Undset came to the United States after the Nazi invasion of Norway (1940) and made a successful lecture tour of the country before returning home in 1945. 1940), and the autobiographical The Longest Years (1934, tr. Her later works include tales of contemporary family life, among them Ida Elisabeth (1932, tr. It was followed by the excessively detailed and more explicitly religious Olav Audunsson (4 vol., 1925–27 tr. 1923––2000), considered her masterpiece, tells of love and religion in medieval Norway. Kristin Lavransdatter (3 vol., 1920–22 tr. Undset is most famous for her historical novels dealing with universal human problems. Her writing, always powerfully ethical, deepened in religious intensity after her conversion (1924) to Roman Catholicism.

2001), were frank and realistic works in which she described women's struggles for selfhood in a male-dominated society but nonetheless strongly upheld traditional social structures. Her early novels of contemporary life, among them Jenny (1911 tr. Poverty forced Undset to do secretarial work for a time (1898–1908). Both are powerfully displayed in this moving story about fidelity and mercy.Undset, Sigrid sĭ´grĭd o͝on´sĕt, 1882–1949, Norwegian novelist. Undset's descriptions of the Norwegian people and countryside coupled with her profound understanding of the human heart won her worldwide literary acclaim. With its setting in modern times, Ida Elisabeth examines the difficulties inherent in male-female relationships as they are experienced in contemporary society. As in Undset's other fiction, however, Ida Elisabeth poignantly illustrates how poor choices affect the course of a person's life and how the suffering endured because of grievous mistakes can become the means by which a love is purified.

Unlike Undset's famous historical novels, which are set in medieval Norway, the story of Ida Elisabeth opens in 1930. As she contemplates marrying again, Frithjof, now gravely sick, re-enters her life. Still young, the admirably hardworking Ida attracts the attention of a successful lawyer, who possesses the manly virtues that her husband lacked. When Frithjof becomes involved with another woman, Ida Elisabeth leaves him and moves with her children to a small town. Early in their marriage, she realizes that her charming husband is incapable of supporting the family and she sews dresses to make ends meet. In this compelling drama about fidelity, sorrow and forgiveness, Nobel Prize-winning author Sigrid Undset tells the story of Ida Elisabeth, who marries her teenage sweetheart, Frithjof, in an effort to redeem her reputation.

Ida elisabeth by sigrid undset