On today's show...
A century ago, a Midwestern immigrant from Norway published a book that would enter the American literary canon. "Giants in the Earth" by Ole Rølvaag was written in Norwegian and translated into English.
The South Dakota Historical Society Press published a new edition with an introduction and annotations by scholar Allan C. Carlson.
Carlson shares how "Giants in the Earth" broke new ground in American literature and why it lost popularity in the following decades (1:00 to 16:20).
We learn the story of Rølvaag's papers at St. Olaf from Amy Boxrud. She is also the executive director of the Norwegian American Historical Association (16:20 to 28:40).
Augustana University's writer-in-residence Patrick Hicks takes "In the Moment" listeners into the cabin where "Giants" was written. The writer's cabin is on Augustana's campus (28:40 to 35:42).
Plus, a relative of Rølvaag's shares his family memories. Charles Berdahl is the second cousin of Jennie Berdahl Rølvaag, wife of Ole Rølvaag (35:42 to 49:25).
