A young Norseman named Halfdan Bjerk lands at Castle Garden, answers that his destination is “America” and is promptly put down for Nebraska. Boyesen’s stories follow such emigrants and the families they leave behind, moving between Norwegian valleys and American cities, with tales of outcasts, ne’er-do-wells and men who lose their names along with their homeland.
Early fiction of the Scandinavian immigrant experience by a Norwegian-born Cornell professor, for readers interested in how America looked to newcomers. Download the free EPUB.