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Kristin Lavransdatter, I: The Wreath

By Sigrid Undset
Introduction by Tiina Nunnally
Translated by Tiina Nunnally
Notes by Tiina Nunnally

By Sigrid Undset
Introduction by Tiina Nunnally
Translated by Tiina Nunnally
Notes by Tiina Nunnally

By Sigrid Undset
Illustrated by Jessica Hische
Translated by Tiina Nunnally

By Sigrid Undset
Illustrated by Jessica Hische
Translated by Tiina Nunnally

By Sigrid Undset
Introduction by Tiina Nunnally
Translated by Tiina Nunnally
Notes by Tiina Nunnally

By Sigrid Undset
Introduction by Tiina Nunnally
Translated by Tiina Nunnally
Notes by Tiina Nunnally

Best Seller

Part of The Kristin Lavransdatter Trilogy

Part of Penguin Drop Caps

Part of The Kristin Lavransdatter Trilogy

Category: Romance | Classic Fiction

Category: Romance

Category: Romance | Classic Fiction

Paperback $16.00

Dec 01, 1997 | ISBN 9780141180410

Hardcover $31.00

Aug 20, 2014 | ISBN 9780143124856

Ebook $10.99

Dec 01, 1997 | ISBN 9781101127766

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    Kristin Lavransdatter, I: The Wreath by Sigrid Undset
    Hardcover $31.00
    Aug 20, 2014 | ISBN 9780143124856

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    • $16.00

      Dec 01, 1997 | ISBN 9780141180410

      Buy from Other Retailers:

    • $31.00

      Aug 20, 2014 | ISBN 9780143124856

      Buy from Other Retailers:

    • Dec 01, 1997 | ISBN 9781101127766

      Buy from Other Retailers:

    Buy the Ebook:

    About Kristin Lavransdatter, I: The Wreath

    “[Sigrid Undset] should be the next Elena Ferrante.” —Slate

    A Penguin Classic

    Kristin Lavransdatter     interweaves political, social, and religious history with the daily aspects of family life to create a colorful, richly detailed tapestry of Norway during the fourteenth-century. The trilogy, however, is more than a journey into the past. Undset’s own life—her familiarity with Norse sagas and folklore and with a wide range of medieval literature, her experiences as a daughter, wife, and mother, and her deep religious faith—profoundly influenced her writing. Her grasp of the connections between past and present and of human nature itself, combined with the extraordinary quality of her writing, sets her works far above the genre of “historical novels.” This new translation by Tina Nunnally—the first English version since Charles Archer’s translation in the 1920s—captures Undset’s strengths as a stylist. Nunnally, an award-winning translator, retains the natural dialog and lyrical flow of the original Norwegian, with its echoes of Old Norse legends, while deftly avoiding the stilted language and false archaisms of Archer’s translation. In addition, she restores key passages left out of that edition.

    Undset’s ability to present a meticulously accurate historical portrait without sacrificing the poetry and narrative drive of masterful storytelling was particularly significant in her homeland. Granted independence in 1905 after five hundred years of foreign domination, Norway was eager to reclaim its national history and culture. Kristin Lavransdatter became a touchstone for Undset’s contemporaries, and continues to be widely read by Norwegians today. In the more than 75 years since it was first published, it has also become a favorite throughout the world.

    For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.

    About Kristin Lavransdatter, I: The Wreath

    From A to Z, the Penguin Drop Caps series collects 26 unique hardcovers—featuring cover art by Jessica Hische

    It all begins with a letter. Fall in love with Penguin Drop Caps, a new series of twenty-six collectible and hardcover editions, each with a type cover showcasing a gorgeously illustrated letter of the alphabet. In a design collaboration between Jessica Hische and Penguin Art Director Paul Buckley, the series features unique cover art by Hische, a superstar in the world of type design and illustration, whose work has appeared everywhere from Tiffany & Co. to Wes Anderson’s recent film Moonrise Kingdom to Penguin’s own bestsellers Committed and Rules of Civility. With exclusive designs that have never before appeared on Hische’s hugely popular Daily Drop Cap blog, the Penguin Drop Caps series launches with six perennial favorites to give as elegant gifts, or to showcase on your own shelves.

    U is for Undset. Set in fourteenth-century Norway, The Wreath, the first volume of Undset’s medieval trilogy begins the life story of Kristin Lavransdatter. Starting with Kristin’s childhood and continuing through her romance with Erlend Nikulaussøn, a dangerously charming and impetuous man, Undset re-creates the historical backdrop in vivid detail, immersing readers in the day-to-day life, social conventions, and political undercurrents of the period. But the story she tells is a modern one, brought to life with clarity and lyrical beauty in this remarkable translation by Tiina Nunnally.  Defying her parents and stubbornly pursuing her own happiness, Kristin emerges as a woman who loves with power and passion.

    About Kristin Lavransdatter, I: The Wreath

    “[Sigrid Undset] should be the next Elena Ferrante.” —Slate

    A Penguin Classic

    Kristin Lavransdatter     interweaves political, social, and religious history with the daily aspects of family life to create a colorful, richly detailed tapestry of Norway during the fourteenth-century. The trilogy, however, is more than a journey into the past. Undset’s own life—her familiarity with Norse sagas and folklore and with a wide range of medieval literature, her experiences as a daughter, wife, and mother, and her deep religious faith—profoundly influenced her writing. Her grasp of the connections between past and present and of human nature itself, combined with the extraordinary quality of her writing, sets her works far above the genre of “historical novels.” This new translation by Tina Nunnally—the first English version since Charles Archer’s translation in the 1920s—captures Undset’s strengths as a stylist. Nunnally, an award-winning translator, retains the natural dialog and lyrical flow of the original Norwegian, with its echoes of Old Norse legends, while deftly avoiding the stilted language and false archaisms of Archer’s translation. In addition, she restores key passages left out of that edition.

