Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
an society of the day. In 1863 he wrote
The Pretenders,
which takes place in 13th-
century Norway with King Håkon Håkonsson expressing anachronistic dreams of na-
tional unity. The enormously popular
Peer Gynt
(1867) was Ibsen's international
breakthrough. In this enduring epic, an ageing hero returns to his Norwegian roots
after wandering the world and is forced to face his own soul.
His other best-known plays include
The Doll's House
(1879), the highly provocat-
ive
Ghosts
(1881),
An Enemy of the People
(1882),
Hedda Gabler
(1890) and, his
last drama, the semi-autobiographical
When We Dead Awaken
(1899).
Throughout his life, Ibsen was always more than a chronicler of Norwegian soci-
ety and saw himself as the very reflection of 19th-century Norwegians: 'He who
wishes to understand me must know Norway. The magnificent but severe natural en-
vironment surrounding people up there in the north forces them to keep to their own.
That is why they become introspective and serious, they brood and doubt - and they
often lose faith. There, the long, dark winters come with their thick fogs enveloping
the houses - oh, how they long for the sun!'
Another legend involves Hestmannen (the Horseman), who attempted to shoot the prin-
cessLekamøyawithanarrowwhenshewouldn'tmarryhim.Herfather,thekingofSømna,
threw down his hat as a distraction, and the result was Torghatten, a hat-shaped peak that
looks as if it's been pierced through, on Torget island south of Brønnøysund. Hestmannen
himself is a knobbed peak on the island of Hestmanna, located further north near Mo i
Rana.
Henrik Ibsen Sites
» Ibsen Museum, Oslo
» Ibsenhuset Museum, Grimstad
» Henrik Ibsenmuseet, Skien
» National Theatre, Oslo
The Golden Age
The late 19th and early 20th centuries were the golden age of Norwegian literature.
Although most of the attention centres on Henrik Ibsen, it was Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson
(1832-1910)whoin1903becamethefirstNorwegianwritertowintheNobelPrizeforLit-
erature.Bestknownfor
Trust and Trial
(1857),Bjørnson'sworkincludedvignettesofrural
