Sigrid Undset was a highly acclaimed historical fiction author from Norway, best known for her “Kristin Lavransdatter” series of novels. She was born on May 20, 1882, in Kalundborg, Denmark, but her family moved to Norway when she was just two years old. Undset was born into a family with a strong background in archaeology and European history, with her father, Ingvald Undset, being an internationally renowned archaeologist specializing in Iron Age Europe and Norse pre-history. Her mother, Charlotte Undset, was also involved in her husband’s work and was well-versed in European and Norse culture. Growing up in Oslo, Undset was exposed to a wealth of historical knowledge and archaeological secrets from a young age, which would later influence her writing.
Undset's literary career began in earnest in the early 1900s, and in 1924, she converted to Catholicism and became a lay Dominican. However, her opposition to Nazi Germany and the German occupation of Norway during World War II forced her to flee to the United States in 1940. She returned to Norway after the war ended in 1945. Undset's work was widely recognized and celebrated during her lifetime, and she received the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1928, largely due to the success of her medieval novels, including the trilogy about Kristin Lavransdatter. This series, which has been translated into more than 80 languages, remains among the world’s most read novels, providing a fascinating glimpse into life in Scandinavia during the Middle Ages through the eyes of a woman from birth until death.