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The Master Builder and Other Plays
Ibsen's greatest late plays in superb modern translations, part of the new Penguin Ibsen series.
This volume includes The Master Builder, Little Eyolf, John Gabriel Borkman and When We Dead Awaken - Ibsen's last four plays, written in his old age in Oslo. In The Master Builder, a married, middle-aged architect becomes bewitched by a strange young woman who claims to have known him for years. A sudden death in Little Eyolf is the catalyst that drives a couple into a greater understanding of themselves. In John Gabriel Borkman, a banker recently released from prison must choose between his wife and her sister, while a sculptor on holiday is reunited with the woman who inspired his greatest art in When We Dead Awaken.
The new Penguin series of Ibsen's major plays offer the best available editions in English, under the general editorship of Tore Rem. All the plays have been freshly translated by leading translators and are based on the definitive Norwegian edition of Ibsen's works. This volume includes an introduction by Toril Moi on the themes of death and human limitation in the plays, and additional editorial apparatus by Tore Rem.
Henrik Ibsen (1828-1906) is often called 'the Father of Modern Drama'. Born in the small Norwegian town of Skien, he left Norway in 1864 for a twenty-one-year long voluntary exile in Italy and Germany. After successes with the verse dramas Brand and Peer Gynt, he turned to prose, writing his great twelve-play cycle of society dramas between 1877 and 1899. This included The Pillars of Society, A Doll's House, Ghosts, An Enemy of the People, The Wild Duck, Rosmersholm, The Lady from the Sea, Hedda Gabler, The Master Builder, Little Eyolf, John Gabriel Borkman, and, finally, When We Dead Awaken. Ibsen returned to Norway in 1891 and died there at the age of seventy-eight.
Barbara J. Haveland and Anne-Marie Stanton-Ife are both freelance literary translators.
Toril Moi is Professor of English, Theater Studies and Philosophy at Duke University. Her books include Henrik Ibsen and the Birth of Modernism (2006).
Tore Rem is Professor of British literature at the University of Oslo and author of Henry Gibson/Henrik Ibsen (2006).
This volume includes The Master Builder, Little Eyolf, John Gabriel Borkman and When We Dead Awaken - Ibsen's last four plays, written in his old age in Oslo. In The Master Builder, a married, middle-aged architect becomes bewitched by a strange young woman who claims to have known him for years. A sudden death in Little Eyolf is the catalyst that drives a couple into a greater understanding of themselves. In John Gabriel Borkman, a banker recently released from prison must choose between his wife and her sister, while a sculptor on holiday is reunited with the woman who inspired his greatest art in When We Dead Awaken.
The new Penguin series of Ibsen's major plays offer the best available editions in English, under the general editorship of Tore Rem. All the plays have been freshly translated by leading translators and are based on the definitive Norwegian edition of Ibsen's works. This volume includes an introduction by Toril Moi on the themes of death and human limitation in the plays, and additional editorial apparatus by Tore Rem.
Henrik Ibsen (1828-1906) is often called 'the Father of Modern Drama'. Born in the small Norwegian town of Skien, he left Norway in 1864 for a twenty-one-year long voluntary exile in Italy and Germany. After successes with the verse dramas Brand and Peer Gynt, he turned to prose, writing his great twelve-play cycle of society dramas between 1877 and 1899. This included The Pillars of Society, A Doll's House, Ghosts, An Enemy of the People, The Wild Duck, Rosmersholm, The Lady from the Sea, Hedda Gabler, The Master Builder, Little Eyolf, John Gabriel Borkman, and, finally, When We Dead Awaken. Ibsen returned to Norway in 1891 and died there at the age of seventy-eight.
Barbara J. Haveland and Anne-Marie Stanton-Ife are both freelance literary translators.
Toril Moi is Professor of English, Theater Studies and Philosophy at Duke University. Her books include Henrik Ibsen and the Birth of Modernism (2006).
Tore Rem is Professor of British literature at the University of Oslo and author of Henry Gibson/Henrik Ibsen (2006).
368 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1899
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About the author
Henrik Ibsen
2,230 books2,104 followersHenrik Johan Ibsen was a major Norwegian playwright largely responsible for the rise of modern realistic drama. He is often referred to as the "father of modern drama." Ibsen is held to be the greatest of Norwegian authors and one of the most important playwrights of all time, celebrated as a national symbol by Norwegians.
His plays were considered scandalous to many of his era, when Victorian values of family life and propriety largely held sway in Europe and any challenge to them was considered immoral and outrageous. Ibsen's work examined the realities that lay behind many facades, possessing a revelatory nature that was disquieting to many contemporaries.
Ibsen largely founded the modern stage by introducing a critical eye and free inquiry into the conditions of life and issues of morality. Victorian-era plays were expected to be moral dramas with noble protagonists pitted against darker forces; every drama was expected to result in a morally appropriate conclusion, meaning that goodness was to bring happiness, and immorality pain. Ibsen challenged this notion and the beliefs of his times and shattered the illusions of his audiences.
His plays were considered scandalous to many of his era, when Victorian values of family life and propriety largely held sway in Europe and any challenge to them was considered immoral and outrageous. Ibsen's work examined the realities that lay behind many facades, possessing a revelatory nature that was disquieting to many contemporaries.
