When the final volume of Kristin Lavransdatter was first published in English in 1927, Commonweal wrote, "Sigrid Undset's trilogy embodies more of life, seen understandingly and seriously...than any other novel since Dostoyevsky's Brothers Karamazov". This new translation by the award-winning Tiina Nunnally brings Undset's remarkable epic to life with clarity and lyrical beauty.Originally published in Norwegian in 1920 and set in fourteenth-century Norway, The Wreath chronicles the courtship of a strong-willed and passionate young woman and a dangerously charming and impetuous man. Undset recreates the historical backdrop in vivid detail, immersing readers in the day-to-day life, social conventions, and political undercurrents of the period. Her prose combines the sounds and style of Nordic ballads, European courtly poetry, and religious literature. But the story Undset tells is a modern one; not only does it mirror the political and religious anxieties of post-World War I, but it introduces a heroine who has long captivated contemporary readers. With her defiance of her parents' disapproval of her suitor and her headstrong pursuit of her own happiness, Kristin emerges as a woman who not only loves with power and passion but one who intrepidly confronts her sexuality.

西格丽德•温塞特，挪威伟大的天才作家。她一生写了36本书，每一本书都不会令读者感到乏味。她是一个伟大的叙事者，对错综复杂的人类思维有着深刻而现实的了解。她创作的主题虽然是挪威的，但显然也是欧洲和世界的，几乎所有主要文字都有了她的作品的译本。即使到了21世纪，她的著作对读 者仍具极强的吸引力，《克里斯汀的一生》一书仍然出现在挪威畅销书榜单和人们最经常阅读的作品榜单之中。1928年，“由于她对中世纪北国生活那强而有力的描述”，温塞特荣获诺贝尔文学奖。