Gunnar's Daughter

Sigrid Undset · 1882–1949 · Norway

Originally Fortællingen om Viga-Ljot og Vigdis (Norwegian)

Why it matters

Undset's first venture into the sagas: a proud Icelandic woman's rape and revenge, told in the clipped, fatalistic cadences of medieval Icelandic saga literature. The blueprint, in miniature, for the historical imagination that would produce Kristin Lavransdatter.

At a glance

A short, saga-styled narrative told in terse, ballad-like prose.