Henrik Ibsen

Henrik Ibsen was a major Norwegian playwright, often referred to as the father of modern realistic drama. Ibsens's work was very controversial in his life time, even considered scandalous and outrageous by some. This because his characters' actions and characteristics were considered immoral and yet the characters suffered no moral consequence. Ibsen had a great influence on George Bernard Shaw's thinking who wrote favorably on his dramas and had translated some of his plays to English. Ibsen was also a prolific painter.

1. Born: March 20, 1828
2. Married Suzannah Thoresen: June 18, 1858
3. Died: May 23, 1906
4. Wrote 26 dramatic works and 300 poems
5. In his youth he was involved in 145 plays
6. His major plays are A Doll's House, Ghosts, Hedda Gabler, The Master Builder
7. Most performed play: Hedda Gabler
8. Norway declared that the year 2006 is "Ibsen Year" to commemorate the centennial anniversary of his death
9. Reopening of the Ibsen Museum, the writer's last home in Oslo (Christiania): 2006
10. His plays have been filmed 112 times

Henrik Ibsen was a major Norwegian playwright, often referred to as the father of modern realistic drama. Ibsens's work was very controversial in his life time, even considered scandalous and outrageous by some. This because his characters' actions and characteristics were considered immoral and yet the characters suffered no moral consequence. Ibsen had a great influence on George Bernard Shaw's thinking who wrote favorably on his dramas and had translated some of his plays to English. Ibsen was also a prolific painter.

1. Born: March 20, 1828

2. Married Suzannah Thoresen: June 18, 1858

3. Died: May 23, 1906

4. Wrote 26 dramatic works and 300 poems

5. In his youth he was involved in 145 plays

6. His major plays are A Doll's House, Ghosts, Hedda Gabler, The Master Builder

7. Most performed play: Hedda Gabler

8. Norway declared that the year 2006 is "Ibsen Year" to commemorate the centennial anniversary of his death

9. Reopening of the Ibsen Museum, the writer's last home in Oslo (Christiania): 2006

10. His plays have been filmed 112 times

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• 1828: Born on March 20 in Skien, Norway

• 1843: At 15, moves to Grimstad, Norway and becomes an apprentice druggist

• 1846: Father's an illegitimate child with Else Birkedalen

• 1850: At 22, publication of his first play Catilina, it was not performed

• 1850: First performance of his play The Burial Mound on September 26

• 1857: Becomes the Artistic Director of Christiania's National Theater

• 1858: Marries Suzannah Thoresen

• 1859: Birth of Sigurd, their only son

• 1864: Moves to Sorrento, Italy after being discouraged from his native Norway

• 1865: His next play Brand was his first big success and brought him financial stability

• 1868: Moves to Dresden, Germany

• 1871: Publication of his only book of poetry

• 1875: Moves to Munich, Germany

• 1891: Returns to Christiana, Norway

• 1900: Suffers his first stroke

• 1906: Dies after a series of strokes of atherosclerosis on May 23

• The majority of the following links are to IMDb, which has pop-ups

• 1915: Ghosts

• 1934: Peer Gynt

• 1973: A Doll's House

• 1978: An Enemy of the People

• 1983: The Wild Duck

• 2002: Hedda Gabler

• 2008: The Frost (Based on Henrik Ibsen's Little Eyolf)