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En fallit : skuespill i fire handlinger
En fallit, drama av Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson, utgitt 1875. Sammen med Redaktøren (også 1875), er En fallit regnet som det første gjennomført realistiske drama i nordisk litteratur. En fallit ble Bjørnsons største internasjonale suksess og banet veien for Ibsens samtidsdramatikk i Tyskland. Det er et sentralt dokument fra den epoken den danske kritikeren Georg Brandes kalte ”det moderne gjennombrudd”. Skuespillet har også vært ett av Bjørnsons fire-fem mest populære i det tjuende århundret.
Kilde: https://snl.no/En_fallit
Kilde: https://snl.no/En_fallit
115 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1875
41 people want to read
About the author
Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson
788 books101 followersBjørnstjerne Martinus Bjørnson was a Norwegian writer and the 1903 Nobel Prize in Literature laureate "as a tribute to his noble, magnificent and versatile poetry, which has always been distinguished by both the freshness of its inspiration and the rare purity of its spirit."
Bjørnson is the author of the lyrics to the Norwegian National Anthem, "Ja, vi elsker dette landet".
Bjørnson is the author of the lyrics to the Norwegian National Anthem, "Ja, vi elsker dette landet".
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
January 2, 2025
As 2024 draws to a close, let me preface this by saying that I have a goal to read more books by Nobel prize winners in 2025, because this the season for silly resolutions, and how silly is that for a resolution?
Bjornson won the Nobel prize for literature in 1903 "as a tribute to his noble, magnificent and versatile poetry, which has always been distinguished by both the freshness of its inspiration and the rare purity of its spirit." He was the third winner of the prize. Who is that guy, you might ask? That's an excellent question... I did not know either, but I guess he is kind of a big deal in Norway, although somehow, I doubt, he is still widely read today, but who knows? In all event, he did write their national anthem, so there is that.
En Fallit is a play, I read the French translation, it was part of a larger book published in 1894 which contained another of Bjornson's play (Leonarda). I found this book for free on Project Gutenberg. It was translated by Auguste Monnier and there is a letter written by a certain Ernest Tissot serving as preface. The preface is absolutely forgettable except that you get a glimpse of a debate raging in France at the time, and I suppose still relevant today, about artistic production: should one culture seek to amplify the voice of their own creators, or should it rather open up to artists from all over the world? The answer is not as straightforward as it seems.
"Une faillite" in French is about a family; husband, wife and two daughters. They are rich merchants, and everything is fine and good until we learn that the patriarch has been, well, cooking the books, and he is just about to get his comeuppance. Swiftly after the appearance of the dreaded "lawyer" everything seems to be suddenly falling apart, it is absolute panic and mayhem, shots are even fired as one of the character attempts to kill a horse to prevent a hostile mob (of unpaid workers...) from seizing it. Says the mom to one of the daughters: "...(t)u as toujours été l'enfant gâtée de parents riches, et tu ne sais pas ce que c'est la vie (...) Attends, tu vas, en quelques heures, en apprendre plus que dans toute ta vie..." Just wait, you spoiled child, you are about to learn more in a few hours than you did in your entire life...
At this point, it's still mildly entertaining, but then we get tangled up in an ending that made me sorry I read the whole thing. No trace of "magnificent" or "versatile" poetry, but it could very well be the translation, who knows? The characters have an infuriating habit of completely changing their state of mind in a split second, from love to anger or from threats to begging, LITERALLY from one line to another... I would not say the dialogues flow naturally; however the play is quite easy to follow and that's a plus. I would also take offence to the portrayal of the workers (represented by a character named Jacobson) who every time he opens his mouth, prefaces what he is about to say by either a form of apology, regret or other acknowledgement that he is indeed inferior. Probably a byproduct of l'air du temps I suppose but annoying, nonetheless.
Despite all that, I am not too mad I read it; now I know things I did not know before. It's a little window in a corner of the world. Also, it was fun to read a play which I had not done in ages. I can't really recommend it however, unless you want to check the Bjornson box of your Nobel list, then I suppose you could do worse.
Next up, some poetry by Sully Prudhomme and a short story by Jon Fosse.
