Sigrid Undset

Sigrid Undset (1882–1949) was a Norwegian writer. She was born in Kalundborg, Denmark, and grew up in Oslo. She made her debut in 1907 with the novel “Marta Oulie”; her literary breakthrough came with “Jenny” in 1911. She is best known for the historical novels “Kristin Lavransdatter” and “The Master of Hestviken” (“Olav Audunssøn”), which depict medieval life in the Nordic region. In 1928, she was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature, chiefly for her powerful descriptions of Northern life in the Middle Ages. An outspoken opponent of fascism, she fled to the United States in 1940 after the German occupation of Norway and returned after the Second World War.