Located on the outskirts of Europe and with much of its inland population almost completely isolated until the 20th century, Norway has been able to preserve much of its old folk culture. On the other hand, as seafarers and traders the Norwegians have always received fresh cultural stimuli from abroad. A number of Norwegians have made important contributions in return, notably the playwright Henrik Ibsen and the composer Edvard Grieg. The Norwegian recipients of the Nobel Prize for Literature are Bjornstjerne Bjornson, Knut Hamsun, and Sigrid Undset.