Bjornson won the Nobel prize for literature in 1903 "as a tribute to his noble, magnificent and versatile poetry, which has always been distinguished by both the freshness of its inspiration and the rare purity of its spirit." He was the third winner of the prize. Who is that guy, you might ask? That's an excellent question... I did not know either, but I guess he is kind of a big deal in Norway, although somehow, I doubt, he is still widely read today, but who knows? In all event, he did write their national anthem, so there is that.
En Fallit is a play, I read the French translation, it was part of a larger book published in 1894 which contained another of Bjornson's play (Leonarda). I found this book for free on Project Gutenberg. It was translated by Auguste Monnier and there is a letter written by a certain Ernest Tissot serving as preface. The preface is absolutely forgettable except that you get a glimpse of a debate raging in France at the time, and I suppose still relevant today, about artistic production: should one culture seek to amplify the voice of their own creators, or should it rather open up to artists from all over the world? The answer is not as straightforward as it seems.
"Une faillite" in French is about a family; husband, wife and two daughters. They are rich merchants, and everything is fine and good until we learn that the patriarch has been, well, cooking the books, and he is just about to get his comeuppance. Swiftly after the appearance of the dreaded "lawyer" everything seems to be suddenly falling apart, it is absolute panic and mayhem, shots are even fired as one of the character attempts to kill a horse to prevent a hostile mob (of unpaid workers...) from seizing it. Says the mom to one of the daughters: "...(t)u as toujours été l'enfant gâtée de parents riches, et tu ne sais pas ce que c'est la vie (...) Attends, tu vas, en quelques heures, en apprendre plus que dans toute ta vie..." Just wait, you spoiled child, you are about to learn more in a few hours than you did in your entire life...
At this point, it's still mildly entertaining, but then we get tangled up in an ending that made me sorry I read the whole thing. No trace of "magnificent" or "versatile" poetry, but it could very well be the translation, who knows? The characters have an infuriating habit of completely changing their state of mind in a split second, from love to anger or from threats to begging, LITERALLY from one line to another... I would not say the dialogues flow naturally; however the play is quite easy to follow and that's a plus. I would also take offence to the portrayal of the workers (represented by a character named Jacobson) who every time he opens his mouth, prefaces what he is about to say by either a form of apology, regret or other acknowledgement that he is indeed inferior. Probably a byproduct of l'air du temps I suppose but annoying, nonetheless.
Despite all that, I am not too mad I read it; now I know things I did not know before. It's a little window in a corner of the world. Also, it was fun to read a play which I had not done in ages. I can't really recommend it however, unless you want to check the Bjornson box of your Nobel list, then I suppose you could do worse.
Next up, some poetry by Sully Prudhomme and a short story by Jon Fosse.
April 27, 2014
Perhaps the most enjoyable play I've ever read. I'm usually not a big fan of reading plays, yet I still end up reading quite a lot of them. For this particular one though, I actually forgot I was reading a play. There was no difficulty keeping track of characters and the story is interesting. Also, the man (BB!) has the most awesome name in the history of Scandinavian literature, so he needs to be read, if only for that.
December 30, 2017
2.7 stjerner. Bjørnson er ikke helt min smak.
January 1, 2020
2,75/3 stars
This was okay. At times this book was really good, but other parts were just boring. It was somewhat enjoyable to read, but I wouldnt re-read it.
It did have some well written characters in it tho, which i enjoyed.
This was okay. At times this book was really good, but other parts were just boring. It was somewhat enjoyable to read, but I wouldnt re-read it.
It did have some well written characters in it tho, which i enjoyed.
January 8, 2026
Bjornson è riconosciuto come uno dei maggiori letterati e commediografi del XIX secolo e sicuramente il più rappresentativo del panorama norvegese assieme ad Ibsen.
