Long description:

The fourth and final volume in the Nobel Prize–winning writer’s epic of one man’s fateful life in medieval Norway

Set in thirteenth-century Norway, a land racked by political turmoil, bloody family vendettas, and rising tensions between secular powers and an ascendant church, Sigrid Undset’s spellbinding masterpiece now follows the fortunes of Olav Audunssøn to the final, dramatic chapter of his life as it unfolds in Winter, the last volume of the tetralogy. When the orphaned Olav and his foster sister Ingunn became betrothed in their youth, a chain of events was set in motion that eventually led to violence, banishment, and a family separation lasting years. The consequences fracture their marriage and threaten the lineage for generations. Now, at the end of his life, Olav continues to grapple with the guilt of his sins as he watches his children, especially Eirik, make disastrous choices and struggle to find their rightful place in a family haunted by the past.

With its precise details and sweeping vision, Olav Audunssøn summons a powerful picture of Northern life in medieval times, as noted by the Swedish Academy in awarding Undset the Nobel Prize in 1928. Conveying both the intimate drama and the epic proportions of Olav’s story at its conclusion, Winter is a moving and masterly recreation of a vanished world tainted by bloodshed and haunted by sin and retribution—yet one that might still offer a chance for redemption. 

As with Kristin Lavransdatter, her earlier medieval epic, Sigrid Undset wrote Olav Audunssøn after immersive research in the legal, religious, and historical writings of the time to create an astoundingly authentic and compelling portrait of Norwegian life in the Middle Ages. And as in her translation of Kristin Lavransdatter, Tiina Nunnally does full justice to Undset’s natural, fluid prose—in a style by turns plainspoken and delicately lyrical—to convey the natural world, the complex culture, and the fraught emotional territory against which Olav’s story inexorably unfolds.

"As always, Undset’s deep knowledge of Catholic doctrine and Scandinavian history informs her work, which, while cheerless and sometimes rather graphic, is both elegantly written and well translated."—Kirkus Reviews


"An enjoyable read if you are looking for medieval period historical fiction. The characters and story are memorable and the prose easy reading and yet descriptive."—Nicki Markus

"I found Olav Audunssøn: IV. Winter a deeply absorbing read with a nuanced hero, accomplished author, and skillful translator."—Historical Novel Society

"By the time you immerse yourself in Olav’s world, Undset’s furthermost ambition should be inspiringly apparent. The woman intends, for a time, to stop all the clocks around you."—The Wall Street Journal

"Thanks now to Tiina Nunnally, Sigrid Undset is as much a challenge to our own times as she was to her own."—Times Literary Supplement

"It should be read by anyone who wants to learn about an important period in Norwegian history and, at the same time, to read a very thrilling story."—Norwegian American

"The new Olav Audunssøn tetralogy is translated with understanding and respect for the original work, and for the author’s project."—Translation and Literature

Table of Contents:

Contents

Translator’s Note

Map of Olav Audunssøn’s Norway

Genealogy and Kinship

Part I. Winter Arrives

Part II. The Avenging Son

Holy Days and Canonical Hours

Notes