Northern Arts: The Breakthrough of Scandinavian Literature and Art, from Ibsen to Bergman

Synopsis

"Weinstein casts shimmering northern lights and reads deeply by them into the works of many Scandinavian godlike figures. Even better, he reveals to a wider world audience the startling, sometimes visionary, paintings of August Strindberg, Ernst Josephson, and Lena Cronqvist."--Rika Lesser, author of Questions of Love: New and Selected Poems

"Well-written and informative. Weinstein is a brilliant and sensitive reader of texts and an imaginative reader of paintings. There is not a chapter in this volume that I did not learn something from. Northern Arts was a pleasure to read. I know of nothing quite like this book."--Susan C. Brantly, author of Understanding Isak Dinesen

"Throughout his separate studies, Weinstein offers illuminating insights. I have benefited significantly from reading Northern Arts, gaining new perspective on specific works, authors, and artists I thought I already knew."--Reinhold Heller, author of Confronting Identities in German Art

"Northern Arts is a highly original and extremely engaging examination of masterpieces of Scandinavian literature and art that have not commanded the international attention they deserve. The book is full of original insights and critical perceptions. It represents a very valuable and rich contribution to our understanding of a wide range of literary and cultural phenomena."--Steven P. Sondrup, Brigham Young University

The Atlantic

This weighty, detailed, and authoritative but lively tome elucidates the revolution Scandinavia wrought in the world of arts and letters beginning in the 19th century. . . . Weinstein's is a brilliantly told story of how an underpopulated region developed from repressive backwater to cutting-edge artistic fulcrum.