Books
Kristin Lavransdatter, by Sigrid Undset (1920)
This Nobel Prize-winning Norwegian trilogy chronicles the life of Kristin Lavransdatter in 14th-century Norway. Undset weaves social and political history into Kristin's story about love, family, and growing up amidst the fjords and forests of Norway.
Summer Light, A Walk Across Norway, by Andrew Stevenson (2002)
Lonely Planet author of Kiwi Tracks takes off on his next adventure on the opposite side of the world—this time, walking and cycling from Oslo to Bergen. Stevenson climbs the country's highest mountain, sleeps on hilltop farms, discovers majestic fjords, and falls in love with a country and its people.
Beyond the Cold, by Michael Kleiner (2006)
Kleiner spent only a year in Norway as a 10-year-old, but its culture and people drew him back again and again. In this memoir, Kleiner, a Norwegian expert and sportswriter, recalls memories of a reindeer sleigh ride and a snow-covered schoolyard in 1970, the Lillehammer Olympics in 1994, and more.
Peer Gynt, by Henrik Ibsen (1867)
Norway's most famous author based this play on an 18th-century fabled huntsman from Gudbrandsdalen who flees his Norwegian village after a woman rejects his love. Edvard Grieg composed his famous "Peer Gynt Suites" to accompany Ibsen's drama about choices and identity.
The Fellowship of Ghosts: Travels in the Land of Midnight Sun, by Paul Watkins (2004)
After a traumatic accident on his first trip to Norway on a deep-sea fishing boat, Watkins returns to trek the paths of Norse legends. From the folkloric trolls of Trollheimen to the pristine valleys and waterfalls of Geirangerfjord, Watkins explores both the history and the modern aspects of the far corners of Norway.
Sophie's World, by Jostein Gaarder (1994)
Fourteen-year-old Sophie, who lives in a small Norwegian village, comes home one day to find a letter in her mailbox asking, "Who are you?" and "Where does the world come from?" A playful story about philosophy, this internationally recognized novel is a bestseller in the author's native Norway.
