#WITMonth - SIGRID UNDSET.

Thanks to Twitter, I was made aware that the August is the Women in Translation Month (#WITMONTH).

That was more than enough to stoke my curiosity and passion. For, I am a person interested in world literature. I think it was Jose Saramago who said that while writers make regional literature, the translators make world literature. Now, once again I say I am a die-hard fan of world literature.

Recently, the previous year to be precise, I was focusing more on the women writers. Why was that? No specific reason. Just a fancy - one among many insane fancies the readers have! But the fancy proved to be very rewarding. 

Let me share the rewarding experience in a condensed manner with the aim of introducing to those interested the writers and books that gave me an unforgettable reading experience.

The First Choice:

My first choice will always be Sigrid Undset, a Norwegian. She won the Nobel prize for literature in 1928. After my first introduction to her, I fell in love with her. And my love has not weaned and never will.

I am not here to give a biographical sketch on Sigrid. I know that the interested persons will look for it with the help of Mr. Google. I tell you how reading her gave a different reading experience to me.

Sigrid Undset is known for her two series of historical fiction, one a trilogy (Kristin Lavransdatter) and the other a tetralogy (The Master of Hestviken). The first one is set in 14th century Norway and the second one is set in 13th century Norway. Sigrid is claimed to have recreated those times in her writing. It was her desire to write in a 'paintery manner.' And she did accomplish it. By now the reader would have understood that I have not read these two epics. I depend on the words of others to lay claim to its superiority. And that is right. But I have read Sigrid's minor works and I have literally hoarded all her works available in English. 

After having read just few of her Minor works, I can still safely say that she is one of the bests. For a new reader who is easily intimidated by the thickness of the great works I will recommend strongly two of her minor works: The Gunnar's Daughter and Jenny.

The Gunnar's Daughter is a short work written in the form of a saga. It is a novel set in the 11th century Norway and it is the age of Vikings and the arrival of Christianity to Norway. Among the many themes presented in it, the important one is that of relationships (relationship between a father and daughter, mother and son, father and son, husband and wife, between friends). The relationships and the characters are developed in the powerful dialogues present in the book. This is very similar to Oral literature. While reading this work you will invariably feel you are listening to a story narrated by a great story teller/grand mother. 

If interested go for the Penguin Classics Edition published in 1998. It has one of the wonderful introduction, that is essential to get the historical context of the novel, by Sherrill Harbison. And the translator is Arthur G. Chater.

Jenny is a different kind of work. It is set primarily in Rome and set in the modern times. The eponymous main character is an artist/painter. Among the many themes the important one is Sigrid's dealing of the question regarding the identity and purpose of women. She wrote in one of her letters: 

Oh, if only women would be women - try to find themselves and try to live accordingly, and refuse either to compete with men or let them decide what is eternally feminine or what they ought to do. And then, above all else not to be so afraid to admit that we belong to the rank of mammals - dear God, at least we can console ourselves we are in the forefront.

In the novel, the main character/the painter echoes the same views almost upsetting the claims of women's movement that fought for equal rights and rights to vote then. The main character says thus in one of the passages: "For a woman, having a husband and children...At any rate, sooner or later we start yearning for that." Interestingly Sigrid was on the side of them when she supported the rights of women to vote. The movement considered it a pride to have her on its side. Later when this novel came out, the movement was upset. But Sigrid stood her ground. Sigrid is considered to be the Realist.

The thoughts look traditional, you might think. But read the novel and decide for yourself.

The translation I read was done by Tiina Nunnally.

An Aside: She converted to the Catholic Church in 1924 and it was a great embarrassment for the Lutheran Church, the state religion of Norway then. And she also became a vocal apologist. Her two historical classics are also known as Catholic epics. She was also very vocal in condemning Nazi ideology when it found sympathizers in Norway. When Knut Hamsun supported it she vehemently opposed it. As a result she had live as a refugee in USA for a brief period.

To be continued.