Famous Norwegian Playwrights

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.

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.

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.

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. 

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.

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.

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.

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.

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. 

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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. 

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.

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.