Arts & Architecture - Norway - page 901

with the Nazis in WWII. Only now is his reputation being rehabilitated and he is widely
recognised as belonging to the tradition of Dostoevsky and Joyce. To find out more, visit
the Hamsunsenteret , the museum in Hamarøy dedicated to his life.
Sigrid Undset (1882-1949) became the third of Norway's Nobel Literature laureates in
1928 and is regarded as the most significant female writer in Norwegian literature. Undset
began by writing about the plight of poor and middle-class women. Bjerkebæk ( MAP
GOOGLE MAP ; 61 28 89 00; www.maihaugen.no/bjerkebek ; Sigrid Undsetsveg 1; adult/child/fam-
ily Nkr110/55/275; 10am-4pm mid-May-Aug, 10am-3pm Sat & Sun Sep) , her former home in
Lillehammer, is open to the public.
CULTURAL ICON: HENRIK IBSEN
Born in Skien in southern Norway, Henrik Johan Ibsen (1828-1906) became known inter-
nationally as 'the father of modern drama', but to Norwegians he was the conscience of a
nation. Norwegians are extremely proud of Ibsen, but from 1864 until 1891 he lived in dis-
enchanted exile, decrying the small-mindedness of Norwegian society of the day. The
enormously popularPeer Gynt(1867) was Ibsen's international breakthrough. In this en-
during epic, an ageing hero returns to his Norwegian roots after wandering the world and
is forced to face his own soul.
His best-known plays includeThe Doll's House(1879), the highly provocativeGhosts
(1881),An Enemy of the People(1882),Hedda Gabler(1890) and, his last drama, the
semi-autobiographicalWhen We Dead Awaken(1899).
Throughout his life, Ibsen was always more than a chronicler of Norwegian society and
saw himself as the very reflection of 19th-century Norwegians: 'He who wishes to under-
stand me must know Norway. The magnificent but severe natural environment surround-
ing people up there in the north forces them to keep to their own. That is why they be-
come introspective and serious, they brood and doubt - and they often lose faith. There,
the long, dark winters come with their thick fogs enveloping the houses - oh, how they
long for the sun!'
Contemporary Literature
One of the best-known modern Norwegian writers is Jan Kjærstad (b 1953), whose The
Seducer (2003) combines the necessary recipe for a best seller - a thriller with a love affair
and a whiff of celebrity - with seriously good writing. It won the 1999 Nordic Prize for
Literature among other international prizes. Other Norwegian winners of the prestigious