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Olav Duun (1876–1939) was regarded as one of the greatest authors of his time, internationally as well. Later he fell into the shadow of other great writers of his generation, Sigrid Undset and Knut Hamsun. Yet there are good reasons to bring his authorship back into the light, as the 13 articles in this book clearly show. Duun, for example, has much to say about the relationship between humans and nature—a theme discussed in contributions by Einar Vannebo, Renate Nordnes, and Grethe Fatima Syéd. Perhaps the short stories—as John Brumo and Audhild Norendal write about—can be a way into his authorship? The book's contributions also touch on themes such as old age (Aasta Marie Bjorvand Bjørkøy), existentialism (Sveinung Nordstoga), literature's potential for teaching history (Heming Gujord), Duun's place in the canon (Erik Bjerck Hagen), and changing norms for children's literature (Hallvard Kjelen). With the breadth of approaches and perspectives the authors bring forward, there is reason to hope for continued and increased interest in Duun's authorship—both within academia, in school, and among the broader reading public. Duun's texts challenge us in ever new ways, as literature of great stature can do, and the articles in this book show—together and individually—that we still have something to learn from Duun about what it means to be human in the world.

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