“Un fallimento”, scritto nel 1874, rappresenta un primo tentativo ottimamente riuscito di dramma borghese, esperimento drammaturgico che poi verrà portato al successo successivamente da Ibsen. Si tratta di un’opera in quattro atti in cui si percorre il declino e la rinascita della famiglia Tjaelde. Una famiglia dell’alta borghesia norvegese il cui capofamiglia è un importante commerciante e imprenditore arrichitosi anche grazie al prestigio del proprio nome; la sua reputazione però gli ha permesso di accedere facilmente a crediti e prestiti a cui non riesce più a fare fronte. Giunti al punto di rottura di questa avventata gestione finanziaria la famiglia è costretta ad abbandonare tutto ciò che aveva conquistato nel tempo (compresa la relazione sentimentale che ha visto coinvolta una delle due figlie dei Tjaelde) per tentare una nuova via di riscatto. La gestione attenta e l’intelligenza dei familiari e di chi a loro è rimasto fedele nel tempo garantirà un finale di rinascita non tanto nel raggiungimento del precedente tenore di vita ma nella gratificazione di aver ottenuto ciò che serve per vivere in modo agiato senza recare danni agli altri.
Un testo caratterizzato da dialoghi scanditi con un ritmo che avvicina la drammaturgia alla modernità e tematche legate non solo agli affetti ma anche alla sfera economica, andando a toccare elementi fino ad allora considerarti marginali nelle rappresentazioni teatrali.
Bjornson riesce a portare uno spaccato dela società norvegese dell’epoca e a rivolgerle una critica sociale ed economica non indifferente; l’accusa verso lo sfruttamento della propria posizione a danno di chi rischia tutto ponendo la fiducia al buon nome di altri è il tema principale e forse il più aspro. Ma l’autore è disposto a mediare con la società, a fornire una via di redenzione al protagonista, a concedere un lieto fine agli spettatori, senza però tradire la propria premessa.
Bjornson riesce a struttura i suoi quattro con un inizio gioioso nella sua falsità, per poi divenire frenetico e compulsivo nel suo svolgimento, e concludersi nuovamente nella pace; una tranquillità che non deriva dalla rassegnazione, ma dalla consapevolezza che l’onestà è l’unica colonna portante su cui costruire la propria autorevolezza.
“Un fallimento”, scritto nel 1874, rappresenta un primo tentativo ottimamente riuscito di dramma borghese, esperimento drammaturgico che poi verrà portato al successo successivamente da Ibsen. Si tratta di un’opera in quattro atti in cui si percorre il declino e la rinascita della famiglia Tjaelde. Una famiglia dell’alta borghesia norvegese il cui capofamiglia è un importante commerciante e imprenditore arrichitosi anche grazie al prestigio del proprio nome; la sua reputazione però gli ha permesso di accedere facilmente a crediti e prestiti a cui non riesce più a fare fronte. Giunti al punto di rottura di questa avventata gestione finanziaria la famiglia è costretta ad abbandonare tutto ciò che aveva conquistato nel tempo (compresa la relazione sentimentale che ha visto coinvolta una delle due figlie dei Tjaelde) per tentare una nuova via di riscatto. La gestione attenta e l’intelligenza dei familiari e di chi a loro è rimasto fedele nel tempo garantirà un finale di rinascita non tanto nel raggiungimento del precedente tenore di vita ma nella gratificazione di aver ottenuto ciò che serve per vivere in modo agiato senza recare danni agli altri.
Un testo caratterizzato da dialoghi scanditi con un ritmo che avvicina la drammaturgia alla modernità e tematche legate non solo agli affetti ma anche alla sfera economica, andando a toccare elementi fino ad allora considerarti marginali nelle rappresentazioni teatrali.
Bjornson riesce a portare uno spaccato dela società norvegese dell’epoca e a rivolgerle una critica sociale ed economica non indifferente; l’accusa verso lo sfruttamento della propria posizione a danno di chi rischia tutto ponendo la fiducia al buon nome di altri è il tema principale e forse il più aspro. Ma l’autore è disposto a mediare con la società, a fornire una via di redenzione al protagonista, a concedere un lieto fine agli spettatori, senza però tradire la propria premessa.
Bjornson riesce a struttura i suoi quattro con un inizio gioioso nella sua falsità, per poi divenire frenetico e compulsivo nel suo svolgimento, e concludersi nuovamente nella pace; una tranquillità che non deriva dalla rassegnazione, ma dalla consapevolezza che l’onestà è l’unica colonna portante su cui costruire la propria autorevolezza.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews