Biography of Henrik Ibsen :
Henrik Ibsen was born on March 20th, 1828, in the small port town of Skien, Norway. He was the child of a merchant family and suffered hardships in his youth when his father had to give up the family business in 1835. At the age of 15, Ibsen left home to become the apprentice to a pharmacist and began writing plays. In 1850, Ibsen moved to Christiania (now called Oslo, the capital city of Norway) to study medicine at the University, but he did not pass the entrance exam. Instead, he continued to write.
He moved back to Christiania in 1857 to become the artistic director of the Norwegian Theatre and married Suzannah Thoreson, with whom he had one son, named Sigurd. The Norwegian Theatre went bankrupt in 1862, and in 1864, dissatisfied with Norwegian politics and his lack of success as a writer, Ibsen moved his family to Italy.
Ibsen suffered great depression during this part of his life. The varied responsibilities of his job allowed him no chance for his own creative work. In addition, the theatre was doing so badly that his salary was severely reduced. Besides neglecting his work, he published no play from 1857 until Love’s Comedy in 1862. This new anti-romantic satire received hostile reviews although it shows a maturing talent and the bold viewpoint which characterise his later works. When the theatre finally declared bankruptcy, Ibsen’s despair was complete.
In 1868, Ibsen and his family moved to Germany, where they lived for many years while Ibsen wrote the bulk of his major works. During this time, Ibsen began corresponding with Georg Brandes, a Danish literary critic. Together, they brought the modern movement to Scandinavia, rebelling against the old Romantic traditions and responding to the new concerns of the modern world. Ibsen began writing in prose instead of verse and began attacking modern, realistic social problems in his plays
Henrik Ibsen (1828–1906) was a Norwegian playwright, theatre director, and poet who revolutionised the art of playwright and is widely regarded as one of the most influential dramatists of all time. He began writing plays in his 20s, but it wasn’t until the 1860s that he gained success with plays like “Brand” and “Peer Gynt”, which were initially met with criticism and controversy but eventually earned him recognition and acclaim.
Ibsen’s plays are known for their realistic and nuanced portrayal of human characters, exploration of themes like individualism, morality, and social norms, innovative use of language and dramatic structure, critique of societal conventions and hypocrisies, and emphasis on the inner lives and psychological struggles of characters. Some of his most famous works include “A Doll’s House”, “Ghost”, “An Enemy of the People”, “Hedda Gabler”, “The Master Builder”, and “When We Dead Awaken”.
Throughout his life, Ibsen was recognized with numerous awards and honors, including the Grand Cross of the Order of St. Olav and honorary degrees from the University of Oslo and the University of Cambridge. His influence on modern theatre and literature is immense, inspiring countless playwrights, writers, and artists, including George Bernard Shaw, Oscar Wilde, Tennessee Williams, Arthur Miller, and Ingmar Bergman. His plays continue to be performed and adapted worldwide, and his ideas and themes remain relevant and thought-provoking to this day .Ibsen was born in Skien, Norway, and grew up in a middle-class family.
Some of his most famous works include:
- “An Enemy of the People” (1882)
Throughout his life, Ibsen was recognized with numerous awards and honors, including the Grand Cross of the Order of St. Olav. He continues to be celebrated and performed worldwide, and his influence can be seen in many modern playwrights and writers.
