The Life of Nobel-Prize-Winning Novelist Sigrid Undset

Undset wrote sagas of the soul, which revived Old Norse belief that whatever is gained is somehow balanced with a loss.

This photograph by Alvilde Torp shows Sigrid Undset sitting at the desk where she finished writing her Nobel-Prize-winning trilogy, "Kristin Lavransdatter." PD-US

Sigrid Undset was arguably the most successful female writer of her time, though her work isn’t particularly well-known in the United States. The Norwegian novelist wrote historical novels set in medieval Norway that find a delicate and absorbing balance between sweeping scope and psychological intimacy.

Undset rose to the pinnacle of her art form through long labor and painful personal trials. Her skill eventually garnered worldwide recognition when she received a Nobel Prize in literature in 1928. She even managed to achieve this peak artistic accomplishment while raising a family, experiencing exile, and working to support the national interests of Norway and Finland during and after World War II.