Henrik Ibsen is often called the 'father of modern drama' because his plays moved away from the popular Romantic style of 19th century theatre toward realism. He was famous for A Doll's House, Hedda Gabler and Peer Gynt, with the last two having numerous productions worldwide, perhaps outdone only by top Shakespearean plays.
During his life Ibsen's work was much admired. In 1891, fellow playwright George Bernard Shaw, in a lecture entitled The Quintessence of Ibsenism, called him the greatest living dramatist. James Joyce corresponded with him. British novelist Dame Rebecca West coined her nom de plume after one of Ibsen's characters in his play Rosmersholm. Composer Edvard Grieg, his own countryman, is famous for "Peer Gynt Suite" based on Ibsen's play.
Early Life of Henrik Ibsen
Henrik Ibsen was born in Skien, Norway, on March 20, 1828, and died at the age of 78, on May 23, 1906. His father was bankrupt and almost immediately became a social outcast. This event gave Ibsen a lasting impact on his life that resulted in a strong distrust of society which much of his work reflects.
Young Adult Ibsen
At the age of 16, Ibsen became an apprentice pharmacist. Money was scarce, but he was determined to improve his situation and studied in the evenings. When revolution swept Europe, in 1848, Ibsen, aged 22, captivated by the new democratic ideas, wrote his first play, Catiline, which deals with personal freedom, but this was never performed.
He went to college in Oslo and hoped to become a physician. He supported himself by writing. A year later, however, he was offered the job of writer-manager of the Norwegian Theatre in Bergen, a position he held for 11 years.
At 30, he married Suzannah Thoresen. Their son, Sigurd, was born a year later.
Ibsen's Turning Point
The play Brand, published when he was 38 years old, was the turning point in his writing career. With its emphasis on the individual pitted against society, the play became popular with young liberals at that time. A series of plays dealing with real-life issues soon followed. A Doll's House, which deals about a woman who refuses to obey her husband, caused a sensation and reached Europe and America.
Works by Henrik Ibsen
- Brand, 1866
- Peer Gynt, 1867
- A Doll's House, 1879
- Ghosts, 1881
- An Enemy of the People, 1882
- The Wild Duck, 1884
- Rosmersholm, 1886
- The Lady from the Sea, 1888
- Hedda Gabler, 1890
- The Master Builder, 1892
- Little Eyolf, 1894
- When We Dead Awaken, 1899
Sources:
Biographical Dictionary, edited by Una McGovern, Chambers (2002)
Dictionary of Writers, edited by Rosemary Goring, Larousse (1994)
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