Kristin Lavransdatter – Kransen

by Sigrid Undset, Peder Hesselaa (Translator)

Kristin Lavransdatter er beretningen om den smukke Kristins liv fra fødsel til død i middelalderens Norge, et liv præget af stor kærlighed, fortvivlelse og dyb tro. Kristin er en stolt kvinde, født med et usædvanligt varmt, krævende og gavmildt sind.

Kristin Lavransdatters forældre har bestemt, at hun skal gifte sig med Simon Andressøn, søn af en ridder og et godt parti tillige. Men inden giftemålet må Kristin på grund af sin unge alder tilbringe et år i kloster i Oslo. Her møder hun den smukke Erlend Nikulaussøn, ridder og af ædel byrd. De forelsker sig inderligt i hinanden, og Kristin ved, at det er Erland hun vil tilbringe sit liv med. Derfor er det med sorg i hjertet, at hun trodser sine forældre og bryder sit ægteskabsløfte til Simon.

Kristin og Erland gifter sig og får sammen otte sønner. Men hele sit liv kæmper Kirstin med en stor skyldfølelse overfor både sine forældre og Gud.

Fortællingen om Kristin Lavransdatter skildrer slægten op gennem generationer med Norges historie og natur omkring år 1300 som fængslende baggrund.

KRANSEN er første bind i Sigrid Undsets trilogi om Kristin Lavransdatter, der yderligere består af romanerne Husfrue og Korset. Trilogien udkom i perioden 1920-22 og blev filmatiseret af Liv Ullman i 1996.

"De tre bind er på tilsammen næsten 1000 sider – men romanen taber ikke på noget tidspunkt højde. Handlingen er medrivende og dramatisk. Her er stor og vedvarende kærlighed – mellem kvinde og mand, mellem forældre og børn, mellem venner. Her er sorg, lidelse og død. Her er svigt og sammenhold. Personerne er sammensatte – de er overbevisende beskrevet som mennesker på godt og ondt." - Litteratursiden

"Kristin Lavransdatter er en lyst for læseren, og den er en af de romaner, som man vender tilbage til mange gange i sit liv. Det skyldes nok, at romanen, selv om den er en historisk roman, i så høj grad også er styret af det moderne menneskes - især den moderne kvindes - længsler." - Forfatterweb

"Historien om Kristin Lavransdatter er et af de smukkeste kvindeportrætter i verdenslitteraturen." - Gitte Raaschou, bibliotekar

Sigrid Undset (1882-1949) blev født i Kalundborg og opvoksede i Norge. Hun modtog nobelprisen i litteratur i 1928.

Kindle Edition

Published March 20, 2015

About the author

Sigrid Undset was a Norwegian novelist whose powerful, psychologically rich works made her one of the most significant literary figures of the 20th century. Best known for her medieval sagas Kristin Lavransdatter and The Master of Hestviken, she was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1928 for her vivid portrayals of life in the Middle Ages, written with remarkable historical detail and emotional depth.

Born in Denmark to Norwegian parents, Undset spent most of her life in Norway. After her father's early death, she had to forgo formal education and worked as a secretary while writing in her spare time. Her debut novel Fru Marta Oulie (1907) shocked readers with its opening confession of adultery and established her bold, realist style. In early works like ,i>Jenny (1911), she explored modern women's struggles with love, freedom, and morality, often critiquing romantic idealism and social expectations.

Though she gained recognition for her contemporary novels, Undset felt increasingly drawn to historical fiction. This shift led to her masterwork Kristin Lavransdatter, a trilogy published from 1920 to 1922, which follows the life of a woman in 14th-century Norway as she navigates love, faith, motherhood, and spiritual growth. With its intricate character development and deep moral themes, the trilogy brought her international acclaim and remains a cornerstone of Scandinavian literature.

In 1924, Undset converted to Roman Catholicism, a profound personal decision that shaped her later writing. Her tetralogy,i>The Master of Hestviken (1925–1927) centers on a man burdened by unconfessed guilt, offering a deeply spiritual and psychological portrait of sin and redemption. Her Catholic faith and concern with ethical questions became central to her work and public life.

A vocal critic of both communism and fascism, Undset fled Norway after the Nazi invasion in 1940. Her books were banned by the occupying regime, and she lived in exile in the United States during the war, advocating for Norway and the Allied cause. The loss of her son in the war deeply affected her, and although she returned home after the war, she published little in her final years.

Undset’s legacy rests not only on her historical novels but also on her fearless exploration of conscience, duty, and the human condition. Her characters—especially her women—are fully realized, flawed, and emotionally complex. Her writing combines psychological insight with stylistic clarity and spiritual depth, making her work enduringly relevant and widely read.