From Nobel Prize winning author Sigrid Undset, The Garland is a captivating coming-of-age story set to the vivid backdrop of 14th-century Norway. This classic romance novel is the first installment in the much-loved Kristin Lavransdatter trilogy.Kristin Lavransdatter is the headstrong daughter of a noble Norwegian family who does her best to rebel against them at every opportunity. When she is sent to be straightened out at a nunnery, Kristin’s li...

WHEN the lands and goods of Ivar Gjesling the younger, of Sundbu, were divided after his death in 1306, his lands in Sil of Gudbrandsdal fell to his daughter Ragnfrid and her husband Lavrans Björgulfsön. Up to then they had lived on Lavrans’ manor of Skog at Follo near Oslo; but now they moved up to Jörundgaard at the top of the open lands of Sil. Lavrans was of the stock that was known in this country as the Lagmandssons. It had come here from Sweden with that Laurentius, Lagmand of East ...

Jenny Winge, a young Norwegian painter, seeks inspiration by joining a community of artists in Rome. But her world begins to unravel with the arrival of Helge Gram, a younger Norwegian whose romantic attention she accepts despite growing evidence of a mismatch. This precipitates a series of romantic crises that explore whether artistic ambition and moral idealism can coexist with romantic love. Sigrid Undset (died 1949) was an influential writer of the modernist period. Their work has endu...

"Jenny" is a poignant and introspective novel that delves into the life of its titular character, Jenny. Set in early 20th-century Norway, the story follows Jenny’s experiences and personal growth as she navigates the complexities of her life and relationships.The novel begins with Jenny as a young woman who is trying to find her place in a world that often seems indifferent or hostile. She grapples with her ambitions, romantic relationships, and the societal expectations placed upon her. ...

"The Bridal Wreath" is the first book in Undset's "Kristin Lavransdatter" trilogy, which is set in medieval Norway. The novel follows the life of Kristin Lavransdatter, a young woman of noble birth, as she navigates the complexities of love, family, and societal expectations.The story begins with Kristin's childhood and early adolescence, exploring her relationships with her family and the societal pressures she faces. As she grows older, Kristin falls in love with a man who is not conside...

As Helge Gram turned the corner into Via Condotti in the dusk a military band came down the street playing “The Merry Widow” in such a crazy, whirling time that it sounded like wild bugle calls. The small, dark soldiers rushed past in the cold afternoon, more like a Roman cohort intent on attacking barbarian hosts than peaceful men returning to their barracks for supper. That was perhaps the cause of their haste, Helge thought, smiling to himself, for as he stood there watching them, his c...

Immerse yourself in the tumultuous story of head-strong Kristin as she battles through life in medieval Norway. From the beloved Norwegian author Sigrid Undset, this richly detailed trilogy features all three books in the Kristin Lavransdatter series.Set in 14th-century Norway, Kristin is rebellious and determined to live by her own rules, often disobeying her parents and ignoring others’ warnings. From forbidden love to balancing motherhood with inner con...

Jenny (1911) is a novel by Norwegian writer Sigrid Undset. Published during the author’s social realist phase, a period in which her writing focused on the lives of everyday Norwegians, Jenny is a moving portrait of idealism and ambition and a tragic tale of talent gone to seed. Although Undset’s later fiction—inspired by her conversion to Catholicism—won her the 1928 Nobel Prize in Literature, her earlier work has remained essential to her legacy.Finding herself ...

The second volume in the classic Kristin Lavransdatter trilogy, The Mistress of Husaby continues the story of Kristin’s eventful life as she adjusts to newly married life and the troubles of motherhood in medieval Norway.Opening with Kristin’s arrival at her new home, Husaby, Sigrid Undset’s novel explores the tribulations of a new family life against the stunning backdrop of 14th-century Norway. Kristin realises that married life is not all she h...

Jenny Winge, a young Norwegian artist, lives abroad in Rome at the turn of the twentieth century, socialising with fellow Bohemian expats and aspiring to a life of passionate creative work and personal integrity. When another Norwegian seeking freedom from the austere Protestant atmosphere at home enters her circle, she finds herself succumbing to a desire for affection and companionship that leads her to compromise her ideals. One failed relationship leads to another and soon Jenny is pre...

From the Nobel Prize winning author of Norway’s beloved Kristin Lavransdatter trilogy, Jenny is a classic romance novel that chronicles the haunting story of a young, aspiring painter as she makes her way through life.Jenny Winge is a talented young Norwegian woman who dreams of professionalising her passion for painting. After moving to Rome to pursue her artistic goals, Jenny’s newfound freedom and friends, quickly slip from her grasp as she fal...

This collection, True and Untrue and Other Norse Tales, edited by Sigrid Undset and illustrated by Frederick T. Chapman, contains twenty-eight classic Norse narratives. They include the folkloric stories of ‘East O’ the Sun and West O’ the Moon’, ‘The Seven Foals’, ‘Why the Sea is Salt’, ‘The Squire’s Bride’, and ‘The Master Thief’. The tales are accompanied by the masterful artwork of Frederick T. Chapman; a book and Magazine illustrator, who contributed to numerous publications including...