Norwegian."--

Happy Times in Norway is a moving and delicately humorous picture of Sigrid Undset’s blissful home life before her nation fell to the Nazi occupation. Infused with the wish that those cherished days could return, Undset captures the excitement of a Norwegian Christmas, the Seventeenth of May, summer in the idyllic mountains, and the chaotic adventure of raising two energetic boys.

Inspired by tales of the hero Vilmund Vidutan and his fellow knights, Sigurd Jonsson and his young friends Ivar and Helge set out to reenact these exploits on their medieval Norwegian farm. But when the summer is nearly over, the three boys stumble into real trouble and must prove their courage in an adventure all their own.

In this heart-wrenching novel by Sigrid Undset, The Cross brings Kristin’s story to a close as the final years of her life are consumed by the Black Death, in the final installment in the well-known Norwegian trilogy, Kristin Lavransdatter. Kristin Lavransdatter has lost almost everything she loves. As the Black Death rapidly approaches Norway, she once again has to decide what is most important to her. Kristin grapples with her failing marriage and wavering faith while attempting to support eight sons. The once charmingly reckless characters are now facing their greatest challenge yet: the inevitability of their diminishing lives. Completing the trilogy, Sigrid Undset’s third Kristin Lavransdatter book was originally published in 1922. The author’s colourful depiction of 14th century Norway is continued in this final volume as she provides a fascinatingly accurate insight into medieval Scandinavia. Proudly republished by Read & Co. Books, this new edition of The Cross features an excerpt from Six Scandinavian Novelists by Alrik Gustafrom. An essential addition to the bookshelves of Kristen Lavransdatter fans, this volume is the perfect end to the classic Norwegian series.

Sigrid Undset is among the great modern writers of the twentieth century and was an adult convert to Catholicism. This forgotten treasure from the Nobel Prize–winning author of Kristin Lavransdatter is a fascinating collection of saints’ lives, a prophetic critique of modernity, and a surprisingly contemporary take on being Catholic—in particular a Catholic woman—in a sometimes-hostile secular world. Stages on the Road is a series of essays about the relationship between the Church and the modern world. In the spirit of G. K. Chesterton and C. S. Lewis, Undset points to inconsistencies, hypocrisies, and blind spots of the modern secular mindset by introducing readers to the stories of somewhat-forgotten Catholic figures like St. Angela Merici and the English martyrs Margaret Clitherow and Robert Southwell—people who stood fast to their faith in the face of both intellectual and political hostility. Undset tackles such topics as religious freedom, Christian/Muslim relations, and the vocation of women.

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.

Essays. Undertit.: 1910-1919. Dette er det første av fire bind med essays og artikler av Sigrid Undset. Vi kan her følge utviklingen i livet hennes og hvordan hun tenkte fra hun var 28 til hun var 37 år. Hun skriver blant annet om utlandet, om ekteskap, kjærlighet, forholdet mellom foreldre og barn og om forfattere hun selv satte pris på. 442 s. Ib. 2004.

The collection includes the great novel Jenny, two short stories and selected letters.

“[Sigrid Undset] should be the next Elena Ferrante.” —Slate A Penguin Classic Kristin Lavransdatter 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. For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.

The first historical novel by the Nobel Prize-winning author of Kristin Lavransdatter A Penguin Classic More than a decade before writing Kristin Lavransdatter, the trilogy about fourteenth-century Norway that won her the Nobel Prize, Sigrid Undset published Gunnar’s Daughter, a brief, swiftly moving tale about a more violent period of her country’s history, the Saga Age. 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 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 unremitting social code propels her to take the action that again destroys her happiness. First published in 1909, Gunnar''s Daughter was in part a response to the rise of nationalism and Norway''s search for a national identity in its Viking past. But unlike most of the Viking-inspired art of its period, Gunnar''s Daughter is not a historical romance. It is a skillful conversation between two historical moments about questions as troublesome in Undset''s own time—and in ours—as they were in the Saga Age: rape and revenge, civil and domestic violence, troubled marriages, and children made victims of their parents'' problems.

“[Sigrid Undset] should be the next Elena Ferrante.” —Slate A Penguin Classic Kristin Lavransdatter 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. For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.

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.

The four stories are Selma Broter, Thjodolf, Miss SmithTellefsen, and Simonsen.