Ibsen In an Hour

In 1850, Henrik Ibsen arrived in Christiania (now Oslo), hoping to begin his university education. Yet something else lay in store for the twenty-two-year-old. Failing his exams in Greek and Arithmetic, he soon moved to Bergen to become "dramatic author" at the new Norwegian theatre there. The rebellious young Ibsen was unsatisfied with the conventional "well-made plays" of his time —- calling them "daily abortions." Instead of conforming to that standard, Ibsen began forging his own plays th…