Sigrid Undset

Born in Kalundborg, Denmark, on May 20, 1882, she moved to Norway as a child and grew up there. She worked in an office for years before establishing herself as a writer, and she went on to become one of Norway’s most celebrated novelists.

She received the 1928 Nobel Prize in Literature, recognized especially for her powerful portrayals of life in the Nordic Middle Ages. She is best known for Kristin Lavransdatter, published in three parts from 1920 to 1922, and also for the medieval novel cycle Olav Audunssøn.

During World War II, after opposing Nazi occupation, she fled Norway and spent part of the war years in the United States before returning home. She died in Lillehammer, Norway, on June 10, 1949.