Christmas in Scandinavia
"This marvelous anthology collects 17 splendid tales by 19th- and 20th-century writers from the Scandinavian countries, Faroe Islands, and Finland. . . . An indispensable collection and one of the most delightful fictional surprises of the year."-Kirkus. "Among the many masterpieces of the Christmas story are Hans Christian Andersen's 'The Fir Tree' and stories by Nobel laureates Selma Lagerlof and Johannes V. Jensen. Most of the 17 pieces have never before been available in English."-Tulsa...
Search in google:
Anyone aware of the magic in Christmas will recognize the inspiration in these stories. Readers will encounter robbers on a raid, a homeless stranger seeking kindness, excited children, and a talking Christmas tree, all under the spell of the season. Here and there appear Nissen, the capped and bearded imps of mischief familiar throughout Scandinavia. Christmas in Scandinavia includes writers from Denmark, the Faroese Islands, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden. Among the many masterpieces of the Christmas story are Hans Christian Andersen's "The Fir Tree" and stories by Nobel laureates Selma Lagerlof and Johannes V. Jensen. Most of the seventeen pieces collected here have never before been available in English. Each is preceded by a brief headnote. In this introduction, Sven H. Rossel discusses the rich and fascinating Scandinavian Christmas traditions, the origins of this feast, and its celebration in contemporary Scandinavia.Kirkus ReviewsChristmas In Scandinavia ( until Dec. 31, 1996; thereafter; Sept. 1996; 280 pp.; 0-8032-3907-6): This marvelous anthology collects 17 splendid tales by 19th- and 20th-century writers from the Scandinavian countries, Faroe Islands, and Finland. Nobel Prize winners Johannes V. Jensen and Selma Lagerlöf are represented, he by the bitterly ironic "Christmas Peace," she by the inexplicably neglected "Legend of the Christmas Roses," a limpidly written allegory worthy of Hawthorne. Other exceptional pieces include Hans Christian Andersen's moving fairy tale "The Fir Tree" (the only story here at all likely to be familiar to US readers), a powerful criticism of anti-Semitism in "Advent in the Thirties" by Eyvind Johnson (another Nobel laureate), and especially the Faroese William Heinesen's "Born of a Maid," an unforgettable retelling of the birth of Christ, set in the North Atlantic during a hurricane. An indispensable collection and one of the most delightful fictional surprises of the year.
PrefaceIntroductionAn Old-fashioned Christmas Eve1The Fir Tree11Karen's Christmas19Christmas Eve in the Henhouse27Christmas Matins in Finland's Barkbread Country39Before the Candles Go Out51Christmas Peace61The Legend of the Christmas Roses67A Farm Owner's Christmas Eve81At the Bottom of the Snow Ocean91A Legend103The Christmas Basket109Advent in the Thirties119The White Church135The Legend of the First Christmas Presents141The Soldier's Christmas Eve147Born of a Maid155Afterword173Bibliography179Acknowledgments181
\ Tulsa World“Among the many masterpieces of the Christmas story are Hans Christian Andersen’s ‘The Fir Tree’ and stories by Nobel laureates Selma Lagerlof and Johannes V. Jensen. Most of the 17 pieces have never before been available in English.”—Tulsa World\ \ \ \ \ \ Kirkus ReviewsChristmas In Scandinavia ( until Dec. 31, 1996; thereafter; Sept. 1996; 280 pp.; 0-8032-3907-6): This marvelous anthology collects 17 splendid tales by 19th- and 20th-century writers from the Scandinavian countries, Faroe Islands, and Finland. Nobel Prize winners Johannes V. Jensen and Selma Lagerlöf are represented, he by the bitterly ironic "Christmas Peace," she by the inexplicably neglected "Legend of the Christmas Roses," a limpidly written allegory worthy of Hawthorne. Other exceptional pieces include Hans Christian Andersen's moving fairy tale "The Fir Tree" (the only story here at all likely to be familiar to US readers), a powerful criticism of anti-Semitism in "Advent in the Thirties" by Eyvind Johnson (another Nobel laureate), and especially the Faroese William Heinesen's "Born of a Maid," an unforgettable retelling of the birth of Christ, set in the North Atlantic during a hurricane. An indispensable collection and one of the most delightful fictional surprises of the year.\ \ \ Tulsa World"Among the many masterpieces of the Christmas story are Hans Christian Andersen’s ‘The Fir Tree’ and stories by Nobel laureates Selma Lagerlof and Johannes V. Jensen. Most of the 17 pieces have never before been available in English."—Tulsa World\ \
