Sigrid Undset (1882-1949) is one of the most important Norwegian writers of the 20th century. Born in Kalundborg, Denmark, she grew up in Norway, where her father, the archaeologist Ingvald Undset, instilled in her a deep interest in history at an early age. After his death, she had to complete a vocational training programme and worked as a secretary while she made her first attempts at writing poetry. Her literary breakthrough came in 1907 with Fru Marta Oulie, but it was not until her major historical novels, in particular the Kristin Lavransdatter trilogy and the Olav Audunssøn tetralogy, that she achieved international recognition. In the 1930s, she emerged as a staunch critic of National Socialism. After the German occupation of Norway in 1940, she fled to the USA via Sweden and the Soviet Union, where she lived in exile until 1945 and worked as a journalist against the Nazi regime. She was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1928 for her literary achievements. After her return to Norway in 1945, she lived in Lillehammer until her death in 1949.