Catherine of Siena

Sigrid Undset, a renowned literary author and one of the most acclaimed novelists of the 20th century, won the Nobel Prize for literature in 1928 for her epic work Kristin Lavransdatter.

"One of the most extraordinary writers of the 20th century combines her literary genius and her faith to compose the biography of one of the most extraordinary saints of all time. Sigrid Undset's beautiful, spare prose gives us a living St. Catherine of Sienna, gripping our imagination and expanding the soul's comprehension of the mysterious works of God." 
— Michael D. O'Brien, Author, Father Elijah

Undset writes Catherine of Siena's biography as both an historian and a believer. Steeped in research on the Middle Ages through her writing of Kristin Lavransdatter, for which she was awarded the Nobel Prize for literature, she views the fascinating Catherine in context of the many troubles in Italy and in the Church of the day. Like Joan of Arc a mysterious figure in many ways, Catherine was clearly raised up by God at a particular moment to mediate this strife and help direct the future of the Church. Truly a "mystic's mystic" as she has been called, Catherine can often seem too touched by the supernatural for us to relate to her. By placing her in her historic and cultural context, however, Undset's biography makes this otherworldly saint alive for us today. 
—Mary Reichardt, Professor of Catholic studies, University of St. Thomas