Weird Tales from Northern Seas: Norwegian Legends [Paperback]

Jonas Lauritz Idemil Lie (Author), R. Nisbet Bain (Author), Laurence Housman (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1, 1995 | ISBN-10: 1572160217 | ISBN-13: 978-1572160217

Strange Finns, lusty women, mariner ghosts, and sea demons haunt the coastal lands of Norway, the setting for this popular collection from 1893. It transports the reader to a strange, salty world of maelstroms and maleficent spirits, boat builders and dream-wreckers. The tales came from northern Norway, and the author was the literary toast of all of Scandinavia.

Editorial Reviews

Language Notes

Text: English (translation)
Original Language: Danish

About the Author

Born near Oslo, Norway, Jonas Lie and his family lived in Tromso until he was 12. His father was a district judge. Life in this rugged Land of the Midnight Sun inspired his work in telling the tales and traditions of the Arctic lands. He attended the Naval Academy for six months, and his passion for the sea is evident in much of his writing.

Lie became a lawyer and bank commissioner in Oslo but after the financial crash of 1868, he decided to become a full-time writer and quicky became the toast of Scandinavia and Europe for his novels. His works were translated into German, English, Japanese, and other languages. He received the King Oscar II Medal of Merit in gold and a government author's stipend for life.

Product Details

• Paperback: 126 pages
• Publisher: Penfield Press (November 1, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1572160217
• ISBN-13: 978-1572160217
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.9 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,925,634 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Superb northern gothic ghost stories and related folklore, July 21, 1998

By 

Norwegian librarian ([e-mail]) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Weird Tales from Northern Seas: Norwegian Legends (Paperback)

Jonas Lie are ranked among the most popular norwegian authors ever, writing plays, novels and short stories. His folklore short stories were originaly published in two volumes entitled "Troll" and "Troll 2" (A 'troll' is a evil monster of dark forces, as you may know, though some are depicted as nice and dumb). One of the stories were selected by Roald Dahl as one of the worlds 15 best ghost stories. If you are looking for something odd, classic and northern - try Jonas Lie!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Try it before you buy it, August 30, 2007

By 

cinephile "[e-mail]" (Oklahoma) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Weird Tales from Northern Seas: Norwegian Legends (Paperback)

Very moody and atmospheric-- although I wonder how much of the atmosphere comes from translation. This collection represents an interesting change of pace.

Since this is a translation, some of the names may be a bit difficult for some, depending on your patience about such things. Not an easy read for kids, but kids might not be interested in this anyway.

I would say more, but you really should sample the book for yourself. Because these stories are in the public domain, this entire volume is available as a free html download at the Project Gutenberg website. Check it out!