Hans Aanrud (1863–1953)

This volume contains two Norwegian children's novels in English translation, both of which were published separately, by the same publisher (The John C. Winston Company) and in the same year (1935) as this bind-up edition. Sidsel Longskirt, originally published in Norwegian in 1903 as Sidsel Sidsærk, relates the tale of a young orphan girl who comes to live at the Hoel Farm when her mother dies. The story describes her life and work as an animal herder for Kersti Hoel, and concludes with her confirmation, at fifteen years of age. Similarly, Solve Suntrap, originally published in 1910 as Sølve Solfeng, chronicles the childhood experiences of a young boy who comes to stay at Kjelle Farm, when his mountainside home burns down. It too describes its young hero's experience of farm life, and concludes shortly after his confirmation.

Although I have read both Sidsel Longskirt and Solve Suntrap in their separate volumes - see my reviews of those titles for a fuller discussion - I was curious to track down this omnibus edition, to see if any extras were included. The only differences I could observe were that the initial color frontispiece from Solve Suntrap was omitted here, and that a brief one-page glossary of terms that was not present in either individual volume, was included in Sidsel Longskirt and Solve Suntrap: Two Children of Norway. I enjoyed both of these stories, despite finding the earlier translation of Sidsel Sidsærk (it was first translated into English in 1907, and entitled Lisbeth Longfrock) preferable to the one included here. Aanrud's stories address themes of loss and belonging, and depict the hard work of living on a farm, and the beauties of the natural world. I would recommend this volume, and the two novels it contains, to anyone interested in Norwegian children's literature specifically, as well as to anyone looking more generally for children's stories about farm life and the natural world.… (altro)

Originally published in 1910 as Sølve Solfeng, this engaging Norwegian children's novel chronicles the childhood of its eponymous hero, the young Solve. Raised high on the mountainside by his grandparents, the orphaned Solve comes to live in the valley, with distant kin at Kjelle Farm, after the Solfeng house burns to the ground. Once at Kjelle, Solve slips naturally into the life of a farm boy, helping with the animals, working to assist Berit Kjelle in processing the hemp, and aiding the older men at haymaking time. Berit's young niece Guri Kruke, a mischievous and high-spirited little girl, comes to live at the farm also, and she and Solve become friends. The years pass, and shortly after he and Guri are confirmed, Solve learns something very surprising: Ivar and Berit Kjelle intend to make him their heir, something our young hero isn't sure he can accept...

Translated into English in 1935, Solve Suntrap is the second children's novel I have read from late 19th/early 20th-century Norwegian author Hans Aanrud - the first being Sidsel Sidsærk (1903), variously translated into English as Lisbeth Longfrock and Sidsel Longskirt. All in all, although I think I prefer the earlier Aanrud story, of the two I have read, I did greatly enjoy this one. The translators and illustrators here - Dagny Mortenson & Margery Williams Bianco and Ingri & Edgar Parin D'Aulaire, respectively - are the same as in Sidsel Longskirt, which was also published in 1935. I found, in my comparison of the two Sidsel Sidsærk translations that I read, that the one done by Mortenson & Bianco was somewhat abbreviated and simplified, and I couldn't help wondering whether that was also the case here. Unfortunately, as there is no other English translation currently available to me - there was one other translation done, in 1926, by Englishwoman Anna Barwell, but I have not been able as yet to track it down - I am not able to comment on that. Leaving aside issues of translation (always a preoccupation of mine), I really did enjoy the story here, finding Solve an engaging and warmhearted little hero. I continue to find Aanrud's description of the natural world very beautiful, and I did like the D'Aulaire illustrations. This can be a difficult book to track down, but I do recommend it, particularly to those interested in the depiction of rural farm life in children's books, or in reading Norwegian literature for the young.… (altro)

Sidsel Longskirt: A Girl of Norway, translated by Dagny Mortenson & Margery Williams Bianco.

In this classic Norwegian children's novel, the eponymous Sidsel Longskirt - a name derived from the overly long skirt given to her by her elder brother Jacob - goes to live at Hoel Farm after the death of her mother. Here she contributes by working as an animal herder, looking after the flocks of sheep and goats, and traveling up to the farm's mountainside sæter each summer. As she grows, Sidsel proves that she is hardworking and goodhearted, winning the good opinion of Kirsti Hoel, and the friendship of her fellow summertime herders, John and Peter. The story concludes shortly after Sidsel's confirmation, as she looks back on her fifteen years of life, and forward to her new role as head milk maid at Hoel Farm, and her possible marriage to Peter.

After reading and greatly enjoying Lisbeth Longfrock, Laura E. Poulsson's 1907 translation of Hans Aanrud's 1903 Norwegian children's classic, Sidsel Sidsærk, I tracked down this later translation of the same work, done by Dagny Mortenson and Margery Williams Bianco in 1935, in order to contrast and compare the two. The first thing of note, as mentioned in my review of Lisbeth Longfrock, is the different titles. Whereas Poulsson chose to retain the alliteration of the original title, by changing her heroine's name, Mortenson and Bianco retained the heroine's original name, but lost the alliterative effect. A second, but no less important point, is the fact that this version presents a much simpler and briefer version of the story than that found in the Poulsson translation. Not having read the original, I can't say with certainty which is the more faithful, but I lean toward the earlier, longer work, in this question. Lisbeth Longfrock contains eleven chapters, and is 149 pages long, with an average of 27 lines per page. Sidsel Longskirt, on the other hand, contains ten chapters, and is 124 pages long, also with an average of 27 lines per page. 'Lisbeth' is a smaller book, with smaller pages, but its type is correspondingly smaller, so I think we can assume that each of its pages contains roughly the same amount of text as can be found on a page of 'Sidsel.' The different number of chapters is interesting, but unrelated to length or content, as the events of the first two chapters in 'Lisbeth' are all contained in the first chapter of 'Sidsel.' We can conclude from all of this that either Poulsson inserted 25 extra pages of story, or Mortenson and Williams left a corresponding amount out.

Almost from the beginning, it becomes clear that not only is there a disparity between the two versions in terms of text length, but also that the Poulsson and Mortenson/Bianco translations display different levels of textual complexity and (I would argue) lyric beauty. One of the things I most enjoyed about Lisbeth Longfrock was the lovely description it contained of the natural world, something for which Hans Aanrud was apparently known. A comparison of specific passages reveals that this is one of the things that has been greatly simplified and/or omitted in 'Sidsel.' Much of a cultural and religious nature has also been omitted, including the three-page description of the funeral of Lisbeth's mother, which is described in two sentences in the Mortenson/Bianco version. Also changed is the scene in which Lisbeth and her brother Jacob see one another for the first time after their mother's death, and both weep. In the Mortenson/Bianco version, only Sidsel cries, perhaps pointing to changing social expectations of young boys. Perhaps in 1907 it was still acceptable in America for a young boy who has lost his mother to cry, whereas by 1935, he is expected to be more stoic. Whatever the case may be, it's an interesting change.

All in all, I definitely preferred Lisbeth Longfrock to Sidsel Longskirt, even though the latter had illustrations by Ingri and Edgar Parin D'Aulaire, whose artwork I love. That said, although Sidsel Longskirt may fall short in comparison to its predecessor, it still has immense charm and appeal, and its simplified text might actually be preferable for younger children. For my part, I am glad I had the opportunity to read both, and hope to one day track down a copy of the third English translation of Sidsel Sidsærk, Anna Barwell's 1923 British translation, Little Sidsel Longskirt.… (altro)