[1/19] Well, this really does improve once one has even a slight familiarity with heroic epic. Amazing work. The introductory essay in this edition is great, too.

[10/15 review] When one of the opening lines is "From his sixteenth year he went a-viking," you know it's probably going to be good.

Now that I've read Kristen (3 times), the Hestviken tetralogy, and now Gunnar's Daughter, I'm amazed as ever by Sigrid Undset's ability to evoke a historical moment. Though recognizable, Vigdis' is a different world from Kristen's much more Christianized Norway just a couple of centuries later. Even the brief, fascinating cameo by King Olav in this book is markedly different from Kristen's beloved Saint Olav.

Even having virtually no familiarity with Norse saga, I could appreciate the sparse beauty and relentless unfolding of Undset's storytelling. And, as always, her heroines are complex and know how to give as good as they get.

This far surpassed my relatively modest expectations, and Undset's status as my personal paragon of historical novel writing is only confirmed.

This was simultaneously the most heartbreaking and yet strangely beautiful book I have ever read.

The writing, probably, accounts for most of its beauty. Undset is absolutely phenomenal. Her words are powerful, striking, commanding. They speak to you with a rawness and a clarity of emotion.

As for the book's being heartbreaking... man. I am utterly speechless. I was in tears in several parts. The plot was do well-crafted that I caught myself crying aloud when a new twist revealed itself.

For one thing, there are so many upsetting themes. Rape. Betrayal. Anger. Hatred. But also love. Her characters were so well-written that they practically emanated them.

I would like to read this book again and explore things that came to mind in the middle of (and even after) reading this book. How did Ljot's change of character take place, if it was a change in character? Was his or Vigdis' suffering greater? Did they suffer similarly? If not, how were their sufferings different? Did Vigdis actually love Ljot the whole time? What kind of love did Ljot actually bear for Leikny? And did Ljot actually love Vigdis at all?

I believe this book to be so dense with meaning that one could write a college thesis on it. I also believe this book could make for a fantastic movie alike to Gladiator and Braveheart for its epicness, although it would most likely outdo both of them in story.

All in all, a powerful and curiously thought-provoking read. One of the world's finest literature, and definitely a new favorite for me.

Sigrid Undset was introduced to me by Mother when I first visited her in Oslo. Her Kristen Lavransdatter trilogy was a revelation, both of medieval Norway and of domestic life and the lives of women during the period. Being in Norway at the time, I was able to visit many of the sites mentioned in the novels, the most impressive of which was the island nunnery in the Oslofjord, still known for its imported vegetation brought there by the sisters centuries ago.

Gunnar's Daughter is set a couple of centuries earlier, in the time of transition from the pagan vikings to the forced Christianization of the Norse, spanning both Norway and wild Iceland. It is a rougher, darker time and a rougher darker tale, again told with the focus on the female protagonist.

Twenty years ago I made it through the first 2 books of the Kristen Lavransdatter trilogy, as translated by Charles Archer - his is considered the lesser of the English translations but I loved his use of archaic English. Years later I found I could not read Nunnally's effort. Gunnar's Daughter is first-rate storytelling - short at 150 pages and told in a unique style - the translation by Arthur G. Chater is superb. I have struggled trying to grasp the Viking age, a hopeless task I know, this small book breaths life into history and compared to Kristen Lavransdatter does so in a much more spectacular way. It packs a punch!

Sigrid Undset is a genius. For, this is a short work with shorter chapters and yet contains many themes and all of them are adequately treated.

1. This is a historical fiction: The novel is set in the beginning of the 11th century in Norway when the Viking age was facing the transition into the Christian Middle Ages. It was the time Christianity entered into the Viking cultural milieu. And the initial frictions that appear between two cultures are expressed in many places in an interesting manner and that too in few words. For instance, the Viking who believed in physical power can not understand the faith of Christians and he remarks thus: "It was a strange religion whose God allowed himself to be slain by his enemies." Also the Viking practices are expertly narrated all through the book.

2. This is a love story: This is one of the fantastic love stories that I had ever read. The love blossoms between the main characters, Vigdis and Ljot. Ljot, afraid of losing Vigdis, seduces her. This is a shock to Vigdis who in fact was in love with him and his early advances make her angry. Later, Ljot runs to Iceland to escape the wrath of Viigdis' father. They both do not meet each other nearly for another twenty years and still they suffer from the loss of love (...for you do not know how miserable is the life of one who longs for his beloved"). After twenty years when they meet, the single encounter is charged with high emotion. One feels for both in those passages and Sigrid Undset is to commended for it. There are also other minor love stories which are also very interesting (Eg: Ljot's married/love life with Leikny).

3. This is a story of a strong woman: After reading this book you will fall in love with Vigdis. She is a strong character. She decides for herself in the Viking society where men had much power. She decides her suitor. When her dad gets killed, as a rightful heir she takes upon herself to avenge his death by slaying the killer. And she does it. Later she flees with the new born baby to escape the wrath of the enemies. She brings up alone her child and avoids many wooing attempts for she fears that after a rightful marriage her bastard son will be left with nothing. She shrewdly builds up the fortune for her son and brings him up a responsible and manly son. She is a strong willed woman and remains a strong willed one till the end even when it destroys her happiness.

