(Think how smart I’ll sound when “A Guide for Reading Sigrid Undset” is credited to my writing!!) “ There! You’ll sound smarter already when that comes tripping off your tongue in an attempt to impress your bookish friends. Her last name simply means Lawrence’s daughter and it pronounced almost just like that, but with a “v. The title is the name of the woman whose fictional life the story follows. (I’m not sure anyone ever really does read it again, it being so traumatic). Well, they won’t wreck you as much as this one will upon your first reading of it. The good news is, if you’ve read Kristin Lavransdatter, the rest will be easy.

Other people who share the goal of looking well-read will be using this author to try to impress you, so you’ll be wise to read several of her works. You must read it because, let’s face it, it’s one of those books, written by one of those authors that will make you look really smart when you throw their names around.īecause Sigrid Undset was Norwegian, you will be reading a translation (there are two: the just-tell-me-the-story version and the I-want-to-feel-like-I’m-reading-a-real-medieval-saga version). Not only because it will get deeply into you and you will never really get over it. Not only because the author was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1928 largely for this work. There’s very little you can do about this, but read it you must. My advice was that she must-even knowing that ten years hence she will probably pull it out of the chest she has locked it in just to throw it against the wall once more.

One friend who was nearing the end of the first volume (of three, written in 1920 – 1922), said that, though it was very good, it was so hard to endure all that the protagonist was putting her through that she wondered if she should continue with the next two. But let me warn you, you’re going to wonder if it was really a good idea. You’ll probably begin with Kristin Lavransdatter because everyone will make you feel like you ought to have read it already. Sigrid Undset is a woman, by the way, and a major Norwegian author of the early twentieth century.

If you must read Sigrid Undset-and I recommend you do-you’d better be prepared.

Kristin lavransdatter catholic