Ole Edvart Rølvaag

In the tenth episode of 200 Norwegians, we follow Ole Edvart Rølvaag—from stormy Dønna to the American Midwest—where he carved the immigrant experience into the American psyche with a number of novels, including his masterpiece: Giants in the Earth.

This wasn’t just a prairie saga; it was a deep dive into the immigrant soul. With his granddaughter and professor in Norwegian literature, Solveig Zempel, as our guide, we explore how a fisherman’s son became the unlikely voice of a generation torn between old worlds and new dreams.