Henrik Ibsen

• Born in Skein, Norway


• Lived his early life in poverty, stung by social rejection.


• Hired as a playwright by the National Theater in Bergen.


• Left Norway in 1862, starting a 27-year self-imposed exile. During this time he wrote his finest plays.


• "A literary pioneer who created the modern, realistic prose drama.”


• The bold, social commentary in his plays often earned him criticism.


• “A Doll’s House (1879) aroused controversy because it portrayed a woman whose actions were not considered acceptable at the time.”


• Ibsen was a revolutionary playwright who provided detailed stage directions that precisely described sets, lighting, props and how actors should interpret their lines.