4. This is also a story of relationships, specially friendships (Vetertide and Ljot; Vigdis and Illuge), Father - daughter relationship (Gunnar and Vigdis), mother - son (Vigdis and Ulvar) relationship and father - son (Ljot and Ulvar) relationship. Each episode is touching in its own way. The emotions are well captured wonderfully in the dialogues.

A mention is to be made on the language. The language looked similar to the literary genre, Ballad. And it is one of the types of Oral literature. 'Saga' in Norwegian means saying. And this novel uses same technique. I love oral literature and so it was like listening to a story told by someone who is wise and elder to you. The book gave me that feeling.
The dialogues are superb. Each encounter between the characters and the words exchanged between them are very appropriate. And this is another specialty of the oral literature. Many things should be expressed in few words and so they can not be like the regular fiction books of today. Sigrid Undset knew it and had used the minimum of words with vast messages. I will read the book just for the dialogues alone another one time.

Last Remark: There is a wonderful introduction to the author, the book and the historical setting of the novel by Sherrill Harbison. Can introduction be very interesting? Read this and you will love it. It introduces well the author and the historical setting with enough pages and so they neither tire you before entering into the novel nor irritate you with known details. The introduction is just adequate and gives you the right stimulus and achieves the aim: To prepare rightly the reader to get into the book.

Gunnar's Daughter feels like it was written hundreds of years ago. Undset based her style and story on the sagas of Iceland that she read as a girl--even the language and tone echo those early pre-Christian histories. Set in eleventh-century Iceland and Norway, it's the story of Vigdis Gunnarsdatter who is raped by the man she wanted to marry. It's full of vikings and violence, and you might think the setting is too far removed to hold any interest for you--but it's amazing how relevant and powerful the story is. It's a fast paced read because it's sparse and short, but I can't stop thinking about it. I loved it!

glaringly eloquent portrayal of sexual violence; an unassuming picture of the universal sociology of women’s rights(or, a society’s treatment of women) as a necessity to the moral good of a people.

Will be thinking about this one for awhile

Un incrocio tra la Saga di Ragnarr, Orgoglio e pregiudizio, con una spolverata di crudeltà e di vendetta presa di peso dalla Medea, la Saga di Vigdis (in originale: Fortællingen om Viga-Ljot og Vigdis, ossia il "racconto" di Ljot e di Vigdis) ripercorre - appunto - la vita di Viga-Ljot e Vigdis.
Non mi sento di aggiungere dettagli sulla trama perché è talmente corto che qualsiasi anticipazione è "rilevante", basti sapere che la loro vita è tormentata fino alla fine e che, in puro stile scandinavo, non possiamo dire che ci sia un lieto fine.
La lettura non mi è piaciuta troppo, sia perché a me non entusiasma del tutto lo stile delle saghe nordiche (che però riconosco è reso bene pur essendo in prosa), sia perché il capolavoro della Undset è Kristin figlia di Lavrans e questo è sostanzialmente una "preparazione".

Medio Evo nordico

Quando Vigdis e il marinaio islandese Viga-Ljot si incontrano scoppia l’amore, ed è travolgente, devastante, catastrofico: lei ha quindici anni; lui non sa, non vuole, aspettare. Le usa violenza. In Vigdis l’amore si trasforma in ossessione vendicativa, l’atroce vendetta di farlo uccidere dal suo stesso figlio.
Tutti i tentativi di Viga-Ljot di ottenere il suo perdono si rivelano inutili, Vigdis persiste nel suo proposito. Ma quando finalmente avrà ottenuto la vendetta tanto agognata, essa scoprirà che non è servita a niente e comprenderà di aver sprecato la vita ad odiare l’unico uomo che avrebbe potuto amare.
Una storia a tinte fosche, passionale, sanguigna, nel solco della miglior tradizione scandinava.

Sigrid Undset (1882 - 1949) è una delle maggiori scrittrici norvegesi di fama internazionale.
Nel 1928 le viene conferito il premio Nobel per la Letteratura grazie ai romanzi Kristin Lavransdatter (Kristin figlia di Lavrans, edito in Italia da Rizzoli) e Olav Audunnsøn, entrambi ambientati nel medioevo nordico.
Tutta l’opera della Undset ha come tema la crisi dei valori dell’uomo e la ricerca di verità eterna.
La Saga di Vigdis (1909) è il suo primo romanzo medioevale, preludio dei due grandi romanzi successivi.

Gunnar's Daughter is Sigrid Undset's tale of a bunch of 11th Century vikings and one badass woman. Rape is used as a major plot device - our protagonist, Vigdis, is raped by a man she was considering marrying. The he says they should still get married, so she throws a rock at his head. This is the first of many awesome things Vigdis does. Her path isn't smooth and she doesn't live happily ever after, but it is very satisfying to see Vigdis living her life on her own terms. Undset's writing is clear & direct and Vigdis's story is great.

This early medieval novel by Sigrid Undset is a riveting, fast-paced read that combines some of the best features of the Scandinavian saga form and the modern historical novel. Taking place in the late Viking age, Gunnar’s Daughter is filled with blood and battle, romance and betrayal, heroism and revenge. An absolute delight for anyone who loves Tolkien, Beowulf, or the like.

3.5 *