Northern light : Norway past and present -- a critical assessment

Here is a new, challenging appraisal of Norway, the author’s country of birth, that redefines its history, culture and heritage - ‘after Ibsen’ - and looks, with a degree of ominous foreboding, at its future and the future of Europe. Ex-diplomat and widely published author Jørgensen explores an array of topics, from Norway’s Viking past, its pursuit of independence, the German occupation, its politics and cultural heritage, the defence of NATO, the relationship with Europe, and the challenge of Russia, concluding with ‘self-image and reality’. In __Northern Light__, the author challenges many existing perceptions and stereotypes, making this an essential reference for anyone interested in Norway and its people, international affairs, European history and its cultural legacy. "I wish to ask and convey what it means to be Norwegian, what we were and what we are, and to begin to answer that I must first briefly turn to our history in a European context, largely unkown outside (and even in) Norway. This brief book is for anyone who looks to Norway and wishes to discover why she survived and became a distinct, and this century, a rich nation."--Author introduction, xvii This title discusses what it means to be Norwegian, in the past and now. It briefly turns to Norway’s history in a European context, largely unknown outside (and even within) Norway. This is for anyone who looks to Norway and wishes to discover why she survived and became a distinct rich nation. She is a young state and an old nation.