When modern readers think of Sigrid Undset, they usually picture the fjells and fjords of Kristin Lavransdatter or the austere scenes in Olav Audenssøn. It would be easy to write off her vision of medieval Christendom as a piece of brilliant historical nostalgia and literary escapism into an age when cathedral spires dominated the skyline and life revolved around the liturgical bell. However, if you read her non-fiction essays, you quickly discover that Undset was in no sense

Although this blog is dedicated to Sigrid Undset, I thought I would link this article by Joseph Pearce in the National Catholic Register about one of Undset's primary influences. Even if she was a great Chesterton fan, I always considered her more Bellocian in temperament. Both enjoyed a good old fashioned scrap! I also recommend Pearce's book, Literary Converts. It is a fascinating survey of the many well known author-converts in the English speaking world, and Sigrid Undset

By Lauretta Brown, published July 29, 2026 in OSVNews Bishop Fredrik Hansen of Oslo When Bishop Fredrik Hansen of Oslo, Norway, first encountered Sigrid Undset’s writing in junior high school, it was through her famous novel trilogy “Kristin Lavransdatter.” It did not catch his attention at the time, as he was not yet Catholic and not particularly interested in medieval Norwegian history. However, in returning to the trilogy as a Catholic priest years later, Bishop Hansen saw

One of the things that makes Sigrid Undset most attractive to modern readers (and indeed, her contemporary readership) is her realism. Her earlier novels end in tragedy. One particularly thinks of Marta Oulie, Vigdis and Jenny. From Kristin onwards, her heroines - and Paul Selmer - end on notes of hope, though not separated from sacrifices that had to be made. Her literary works are filled with crises of conscious that can be offputting to some, but that strike a chord with m