Famous Norwegian Playwrights

Vote for Your Favourite Norwegian Playwrights

Right IconThis ranking is based on an algorithm that combines various factors, including the votes of our users and search trends on the internet.

 1 
Henrik Ibsen
(Norwegian-Danish Playwright and Theatre Director)
Henrik Ibsen
7
Birthdate: March 20, 1828
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Skien, Telemark, Norway
Died: May 23, 1906

Henrik Ibsen was a Norwegian theatre director and playwright. One of the most influential and popular playwrights of his generation, Ibsen is credited with co-founding modernism in theatre, for which he is often called the father of realism. After William Shakespeare, Henrik Ibsen is the world's most often performed dramatist. His works have influenced other playwrights like George Bernard Shaw.

 2 
Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson
(Norwegian Writer and Winner of Nobel Prize in Literature in 1903)
Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson
5
Birthdate: December 8, 1832
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Kvikne, Norway
Died: April 26, 1910

Nobel Prize-winning Norwegian author Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson, the first Nobel laureate from his country, is regarded as one of The Four Greats of Norwegian Literature. He also penned the Norwegian national anthem and is known for books such as Absalom's Hair and short stories such as The Railroad and the Churchyard.

 3 
Jon Fosse
(Norwegian Author and Dramatist)
Jon Fosse
2
Birthdate: September 29, 1959
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Haugesund, Rogaland, Norway

One of the most significant contemporary authors from Norway, Jon Fosse is best known as a playwright, but has also penned novels, short stories, poems, and children’s books. He has been journalist, has taught at a writing academy, and was also a consultant for the translation of the Bible into Norwegian.

Recommended Lists:
 4 
Dag Solstad
(Norwegian Novelist, Short-Story Writer, and Dramatist)
Dag Solstad
2
Birthdate: July 16, 1941
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Sandefjord, Norway

Dag Solstad is a Norwegian novelist and short-story writer who won the Nordic Council's Literature Prize in 1989. He also received the Norwegian Literary Critics' Award three times, becoming the only author to do so. He is the author of nearly 30 books. He is married to theater critic and journalist Therese Bjørneboe. 

 5 
Henrik Wergeland
(Norwegian Writer and Journalist Known as a Pioneer of Norwegian Literature)
Henrik Wergeland
2
Birthdate: June 17, 1808
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Kristiansand, Norway
Died: July 12, 1845

Known for redefining Norwegian poetry, Henrik Wergeland is known for his iconic works such as Creation, Humanity, and Messiah and Jan van Huysum’s Flowerpiece. He fought for the constitutional rights of Jews and became a symbol of Norwegian independence, in spite of his early death at 37.

 6 
Ivar Aasen
(Norwegian Philologist, Lexicographer and Writer Who Created the Written Standard of ‘Nynorsk')
Ivar Aasen
2
Birthdate: August 5, 1813
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Ørsta, Norway
Died: September 23, 1896

Norwegian lexicographer and philologist Ivar Aasen developed the written standard of Nynorsk, or New Norwegian, one of the official languages of Norway. He broke away from the Danish-influenced Norwegian language and penned poems and plays in the other dialect. The Ivar Aasen Centre, named after him, now preserves the Nynorsk language.

 7 
Jens Bjørneboe
(Norwegian Novelist, Dramatist, Essayist, and Poet)
Jens Bjørneboe
2
Birthdate: October 9, 1920
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Kristiansand, Norway
Died: May 9, 1976

Jens Bjørneboe wasn’t just an author but also practiced painting and taught at a Waldorf school. Beginning his writing career as a poet, he later penned novels such as Moment of Freedom and plays such as The Bird Lovers. Struggling with depression and alcohol issues, he later committed suicide by hanging.

 8 
Nordahl Grieg
(Norwegian Poet, Novelist, Dramatist and Journalist)
Nordahl Grieg
2
Birthdate: November 1, 1902
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Bergen, Norway
Died: December 2, 1943

Nordahl Grieg was a Norwegian poet, novelist, journalist, and political activist. He was both a popular writer and a controversial public figure. He studied at the Royal Frederick University and became a journalist. He was a staunch anti-Nazi patriot and served in World War II as a war correspondent. He was killed while on a bombing mission to Berlin. 

