Henrik Ibsen: Career

1. Henrik Ibsen: Career

2. When Did He Write? • He began writing around the late 1840’s • His first play, Catalina, was published in 1850, and he went under the name Brynjolf Bjarme. • Catalina was written in verse modeled after Shakespeare • His last play was When we Dead Awaken, which was written in 1899 and it was about an old sculptor trying to regain his creative spark when he runs into his former student • In addition to plays he wrote about 300 poems

3. Writing Style • In 1848 he was inspired from the Europeans Revolutions which led him to write elegant poetry • From 1849- to 1860 his writings were based on folklore, folk songs and history • He liked to write about love and marriage in his plays such as A Doll’s House • In his works he liked to question the acceptance of social roles in society • From around 1865-1889 his writings showed his interest for realistic drama • Around 1890 he abandoned his interest in realism and started to write symbolic dramas

4. Popularity of His Works • Catalina, had only sold 45 copies and was rejected to every theatre Ibsen submitted the play too • St Johns Night was written around 1852, but it was still not as successful • After marrying his wife and self-exiling himself in Italy for 27 years he wrote his plays that started his career because they were a success which were Brand written in 1865 (And made him famous in Scandinavia) and in 1867 he wrote one of his masterworks Peer Gynt • When he moved to Germany in 1868 he saw his play The Pillars of Society being performed in Munich which launched his career and in 1879 one of his most famous works A Dolls House was written • In 1881 he wrote Ghosts which was controversial (talked about incest and venereal disease) • Some say that his response to the backlash of Ghosts was two years later when he wrote An Enemy of The People • He wrote in 1890 one of his most famous characters in the play Hedda Gabler • His return to Norway brought out the play The Master Builder

5. Bibliography http://www.biography.com/people/henrik-ibsen-37014?page=2 http://www.gradesaver.com/author/henrik-ibsen/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henrik_Ibsen