The Master Builder / The Wild Duck / Peer Gynt / Hedda Gabler / Pillars of Society / A Doll's House / The League of Youth / Ghosts / Rosmersholm / John Gabriel Borkman / An Enemy of the People

Ibsen plays exhibit a timelessness that not many playwrights have been able to achieve. His characters, while Norwegian and set in the late nineteenth century, are familiar. While deeply steeped in the realist tradition, he made some moves outside that tradition, introducing elements of magical realism into scripts such as Peer Gynt. A pleasure to read. Having seen many of these plays performed, I can say that in many cases, he is not served well by actors and directors. Much of the subtlety may be lost if a director or actor is too heavy handed. Oh, and if, like me, you tend to skip introductions to play anthologies - don't pass this one by. While one has to wonder how much Mencken believed his statements about Ibsen being right in show more line with public sentiment, it is a delight to read Mencken's always entertaining prose. show less