By Sigrid Undset Four Stories is an honest and uncontrived portrayal of everyday life in early twentieth-century Norway. In Selma Brøter, as a spinster becomes involved in the love affair of her two coworkers, Undset draws a powerful, heartrending contrast between her delusion and their bliss. In Simonsen, an aged clerk gains support from his son and daughter-in-law, but learns it could come at a steep price. In Miss Smith-Tellefesen, A housekeeper finds happiness (and love), until a sudden change results in the loss of everything she has found. In Thodolf, a childless sailor’s wife adopts a baby boy; the sudden appearance of the boy’s birth mother sets off a series of events with an affecting conclusion. Marked with Undset’s distinctive compassionate insight into her characters, Four Stories profoundly captures the oscillation between contentment and sadness which is part and parcel of every human life. Her whole life was different from anything that had gone before. Day followed day, full of deep joy and of a hidden, heart-rending anxiety. Sigrid Undset (1882–1949) was a Norwegian novelist and essayist and a convert to the Catholic faith. In 1928, she was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature. A number of Undset’s books are available from Cluny, including the Kristin Lavransdatter trilogy, the Master of Hestviken tetralogy, and Saga of Saints. Paperback: 216pp. ISBN: 978-1950970834