Ibsen largely founded the modern stage by introducing a critical eye and free inquiry into the conditions of life and issues of morality. Victorian-era plays were expected to be moral dramas with noble protagonists pitted against darker forces; every drama was expected to result in a morally appropriate conclusion, meaning that goodness was to bring happiness, and immorality pain. Ibsen challenged this notion and the beliefs of his times and shattered the illusions of his audiences.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
November 8, 2018
Finished: 08.11.2018
Genre: play (94 pages)
Rating: A++++
Conclusion: 'Rosmersholm'
My thoughts
Genre: play (94 pages)
Rating: A++++
Conclusion: 'Rosmersholm'
My thoughts
November 2, 2019
I surely must be living under a rock to have discovered Ibsen so late. And now that I have, I am eager to sample more and eventually all of his works. It was only after I had picked this up as my next read that I realized, that I had actually picked up at the tail end of Ibsen's career. Contained within are the last four plays he wrote towards the end of his life. And I must say, they aren't very straightforward to suffice a single read. They dwell on human preoccupation with impending death and what this means for the unfulfilled ambitions and legacy. Through his protagonists, Ibsen has explored many facets of human behavior when faced with mortal or societal end. For some the borders between fantasy and reality dissolve entirely, leading them to perilous end. Quite often the protagonists revolt against the notion of human mortality, wrecking their lives and of those they hold dear. By presenting us with the characters that embrace the ordinary without illusions, Ibsen sets their deranged reaction to death and end in sharp contrast.
The introduction to this collection comes in handy as an afterthought and discussion on the possible interpretations of each play. It seems probable that Ibsen was exploring these contradictory reactions to human mortality because he himself was nearing his end. The fear of being replaced by a younger generation, the fear of change that inevitably comes into all human relationships, the egoistic disregard of time and the preference of idealism over human emotions..are explored in subtle yet emphatic prose. Ibsen wields irony and repetition to great effect. And in my opinion is extremely masterful in execution. For the benefit of my memory I will now list the plays and my personal ratings for them (for now) :
3.5★ The Master Builder
4★ Little Eyolf
4.5★ John Gabriel Borkman
4★ When We Dead Awaken
I wholeheartedly recommend not just the book but Ibsen himself to all the readers. I have already started with his other works and am hooked. I hope more and more people would add him to their lists :) Happy Reading!
The introduction to this collection comes in handy as an afterthought and discussion on the possible interpretations of each play. It seems probable that Ibsen was exploring these contradictory reactions to human mortality because he himself was nearing his end. The fear of being replaced by a younger generation, the fear of change that inevitably comes into all human relationships, the egoistic disregard of time and the preference of idealism over human emotions..are explored in subtle yet emphatic prose. Ibsen wields irony and repetition to great effect. And in my opinion is extremely masterful in execution. For the benefit of my memory I will now list the plays and my personal ratings for them (for now) :
3.5★ The Master Builder
4★ Little Eyolf
4.5★ John Gabriel Borkman
4★ When We Dead Awaken
I wholeheartedly recommend not just the book but Ibsen himself to all the readers. I have already started with his other works and am hooked. I hope more and more people would add him to their lists :) Happy Reading!
January 19, 2022
A re reread
July 29, 2016
Written late in Ibsen's career as a dramatist, the four plays in this volume, are a progression from his earlier concern about people at odds with society and he turns instead to exploration of the inner struggles with their own thoughts, feelings, disappointments and dreams. "The Master Builder" (1892) depicts a powerful man whose illusions and certainty evaporate in the face of a young woman's down-to-earth common sense. In "Rosmersholm" (1886), the protagonist, an idealist is forced to bring his beliefs into question and confront terrible truths about the past, while "Little Eyolf" (1894) depicts a man's wallowing in self-deception, which results in tragic repercussions for his family and at the same time renewed hope for their future. And finally in "John Gabriel Borkman" (1896), a dying woman returns to reclaim the affections and loyalty of her nephew, who has been convicted of fraud, resulting in a bitter struggle with her sister for her son.
February 25, 2012
Read JOHN GABRIEL BORKMAN from this collection, a superb play about people at the end of their lives who fight over their legacy. The problem is that their legacy has a mind of his own. One of Ibsen's greatest works.
August 21, 2023
If you've read my other reviews, it's clear that I enjoy Henrik Ibsen's works. They're captivating in a way that few plays are while still being open enough (with loose stage directions) for your mind to run wild with the few details given. This collection of Ibsen's late plays in contrast to his earilers leans a little more heavily on stage directions and thus my enjoyment of the plays was not as great as the likes of Hedda Gabler, and Ghosts. That being said it's still a lovely collection of plays that'd i'd reccomend to anyone interested in Ibsen's works. But definitely read the prior plays first.
February 13, 2018
Like its predecessor, this one reads better than one has any right to expect of a translation from the 1950s. Three out of four of these are generally judged to be among the great man's best and I'd agree with translator Fermor that he never did anything to beat 'John Gabriel Borkman'. 'Little Eyolf,' also included here, comes close. A very strong collection.
March 28, 2023
Deeply spiritual and psychological.
May 17, 2016
I guess I have lost my enthusiasm for reading dramatic plays. I recently read a selection of Chekhov's plays and didn't much care for them either.
I get so annoyed at the compressed dramatic events that too often involve suicide or poetic death. There is no humor in these plays of Ibsen.
Just think of Shakespeare where regardless of the category of play, there is always a light touch or scene to balance the battles and dramatic events.
And of course the compelling language which is so rich and evocative.
I get so annoyed at the compressed dramatic events that too often involve suicide or poetic death. There is no humor in these plays of Ibsen.
Just think of Shakespeare where regardless of the category of play, there is always a light touch or scene to balance the battles and dramatic events.
And of course the compelling language which is so rich and evocative.
February 2, 2016
The Master Builder is an absorbing and intriguing Ibsen play. Thoroughly enjoyed this version.
March 21, 2016
Darker than I had anticipated and infinitely more searching of the human soul: absolutely fascinating.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews