Henrik Ibsen (1828-1906)

photo from Britannica.com

• 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.