The Norwegian Chesterton!

Last week, having just finished Kristin Lavransdatter by Sigrid Undset, I wrote a post about hearing Undset being called the Norwegian Chesterton - "The Norwegian Chesterton?". I praised the book, and noted that she knew Chesterton's work, and had even translated The Everlasting Man into Norwegian. I wondered if they ever met.

This week, I uncovered the January/February issue of Gilbert. I had received it weeks ago, but had put it aside to read later, and it had gotten buried under some notebooks. When i finally opened it what did I find on page 22? "The Norwegian Chesterton" by David P. Deavel!

Great minds think alike?

Okay, my piece is a simple blog post. His is an actual article, discussing her life and work, and linking her to Chesterton in a more complete way. He also answered my question. Apparently Undset did meet Chesterton (and Belloc) in 1928, the same year she won the Nobel Prize in Literature.

By the way, if you do not subscribe to Gilbert, consider doing so. It is the officially "Magazine of the Society of G. K. Chesterton." You subscribe by joining the Society - a worthy organization, and the membership/subscription is considered a tax-deductible donation.  

Go to WWW.Chesterton.org to find out more.

The Norwegian Chesterton?

 

I've seen multiple people refer to Sigrid Undset as the "Norwegian Chesterton."

I am not qualified to make such a claim. I have read just two of her books. Back in 2019 I read Stages on the Road, and I just finished Kristin Lavransdatter.

But having finished her epic novel, I can say it's a better book than any of Chesterton's novels.

Kristin Lavransdatter reminded me  of the great 19th century novels that like. The leisurely pace, the multiple characters explored in depth - especially Kristin - the portraying of life as untidy and even the good characters as flawed; that all resonated with me.

A wonderful read.

I was amused to see that she was also apparently a fan of Chesterton. There is a story that before she. like Chesterton, became a convert she declared to a publisher that The Everlasting Man be translated into Norwegian, then did it herself. Her translation was published in 1931. 

She had earlier lived in London for a year back in 1913, and I wonder if she ever ran into Chesterton somehow, perhaps even attending one of his lectures?

Pearce looking Fierce Clerihew

The look on the face of Joseph Pearce 

was positively fierce. 

As he was about to send his latest out the door 

he suddenly realized he'd written the same thing before.

Spiritual Electric Shock Therapy — Dappled Things

Spiritual Electric Shock Therapy — Dappled Things: Why today’s writers need G. K. Chesterton

Narnia Is for More Than Kids

 

I came across this meme on Facebook. It reminded me of not only Lewis, but, or course, Chesterton, who was a stanch supporter of good children's literature.

I did not have the pleasure of encountering Lewis as a child. I had heard of him, but he was not on the curriculum in my elementary or high schools.

When I was 19, I discovered a set of the Narnia stories in an apartment in New York City I was allowed to stay in for a while (that's another story!)  I borrowed them, and read them all in just a week. I credit them with helping to restore my faith and returning me to the Church from which I had strayed. I read them at the same time as I first read Chesterton's St. Francis and St. Augustine's Confessions, two other works that spoke to me at a time when I needed to encounter such works.

Since then, I've gone back and reread all the Narnia stories, and even required The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe as summer reading when I taught middle school.

They are more than just children's stories. They teach life lessons, and prepare children - or in my case, child-like 19-year-olds - to face cruel enemies, including, as with me, worldly temptation. 

In them, we see seeming defeats turned to victory, feats of courage, former enemies and perpetrators of evil repenting and finding salvation, and, sadly, people we love turning away (like Susan). Reality. 

One of my favorite scenes is in The Last Battle. Seemingly on the verge of defeat by the Calormines, the followers of Aslan are able to enter "further up and further in," and with them is Emeth, a Calormine. Aslan tells him that his service to a false god, Tash, done sincerely, obeying the natural moral laws (though that term is not used) was actually service to Aslan. The lesson is that even seeming enemies, those who follow false beliefs, can be saved. As adults, we can understand that means people of different faiths may find their way into eternity if they honestly follow the promptings of the Spirit in their hearts.

There are so many more lessons in the books. They are children's stories, yes, but they prepare the children to face life and to know they will defeat the forces of darkness in the end. 

That certainly was a good lesson for a particular 19-year-old who was adrift.

A Political Clerihew - Letitia James

 

NY AG Letitia James
was fond of targeting political foes with legal games.
In a twist, this time
she's the target, and there is an actual crime.

Jules Verne

 

Today, February 8, is the 196th birthday of Jules Verne. Happy birthday. 

Verne, of course, gave us such works of fantasy and science fiction as Journey to the Center of the Earth, Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas, and Around the World in Eighty Days.

I don't know if Chesterton wrote much about Verne. In the essay "The Domesticity of Detectives", he did mention Verne when discussing French writers.

"Jules Verne and H. G. Wells, for instance, both wrote fairy-tales of science; Mr. Wells has much the larger mind and interest in life; but he often lacks one power which Jules Verne possesses supremely—the power of going to the point. Verne is very French in his rigid relevancy; Wells is very English in his rich irrelevance." 

Perhaps Chesterton did write more about Verne. Perhaps some more knowledgeable person could offer some wisdom?  

As for me, I have read some Verne - Journey to the Center of the Earth, From Earth to the Moon, and a children's version of Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea - but I have read far more of Wells's science fiction, and I prefer what I have read of his works.

Still, it might be worth giving Verne some attention - after I finish some of the books currently in my "To Read" pile.

At least I should start with a full version of Twenty Thousand Leagues.