THE UNKNOWN SIGRID UNDSET

The early work of the great Norwegian Nobel laureate (1882–1949) is showcased in this attractive collection of Undset’s fiction and correspondence. The latter is represented by letters to a lifelong “pen pal,” in which the fledgling realist reveals her literary ambition, unabashed feminism, and determination “to be, a woman artist, and not a pen-wielding lady.” This credo is fulfilled in the naturalistic tales “Simonsen” (an aging widower’s second chance at happiness is frustrated by his disapproving son) and “Thjodolf” (a moving portrayal of a selfless foster mother who’s betrayed by those who exploit her simple loving nature). Undset’s first full-length novel, Jenny (1911), newly translated by Nunnally, is more problematic: a frank analysis of a young woman painter’s conflicted pursuit of artistic and personal freedom and domestic fulfillment, it’s a vivid and energetic work, though rather too relentlessly downbeat to be the realistic masterpiece some have called it.

Nevertheless, Jenny and this welcome volume offer a refreshing new perspective on the woman who wrote Kristin Lavransdatter.