Found in Translation

• North Germanic/Scandinavian languages & literatures
• Romance literatures
• Translation & vernacularity

“This splendid volume presents the first English translations of four late medieval Old Norse–Icelandic texts, Elis saga, Flóvents saga, Bevers saga, and Bærings saga. All of them are unusual in transmitting versions of Old French chansons de geste whose originals are no longer extant. They are the product of a remarkable combination of translation, redaction, revision, and adaptation and mark the development of a new genre, the riddarasaga or chivalric saga. As such, they cast significant light not only on the development of Icelandic literature but also on the scope and practice of medieval translation more widely. Marianne Kalinke’s superb translation of these extraordinary and fascinating works is complemented by discreet and thoughtful annotation, as well as a rigorous historical introduction that will be welcomed by scholar and student alike. Found in Translation, in short, should serve as an excellent introduction to the intertwined history of both French and Scandinavian literature in the Middle Ages.” — Jürg Glauser, University of Zurich and University of Basel

Marianne Kalinke is Center for Advanced Study Professor Emerita of Germanic Languages and Comparative Literature at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. She is the editor of and a contributor to The Arthur of the North: The Arthurian Legend in the Norse and Rus’ Realms (2011) and of Norse Romance II: The Knights of the Round Table (1999), as well as editor and translator of Möttuls saga, Ívens saga, and Erex saga in that volume; and author of Stories Set Forth with Fair Words: The Evolution of Medieval Romance in Iceland (2017). With Kirsten Wolf she is co-author and translator of Pious Fictions and Pseudo-Saints in the Late Middle Ages (2023), also published by the Pontifical Institute of Mediaeval Studies.