Henrik Ibsen

Who is Henrik Ibsen?

Henrik Johan Ibsen was born in Skien, Norway, and became one of the most influential dramatists in Western literature, often called the "father of modern drama" and "father of realism." After early years of financial hardship, he worked in theatres in Bergen and Christiania (now Oslo) before spending 27 years living abroad in Italy and Germany. His major realistic prose dramas confronted the moral and social conventions of nineteenth-century society, examining hypocrisy, individual freedom, and the position of women. Works such as A Doll's House provoked international controversy for their frank treatment of marriage and identity. Ibsen's later plays turned increasingly symbolic and introspective. His plays are among the most frequently performed in the world after those of Shakespeare, and figures like Nora Helmer and Hedda Gabler remain central to the theatrical repertoire.

Sources: Henrik Ibsen, A Doll's House (Et dukkehjem), 1879 · Henrik Ibsen, Ghosts (Gengangere), 1881 · Henrik Ibsen, Hedda Gabler, 1890 · Henrik Ibsen, Peer Gynt, 1867