Recommended Books

History & Mythology -- The Vikings, by Johannes Brøndsted (Penguin), is one of the most enjoyable and best-written documents about the age of the Vikings.

Quisling: A Study in Treason, by Oddvar K. Hoidal (Oxford University Press), studies the world's most famous traitor, Quisling, who was executed by the Norwegians for running the Nazi puppet government there.

Viking fans will not put down The Vinland Sagas: The Norse Discovery of America, translated by Magnus Magnusson and Hermann Palsson (Penguin), an incredible saga detailing how Viking Norwegians sailed in their long ships to the eastern coast of "Vinland" (America) in the 10th century.

The Norwegians, by Arthur Spencer (David & Charles), is the best book on the market today for understanding the Norwegian people and their advanced society.

Adventure -- The Kon-Tiki Expedition, by Thor Heyerdahl (Washington Square Press) details the saga of a modern Norwegian "Viking," who set out on a raft with five comrades and sailed 6,920km (4,290 miles) in 1947 -- all the way from Peru to Polynesia. Kon-Tiki Man: An Illustrated Biography of Thor Heyerdahl, by Thor Heyerdahl with Christopher Ralling (Chronicle), highlights Heyerdahl's attempt to document his idea that Polynesia was settled by people migrating west from South America.

Literature & Theater -- Bjornstjerne Bjornson (1832-1910) won the Nobel Prize in 1903. There are English translations of some of his most evocative creations, including his celebrated rustic novel Arne, first published in 1859, and The Fisher Maiden, published in 1868.

The Governor's Daughter, by Camilla Collett (several editions), published in 1854, is considered the first modern Norwegian novel.

Fourth Night Watch, by Johan Falkberget (1879-1967), is part of the Nordic Translation Series of this Norwegian novelist whose early poverty and toil in the mines dominates his work. In this volume you get not only memoirs, but some of this much-loved novelist's best poems as well. Many of his works emphasize the virtue of hard work and Christian love.

The Ferry Crossing, by Edvard Hoem (Garland), a publishing success in 1989, depicts a tiny Norwegian coastal village in an unorthodox story form.

Ibsen Plays: One to Six, by Henrik Ibsen (Heinemann Educational), presents the works of Norway's greatest playwright, including A Doll's House and Hedda Gabler.

Sigrid Undset (1882-1949) is mainly praised for her three-volume masterpiece Kristin Lavransdatter, which tells of love and religion in medieval Norway. Awarded the Nobel Prize for literature in 1928, her later work includes such widely known works as Ida Elisabeth in 1932 and The Faithful Wife in 1936.