Suzannah Ibsen
Encyclopedia
Suzannah Ibsen (June 26, 1836 - April 3, 1914) was the wife of playwright
and poet
Henrik Ibsen
.
, Norway
. Her parents were Hans Conrad Thoresen (1802-1858) and his second wife, Sara Margrethe Daae (1806-1841). After her mother's death in childbirth, her father married the family's Danish born governess, Magdalene Thoresen
(1819-1903). Her family subsequently moved to Bergen
where her father was dean of the historic Cross Church
(Korskirken).
After the success of his first publicly successful drama The Feast at Solhaug
, Ibsen was invited to Magdalene Thoresen’s literary salon. It was here he first met and fell in love with Susannah. Henrik Ibsen was at this time the stage director at the Norwegian Theatre
(Det Norske Theater) in Bergen. In 1858 Suzannah Ibsen translated Graf Waldemar (1847) by German dramatist Gustav Freytag
into Norwegian. The play was first performed during September 1861.
Susannah became engaged to Henrik Ibsen in January 1856 and they were married during June 1858. Their only child, Sigurd Ibsen
, was born during December 1859. Sigurd Ibsen, a Norwegian author and politician, married Bergliot Bjørnson, the daughter of Norwegian writer Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson
.
Her daughter-in-law, Bergliot Ibsen wrote a book which was about her husband's famous family entitled De tre. Erindringer om Henrik Ibsen, Suzannah Ibsen, Sigurd Ibsen . Published in Norway during 1948, it was translated into English and published as The Three Ibsens during 1952.
Playwright
A playwright, also called a dramatist, is a person who writes plays.The term is not a variant spelling of "playwrite", but something quite distinct: the word wright is an archaic English term for a craftsman or builder...
and poet
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
Henrik Ibsen
Henrik Ibsen
Henrik Ibsen was a major 19th-century Norwegian playwright, theatre director, and poet. He is often referred to as "the father of prose drama" and is one of the founders of Modernism in the theatre...
.
Biography
Suzannah Daae Thoresen was born in Herøy, Møre og RomsdalHerøy, Møre og Romsdal
Herøy is a municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It is part of the Sunnmøre region. The administrative centre is the town of Fosnavåg on the island of Bergsøya. The industrial area of Eggesbønes is located south of Fosnavåg on the same island...
, Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
. Her parents were Hans Conrad Thoresen (1802-1858) and his second wife, Sara Margrethe Daae (1806-1841). After her mother's death in childbirth, her father married the family's Danish born governess, Magdalene Thoresen
Magdalene Thoresen
Anna Magdalene Thoresen, née Kragh was a Danish/Norwegian poet, novelist short story writer and playwright. She is said to have inspired a number of other writers to model characters after her.-Personal life:...
(1819-1903). Her family subsequently moved to Bergen
Bergen
Bergen is the second largest city in Norway with a population of as of , . Bergen is the administrative centre of Hordaland county. Greater Bergen or Bergen Metropolitan Area as defined by Statistics Norway, has a population of as of , ....
where her father was dean of the historic Cross Church
Korskirken
Korskirken is a cruciform church in Bergen, Norway.-Description:Korskirken is located at the intersection of the streets Kong Oscars gate and Nedre Korskirkeallmenning and dates back to the latter half of the 12th century. The name of the church refers to the True Cross, and is usually rendered in...
(Korskirken).
After the success of his first publicly successful drama The Feast at Solhaug
The Feast at Solhaug
The Feast at Solhaug is the first publicly successful drama by Henrik Ibsen. It was written in 1855 and had its premier at Det norske Theater in Bergen on January 2, 1856...
, Ibsen was invited to Magdalene Thoresen’s literary salon. It was here he first met and fell in love with Susannah. Henrik Ibsen was at this time the stage director at the Norwegian Theatre
Det norske Theater (Bergen)
Det norske Theater is a former theatre in Bergen, Norway, and regarded as the first pure Norwegian stage theatre. It opened in 1850 by primus motor, violinist Ole Bull, and closed in 1863, after a bankrupty. The theatre's first production was Holberg's comedy Den Vægelsindede, and the opening was...
(Det Norske Theater) in Bergen. In 1858 Suzannah Ibsen translated Graf Waldemar (1847) by German dramatist Gustav Freytag
Gustav Freytag
Gustav Freytag was a German novelist and playwright.-Life:Freytag was born in Kreuzburg in Silesia...
into Norwegian. The play was first performed during September 1861.
Susannah became engaged to Henrik Ibsen in January 1856 and they were married during June 1858. Their only child, Sigurd Ibsen
Sigurd Ibsen
Sigurd Ibsen was a Norwegian author and politician. As the only child of Henrik Ibsen and his wife Suzannah Thoresen, he was born to high expectations and struggled all his life to meet these.Sigurd Ibsen was born in Oslo...
, was born during December 1859. Sigurd Ibsen, a Norwegian author and politician, married Bergliot Bjørnson, the daughter of Norwegian writer Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson
Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson
Bjørnstjerne Martinius Bjørnson was a Norwegian writer and the 1903 Nobel Prize in Literature laureate. Bjørnson is considered as one of The Four Greats Norwegian writers; the others being Henrik Ibsen, Jonas Lie, and Alexander Kielland...
.
Her daughter-in-law, Bergliot Ibsen wrote a book which was about her husband's famous family entitled De tre. Erindringer om Henrik Ibsen, Suzannah Ibsen, Sigurd Ibsen . Published in Norway during 1948, it was translated into English and published as The Three Ibsens during 1952.
Other source
- Ibsen, Bergliot The Three Ibsens: Memories of Henrik Ibsen, Suzannah Ibsen and Sigurd Ibsen (New York: American-Scandinavian Foundation. 1952)