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| Olav Audunssøn : I. Vows
ISBN: 9781452965895
Platform/Publisher: Ebook Central / University of Minnesota Press
Digital rights: Users: Unlimited; Printing: Limited; Download: 7 Days at a Time
Subjects: Literature;
This sweeping epic of 13th-century Norway by Nobel winner Undset (1882--1949), the first in a tetralogy, sets a love story against the country's upheaval. The bonds of kinship supersede the laws of church and state in Undset's story, which begins with the betrothal of two children, Olav Audunsson and Ingunn Steinfinssdatter, aged seven and six. After Olav's father, Audun Ingolfssøn, dies from an illness, Olav is raised by Steinfinn Toressøn on the remote mountain estate of Frettastein, where Olav becomes Ingunn's foster brother and is expected to marry Ingunn when the children come of age. As young adults, Olav and Ingunn fall in love, only to learn that the dying Steinfinn is no longer in a position to protect the agreement he made with Audun. When the new masters of Frettastein refuse Olav's suit for Ingunn, the young couple escape to seek protection from a bishop, setting in motion a series of dramatic events. Modern readers may chafe at the characterization of Ingunn as weak and "in need of the protection and support of men," but Undset brings the setting to life with rich descriptions of the natural world, well-captured in Nunnally's stunning translation. Those interested in Norse history will appreciate this modern classic of Norwegian literature. (Nov.)
Sigrid Undset (1882-1949) was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1928, primarily for her epic novels set in Norway during the Middle Ages (the trilogy Kristin Lavransdatter , published in 1920-22, and the tetralogy Olav Audunssøn , which followed in 1925-27). She was a prolific writer of contemporary novels, essays, newspaper articles, autobiographical works, and children's stories. During World War II she lived in Brooklyn and wrote passionately about Norway's plight and the grim situation in Europe. She returned to her home, Bjerkebæk, in Lillehammer, Norway, and in 1947 she was awarded Norway's highest honor, the Grand Cross of the Order of Saint Olav for her "distinguished literary work and for her service to her country."
Tiina Nunnally is the award-winning translator of many works of Scandinavian literature, including Sigrid Undset's Marta Oulie (Minnesota, 2014) and Kristin Lavransdatter , which was awarded the PEN/Book-of-the-Month Club translation prize. She has translated fairy tales by Hans Christian Andersen, Swede Hollow by Ola Larsmo (Minnesota, 2019), and The Complete and Original Norwegian Folktales of Asbjørnsen and Moe (Minnesota, 2019). In 2013 she was appointed Knight of the Royal Norwegian Order of Merit for her efforts on behalf of Norwegian literature abroad. |
