▁until ▁ 1 9 4 0 . ▁ ▁W riter ▁ ▁While ▁employed ▁at ▁office ▁work , ▁Und set ▁wrote ▁and ▁studied . ▁She ▁was ▁ 1 6 ▁years ▁old ▁when ▁she ▁made ▁her ▁first ▁attempt ▁at ▁writing ▁a ▁novel ▁set ▁in ▁the ▁Nord ic ▁Middle ▁A ges . ▁The ▁manuscript , ▁a ▁historical ▁novel ▁set ▁in ▁medieval ▁Den mark , ▁was ▁ready ▁by ▁the ▁time ▁she ▁was ▁ 2 2 . ▁It ▁was ▁turned ▁down ▁by ▁the ▁publishing ▁house . ▁ ▁Non eth eless , ▁two ▁years ▁later , ▁she ▁completed ▁another ▁manuscript , ▁much ▁less ▁vol umin ous ▁than ▁the ▁first ▁at ▁only ▁ 8 0 ▁pages . ▁She ▁had ▁put ▁aside ▁the ▁Middle ▁A ges ▁and ▁had ▁instead ▁produced ▁a ▁real istic ▁description ▁of ▁a ▁woman ▁with ▁a ▁middle - class ▁background ▁in ▁contemporary ▁Krist ian ia . ▁This ▁book ▁was ▁also ▁refused ▁by ▁the ▁publish ers ▁at ▁first ▁but ▁it ▁was ▁subsequently ▁accepted . ▁The ▁title ▁was ▁F ru ▁Mart a ▁O ul ie , ▁and ▁the ▁opening ▁sentence ▁( the ▁words ▁of ▁the ▁book ' s ▁main ▁character ) ▁sc andal ised ▁readers : ▁" I ▁have ▁been ▁un fa ith ful ▁to ▁my ▁husband ". ▁ ▁Thus , ▁at ▁the ▁age ▁of ▁ 2 5 , ▁Und set ▁made ▁her ▁literary ▁debut ▁with ▁a ▁short ▁real istic ▁novel ▁on ▁ad ul tery , ▁set ▁against ▁a ▁contemporary ▁background . ▁It ▁created ▁a ▁stir , ▁and ▁she ▁found ▁herself ▁ranked ▁as ▁a ▁prom ising ▁young ▁author ▁in ▁Norway