Henrik Ibsen (1828–1906) is one of the greatest names in world literature. He was central to the modern breakthrough in European intellectual life and is considered the father of modern drama.
His dramas have retained a strong topicality and are still staged in theaters in all corners of the world. It is said that Ibsen is the most frequently performed dramatist in the world after Shakespeare.
Ibsen as a playwright
By clicking on the links in the overview below, you can read all the works in full text or view them together with manuscript versions, facsimiles and comments.
You will also find background information on the creation of the respective works, editions and theatrical productions, and you can proceed to reviews, translations and images from Ibsen performances worldwide. This content is in Norwegian.
- Brand (1866)
- The Master Builder (1892)
- Catiline (1850)
- A Doll's House (1879)
- An Enemy of the People (1882)
- The Mountain Bird (1859)
- The Lady from the Sea (1888)
- Lady Inger (1857)
- Ghosts (1881)
- The Feast at Solhaug (1856)
- Hedda Gabler (1890)
- White Horses (1886)
- The Vikings at Helgeland (1858)
- John Gabriel Borkman (1896)
- Emperor and Galilean (1873)
- The Burial Mound (1850)
- Love's Comedy (1862)
- The Pretenders (1864)
- Little Eyolf (1894)
- Norma (1851)
- When We Dead Awaken (1899)
- Olaf Liljekrans (1857)
- Peer Gynt (1867)
- Rosmersholm (1886)
- The Grouse in Justedal (1850)
- Pillars of Society (1877)
- St. John's Eve (1853)
- Svanhild (1860)
- The League of Youth (1869)
- The Wild Duck (1884)
Ibsen as a poet
Ibsen published just one collection of poems, Digte, in 1871. Additionally there is an unpublished collection of poems, Blandede Digtninger, from the years 1848-50.
- Ibsen's poems in full text and more information about the poems
- Facsimiles of Ibsen's manuscripts of poems (DokPro, Norwegian)
Ibsen as a prosaist
Speeches
Ibsen gave speeches on various occasions. They are handed down in the form of manuscripts or minutes in newspapers. Only newspaper reports containing direct quotations from the speeches are included.
Articles
Newspapers and periodicals were an important publication channel for Ibsen. Here he published not only articles, but also poems and plays. In 1851 Ibsen was editor of "Samfundsbladet" and of "Manden"/"Andhrimner".
Various non-fiction texts
Ibsen's non-fiction also includes drafts for a novel, an opera, and an autobiography, recordings of folk tales, a travelogue, school essays, the preface to "Folkeutgaven" of Ibsen's works (1898-1902), and various notes.
Varia
Within the category varia you will find everything that is not plays, poems, letters or non-fiction. The material includes theatre material from Ibsen's time at Det norske Theater in Bergen, dedications, photographs, greetings, contracts, envelopes, art, receipts, accounts, signatures and miscellaneous.
Manuscripts
The facsimiles of Ibsen's prose manuscripts are not included in HISe, but are available in the DokPro database.
Ibsen as a letter writer
All of Ibsen's letters are available as transcribed texts and in some cases as facsimiles in the digital edition of Henrik Ibsen's Writings (HISe). Here you will also find detailed biographies of both letter recipients and mentioned individuals.
Ibsen as a visual artist
Editions of Ibsen's works
Henrik Ibsen's writings (HISe) is the complete digital edition of Ibsen's works. Below, you find an overview of editions of Ibsen's works, both printed and online.
- Go to Henrik Ibsen's writings
- Go to overview of Ibsen editions
Theatre productions of Ibsen's works
In our IbsenStage database, you will find detailed information about international theater productions of Ibsen's works. Below, you will also find overviews of world premieres and national first performances of Ibsen's works.