Per Gynt A Norwegian Fairy Tale Hero

European Fairy Tales Series Vol 2 This 30 page mini-book begins with an introduction exploring Scandinavian cultural heritage and values that are portrayed in the Norwegian fairy tale, Per Gynt. It is then followed by an illustrated retelling of the story. Per Gynt is a renowned hunter who faces off in showdowns with malicious trolls in the Fjords of Norway! He saves fair maidens and sends the trolls running with his trusty rifle, dog, and tamed bear! The introduction explores themes in Scandinavian history and culture that are represented in the story. Fully illustrated in color.

Epic and idyllic, Norway is a country of contrasts. Whether you want to hike around 'the Home of the Giants' in Jotunheimen, hit the slopes at Hafjell or hunker down in a remote cabin, your DK Eyewitness travel guide makes sure you experience all that Norway has to offer. With its dramatic coastline, unspoiled mountain ranges and phenomenal fjords, Norway is home to some of Europe's most spectacular landscapes. While adventure awaits in the wilderness, the cosmopolitan cities offer superlative museums, world-class cuisine and cutting-edge architecture. Our newly updated guide brings Norway to life, transporting you there like no other travel guide does with expert-led insights and advice, detailed information on all the must-see sights, inspiring photography and our trademark illustrations. You'll discover: - our pick of the Norway's must-sees, top experiences and hidden gems - the best spots to eat, drink, shop and stay - detailed maps and walks which make navigating the country easy - easy-to-follow itineraries - expert advice: get ready, get around and stay safe - color-coded chapters to every part of Norway, from Vestlandet to Sørlandet, Telemark to Trøndelag Travelling around Scandinavia? Try our DK Eyewitness Sweden and DK Eyewitness Denmark.

Two Norwegians, P.C. Asbjornsen and Jorgen Moe, collected folk tales and published them from 1837-1871. Here are selections from those collections.

Peer Gynt is a five-act play in verse by Henrik Ibsen, loosely based on the fairy tale Per Gynt. Written in the Dano-Norwegian language, it is the most widely performed Norwegian play. The book was first published in 1867. In Peer Gynt, Ibsen satirized the weaknesses of the Norwegian people, incorporating them into the character of Peer. Peer is a dreamer, liar, excelent storyteller and an irresponsible person who avoids all problems. He uses and discards women and looks towards the grandiose, the unattainable. Despite of this, one can't help but like and feel sorry for Peer, as it is easy to recognize something of yourself in him. Henrik Johan Ibsen (1828 – 1906) was a major 19th-century Norwegian playwright, theatre director, and poet. He is often referred to as "the father of realism" and is one of the founders of Modernism in theatre. His major works include Brand, Peer Gynt, An Enemy of the People, Emperor and Galilean, A Doll's House, Hedda Gabler, Ghosts, The Wild Duck, Rosmersholm, and The Master Builder.

NORWEGIAN FOLK TALES were collected and published in the mid 19th century by Peter Christian Asbjørnsen (1812-1885) and Jørgen Moe (1813-1882). The folk tales were early on illustrated by our leading artists, and contributed to the development of a national identity. The book contains 20 of the most wellknown folk tales, such as: White-Bear-King-Valemon, Little Freddie and his Fiddle, The Seventh Father of the House, The Princess who Always had to have the Last Word. NORWEGIAN HERITAGE is a series of books about our most important and best-known national icons. The respective titles introduce major personalities from the worlds of art and literature, science and sports, but also the many natural wonders of the country, as well as significant historical periods and cultural expressions. Each book offers an updated introduction to readers who wish to familiarize themselves with a given subject.

Illustrated by Arthur Rackham. Peer Gynt is Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen's most celebrated work, based loosely on the Scandinavian fairy tale character, Per Gynt. First published in 1867, Peer Gynt tells of the adventures of the seemingly amoral character of that name. The five-act play starts with Peer running off with the bride at another man's wedding, and continues in a similar vein, including (but not limited to) outrageous adventures such as his drunken interactions with three amorous dairymaids who are waiting to be courted by trolls; his meeting the king of the mountain trolls; his departure to North Africa (where he earns money from the slave trade and sending idols to China); his adoption by a Bedouin tribe as prophet; his move to Egypt and his conversations with the Sphinx; and finally, his return home where he is confronted with an accounting of his life, and all the things that he has done wrong. In a dramatic final scene, he is confronted with the Button-moulder, who maintains that Peer's soul must be melted down with other faulty goods unless he can explain when and where in life he has been "himself." Ibsen's play has been performed, debated, studied, and "interpreted" at the highest academic institutions across the world. In essence it tells of man's striving to be better-and is an extreme example of man's fall. Gynt is mysteriously attractive to women, a narcissist, a self-idolator, a liar, and a self-deceiver. But finally, he is called to account, and finds a way to justify his actions and to become a better person. Does he succeed? This remains the burning question . . . Ibsen asked the composer Edvard Grieg to compose music for the play-which was done, the most famous of which became the suite popularly known as In the Hall of the Mountain King.

A child prodigy, Bull was admitted to the Bergen orchestra as first violin at the age of eight. He soon was idolized on both sides of the Atlantic for his superb improvisations and his ability to play the violin polyphonically. Though he was hailed as "the Paganini of the North," some critics labeled him a charlatan for his apparently magic tricks on the violin. Bull counted among his friends the great names of his era: Schumann and Lizst, Emerson and Wagner. Longfellow and Hans Christian Andersen modeled characters on him, and he was in part the inspiration for Ibsen's Peer Gynt. Although he spent most of his adult life abroad, Bull was a tireless promoter of Norwegian art and culture. His concert improvisations were rooted in his native slåtter (folkdance tunes), and he modified his own instrument using the Norwegian Hardanger fiddle as a model. By mid-century, Bull realized his dream of establishing a national theater in Bergen. He gave Henrik Ibsen a start in theater management, employed the poet Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson, and promoted the music of Edvard Grieg. His attempt to establish a Norwegian colony, "Oleana," in the United States, however, failed through poor management. The words of the poet Aasmund Vinje, "That surely would be a man to write a book about," have been taken to heart by authors Einar Haugen and Camilla Cai. In addition to providing the first comprehensive listing of Bull's works (with full descriptions of all known sources), analyses of his compositions and their influences, and reviews of his performances, this biography gives life once again to a fascinating and flamboyant figure.