AshehougAgency

Inside the Gate - Sigrid Undset's Life at Bjerkebæk

Behind her reserved exterior Sigrid Undset was a person with an intense emotional life and an rich creative disposition. Concealed inside the gate at Bjerkebæk in Lillehammer were a luxuriant garden and a home filled with books and children, hard work, sorrows and joys. Especially striking is the story of the children at Bjerkebæk, which presents an unforgettable portrait of a mother who felt the greatest concern for her offspring but was also burdened by despair.

It is the connection between the successful and the difficult sides of the Nobel Prize winner's life that Nan Bentzen Skille conveys as she steps inside the gate at Bjerkebæk and enters Undset's home. Combining the utmost probity and earnestness with a lively narrative and sense of humor, Bentzen Skille offers the reader a portrait of Sigrid Undset that has never been seen before.

Praise for INSIDE THE GATE:

"... a refreshing new look at the personal side of Sigrid Undset."
(Bergens Tidende)

"Easy to read, richly illustrated, and at the same time written with great professional expertise."
(Aftenposten)

"The book that Bentzen Skille has now written about Bjerkebæk is a lavish edition in every sense of the word -- brimming with materials that have never been seen before."
(VG)

First published: 2003, Aschehoug
Nan B. Skille: Biography and bibliography