    Undset’s ability to present a meticulously accurate historical portrait without sacrificing the poetry and narrative drive of masterful storytelling was particularly significant in her homeland. Granted independence in 1905 after five hundred years of foreign domination, Norway was eager to reclaim its national history and culture. Kristin Lavransdatter became a touchstone for Undset’s contemporaries, and continues to be widely read by Norwegians today. In the more than 75 years since it was first published, it has also become a favorite throughout the world.

    For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.

    Reading Guide

    Reading Guide

    Reading Guide

    Also in The Kristin Lavransdatter Trilogy

    Kristin Lavransdatter
    Kristin Lavransdatter, III: The Cross

    Also in The Kristin Lavransdatter Trilogy

    Kristin Lavransdatter
    Kristin Lavransdatter, III: The Cross

    Also by Sigrid Undset

    Kristin Lavransdatter, II: The Wife
    Gunnar's Daughter
    In the Wilderness
    The Son Avenger
    The Axe
    See all books by Sigrid Undset

    Also by Sigrid Undset

    Kristin Lavransdatter
    Kristin Lavransdatter, III: The Cross
    Kristin Lavransdatter, II: The Wife
    Gunnar's Daughter
    In the Wilderness
    See all books by Sigrid Undset

    Also by Sigrid Undset

    Kristin Lavransdatter, II: The Wife
    Gunnar's Daughter
    In the Wilderness
    The Son Avenger
    The Axe
    See all books by Sigrid Undset

    About Sigrid Undset

    Sigrid Undset is a major figure in early-twentieth-century literature. A Norwegian born in Denmark in 1881, she worked with the Norwegian underground during the Second World War, fled to Sweden in 1940, and later came to the United States. She… More about Sigrid Undset

    About Sigrid Undset

    Sigrid Undset is a major figure in early-twentieth-century literature. A Norwegian born in Denmark in 1881, she worked with the Norwegian underground during the Second World War, fled to Sweden in 1940, and later came to the United States. She… More about Sigrid Undset

    About Jessica Hische

    Jessica Hische grew up in Pennsylvania. She currently lives in San Francisco, where she works as a letterer, illustrator, type designer, and relentless procrastiworker. Clients include Wes Anderson, Dave Eggers, The New York Times, Tiffany & Co., OXFAM America, McSweeney’s, American Express,… More about Jessica Hische

    About Sigrid Undset

    Sigrid Undset is a major figure in early-twentieth-century literature. A Norwegian born in Denmark in 1881, she worked with the Norwegian underground during the Second World War, fled to Sweden in 1940, and later came to the United States. She… More about Sigrid Undset

    Product Details

    Category: Romance | Classic Fiction

    Paperback | $16.00
    Published by Penguin Classics
    Dec 01, 1997 | 336 Pages | 5-1/16 x 7-3/4 | ISBN 9780141180410

    Category: Romance

    Hardcover | $31.00
    Published by Penguin Books
    Aug 20, 2014 | 352 Pages | 5-1/8 x 7-1/2 | ISBN 9780143124856

    Category: Romance | Classic Fiction

    Ebook | $10.99
    Published by Penguin Classics
    Dec 01, 1997 | 336 Pages | ISBN 9781101127766

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    Praise

    Winner of the 2012 Fifty Books/Fifty Covers show, organized by Design Observer in association with AIGA and Designers & Books

    Winner of the 2014 Type Directors Club Communication Design Award

    Praise for Kristin Lavransdatter:

    “A master…writing in a prose as vigorous, articulate and naturalistic as the novel it re-creates, Tiina Nunnally brilliantly captures a world both remote and strangely familiar.”
    –PEN/Book-of-the-Month Club Translation Prize citation
    Praise for Penguin Drop Caps:

    “[Penguin Drop Caps] convey a sense of nostalgia for the tactility and aesthetic power of a physical book and for a centuries-old tradition of beautiful lettering.”
    —Fast Company

    “Vibrant, minimalist new typographic covers…. Bonus points for the heartening gender balance of the initial selections.”
    —Maria Popova, Brain Pickings

    “The Penguin Drop Caps series is a great example of the power of design. Why buy these particular classics when there are less expensive, even free editions of Great Expectations? Because they’re beautiful objects. Paul Buckley and Jessica Hische’s fresh approach to the literary classics reduces the design down to typography and color. Each cover is foil-stamped with a cleverly illustrated letterform that reveals an element of the story. Jane Austen’s A (Pride and Prejudice) is formed by opulent peacock feathers and Charlotte Bronte’s B (Jane Eyre) is surrounded by flames. The complete set forms a rainbow spectrum prettier than anything else on your bookshelf.”
    —Rex Bonomelli, The New York Times

    “Drool-inducing.”
    —Flavorwire

    “Classic reads in stunning covers—your book club will be dying.”
    —Redbook

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