Two of Ibsen’s masterpieces – Peer Gynt & Brand
These two masterly and contrasting verse dramas by Ibsen made his reputation as a playwright.
Peer is the romantic hero with a big ego, being a citizen of the world and characterized as “typical Norwegian”. I think we can all to some degree relate to Peer and his yearning for living an adventurous life. This is one of the greatest plays of Henrik Ibsen, and in this book you also get the play Brandt, about a priest with very high life ambitions.
“These two masterly and contrasting verse dramas by Ibsen made his reputation as a playwright. The fantastical adventures of the irrepressible Peer Gynt—poet, idler, procrastinator, seducer—draw on Norwegian folklore to conjure up mountains, kidnappings, shipwrecks, and trolls in an exuberant celebration of life; while Brand, an unsparing vision of an idealistic priest who lives by his steely faith, explores free will, sacrifice, and the self”.
