Nadia Margaret Christensen

Christensen, Nadia Margaret was born on July 28, 1937, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, the eldest of five sisters born to Dr. Bernhard M. Christensen and Lilly Gracia Christensen. While she was growing up she was her mother's assistant in raising her siblings, creating interesting and unique activities such as producing plays and performances for their parents and guests. Nadia was the creator of her family's newspaper named "The Seven C's." Nadia also showed her leadership and popularity in high school being elected class secretary and varsity cheerleader--requiring traits she demonstrated throughout her life in many different organizations and situations. She graduated summa cum laude from Augsburg College where her father was president and her mother taught medieval literature, her master's degree emphasis at Radcliffe College. Unbeknownst to her parents, after high school Nadia applied for and received a scholarship to study in Norway where she lived with distant relatives and honed her Norwegian language skills prior to continuing her formal education at the University of Minnesota. Coincidentally she joined several other students in travelling to Guatemala where they produced plays to earn their room and board. That experience served as a prologue to her receiving a Fulbright Scholarship several years later to study in Chile and become a lifelong Fulbright Scholar. She was a State Department interpreter for touring Norwegian officials while she pursued her doctoral studies at the University of Washington that included studies in Denmark as a Marshall Scholar. After receiving her PhD she worked for the American Scandinavian Foundation in New York City eventually becoming Editor in Chief of the quarterly "Scandinavian Review." In that position she travelled extensively which she relished, eventually establishing her base in Paris where she lived for 10 years. It was during that time that she and noted Franco- American photographer Kevin Kling were hired by Hachette to create cocktail-table books documenting their journeys through Ecuador and the Silk Road, a challenging feat for two young women. Nadia eventually returned to Minneapolis to assist her aging mother and was hired as the Executive Director of the Nordic Center at Augsburg College. It was during this time that her translating, teaching, writing, and promoting Norway were recognized by His Majesty King Harald V who honored her by naming her a Norwegian Knight's Cross First Class. Following work at the Nordic Center, she was selected to establish a consortium of Scandinavian secondary schools with Augsburg to formalize and facilitate student instruction and cultural knowledge exchange. Nadia lived a remarkable, thrilling, and inspiring life full of wonderful honors, events and experiences. Translating more than twenty books and authoring numerous articles, she mastered the difficulties and magnified the opportunities that came her way. To her credit both the University of Washington and the American Scandinavian Foundation annually award prizes in her name for excellence in Nordic study and translation. She accomplished all this with humility, honor, and commitment. Nadia entered Eternity on April 21, 2024. She was predeceased by her parents: Dr. Bernhard and Lilly Gracia Christensen; her sisters Naomi Jackson and Marina Justice. She is survived by sisters: Marya (Robert) Farrell and Sonya Steven and fiancé Joe Hognander. A private interment at Lakewood Cemetery will be announced. Memorials preferred to the donor's choice. Washburn-McReavy.com Edina Chapel 952-920-3996

Published on May 12, 2024