Alberta Alone

297 pp. Translated from the original Norwegian by Elizabeth Rokkan, with an introduction by Solveig Nellinge and an afterword by Linda Hunt. "The work of one of Norway's most distinguished 20th-century novelists, Alberta Alone forms the last part of the Alberta trilogy, which traces the emotional development of a lethargic and unhappy girl into a self-sufficient woman. The previous volumes of this trilogy have been widely acclaimed as being among the masterpieces of contemporary literature. In this third part, which stands as a novel on its own, Alberta, now mistress to Sivert, a Norwegian artist, is living in Paris with their small son. While Sivert is involved in a liaison with a Swedish painter, Alberta falls in love with Pierre, a writer who has just returned from the First World War. After a period of conflict Sivert and Alberta return to Norway, and there Alberta's self-realisation becomes complete. With subtlety and insight, Cora Sandel depicts the gradual corrosion of a relationship, against the background of the aftermath of the Great War."