 9 
Alexander Kielland
(Norwegian Novelist, Short-Story Writer, and Dramatist)
Alexander Kielland
2
Birthdate: February 18, 1849
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Stavanger, Norway
Died: April 6, 1906

One of The Four Greats of Norwegian literature, Alexander Kielland was a qualified lawyer and also managed his own brickyard. He later soared to fame with his works such as Gift and was a prominent part of the literary movement of Realism. He had also been a mayor of Stavanger.

 10 
Jonas Lie
(Novelist)
Jonas Lie
1
Birthdate: November 6, 1833
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Hokksund, Norway
Died: July 5, 1908

Jonas Lie is regarded as one of The Four Greats of Norwegian literature. An eye defect prevented him from pursuing his naval ambitions, and he became a lawyer instead. Known for works such as The Family at Gilje, he was a major part of the literary movement of Realism.

 11 
Johan Herman Wessel
(Norwegian Poet and Playwright)
Johan Herman Wessel
1
Birthdate: October 6, 1742
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Akershus, Norway
Died: December 29, 1785

Johan Herman Wessel was a Danish-Norwegian poet, playwright, and satirist whose works are characterized by the use of satiric wit and parody. One of his satirical plays titled Kierlighed uden Strømper is performed even today! Johan Herman Wessel is also credited with writing Anno 7603, which is widely regarded as one of the first fictional works that discuss time travel.

 12 
Johan Borgen
(Norwegian Novelist, Short-Story Writer, Dramatist, and Essayist)
Johan Borgen
1
Birthdate: April 28, 1902
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Oslo, Norway
Died: October 16, 1979

Johan Borgen was a Norwegian author, critic, and journalist best remembered for his novel Lillelord which earned him the prestigious Norwegian Critics Prize for Literature in 1955. Over the course of his career, Johan Borgen also won other awards like the Dobloug Prize, Norwegian Booksellers' Prize, Nordic Council's Literature Prize, and a Nobel Prize nomination in 1966.

 13 
Johan Bojer
(Norwegian Novelist and Dramatist)
Johan Bojer
1
Birthdate: March 6, 1872
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Orkdal, Norway
Died: July 3, 1959

Johan Bojer was a Norwegian dramatist and novelist best remembered for his works describing the lives of the fishermen and poor farmers. Many of his works were translated into foreign languages, earning him international recognition. Over the course of his career, Johan Bojer received five nominations for the prestigious Nobel Prize in Literature.

 14 
Gunnar Heiberg
(Norwegian Poet, Playwright and Journalist)
Gunnar Heiberg
0
Birthdate: November 18, 1857
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Oslo, Norway
Died: February 22, 1929

Gunnar Heiberg was a Norwegian poet, journalist, playwright, and theatre critic. An important exponent of Expressionism, Heiberg is widely regarded as the most prominent Norwegian playwright after Henrik Ibsen. Some of his best-known plays are Kjærlighedens Tragedie and Balkonen.

 15 
Johan Nordahl Brun
(Norwegian Poet, Dramatist, Bishop of Bergen Who Contributed Significantly to the Growth of National Romanticism in Norway)
Johan Nordahl Brun
0
Birthdate: March 21, 1745
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Byneset, Norway
Died: June 26, 1816

Johan Nordahl Brun was a Norwegian dramatist, poet, politician, and bishop of Bergen. He is best remembered for his significant contribution to the growth of romantic nationalism in Norway. An influential poet, Johan Nordahl Brun is credited with writing Bergen's anthem as well as Norway's first unofficial national song.

 16 
Oskar Braaten
(Norwegian Novelist and Playwright Best Known for His Popular Plays and Novels Depicting the Life of Factory Workers)
Oskar Braaten
0
Birthdate: November 25, 1881
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Oslo, Norway
Died: July 17, 1939

Oskar Braaten was a Norwegian playwright and novelist best remembered for his works that depict the life of factory workers in Oslo during a period of industrialization. Oskar Braaten is also remembered for his association with the Det Norske Teatret where he was an advisor and theater manager from its inception in 1915 until his death in 1939. 

 17 
Cliff Moustache
(Director who directed his first short film Radio Knockout in 2000)
Cliff Moustache
0
Birthdate: November 9, 1952
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Seycellois

Cliff Moustache is a Seycellois-Norwegian film actor, director, and playwright. Born in Seychelles, Moustache has contributed immensely to Norwegian society by starting Nordic Black Xpress, a theatre school, and the Nordic Black Theatre in Oslo. In 2019, Cliff Moustache was honored by Marianne Borgenprestigious with the Artist of the Year honor, making him the first foreigner to receive the award.