CHRISTMAS IN SCANDINAVIA

by Sven H. & Bo Elbrond-Bek--Ed. Rossel ‧ RELEASE DATE: Dec. 31, 1996

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 Lagerl"f 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.

Pub Date: Dec. 31, 1996

ISBN: 0803289804

Page Count: 195

Publisher: Univ. of Nebraska

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 1996

Categories: FICTION