Ole Edvart Rølvaag (1876–1931) embodies the American story of success. Immigrating to the United States from his native Norway at the age of twenty, he found his path in life through education. Once disparaged by his father as a hopeless student, he earned his bachelor's (1905) and master's (1910) degrees from St. Olaf College, where he later became head of the Norwegian Department. His education served to clarify his childhood experiences in Norway and shaped his views of the immigrant experience in America. Giants in the Earth comprises the most complete elaboration of Rølvaag's thoughts on cultural pluralism, especially the importance of language, churches, and literature in preserving and promoting Norwegian America.
