author
Laura Kieler
1849–1932
Best known today as the real-life inspiration for Nora in Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll’s House, this Norwegian-Danish writer led a remarkable literary life of her own. Her novels, plays, journalism, and public talks engaged directly with the moral debates and women’s issues of her time.
3 Audiobooks
André Kautokeinolainen: Kertomus perimmästä Pohjolasta
by Laura Kieler
Karen Jürgens Egtvedistä : Kertomus Eteläjyllannista
by Laura Kieler
About the author
Born in Tromsø, Norway, on January 9, 1849, Laura Kieler became a Norwegian-Danish novelist, playwright, journalist, and speaker. She is often remembered because parts of her life helped inspire Ibsen’s Nora Helmer, but that connection can overshadow the fact that she built a substantial career as a writer in her own right.
Kieler wrote fiction, drama, and essays, and her work took part in the fierce cultural debates of the late 1800s. Reference works on her life describe her as active in discussions of morality and women’s rights, and also note her interest in northern Norwegian settings and in the political cause of Southern Jutland. One of her best-known dramatic works is Mænd af Ære from 1890.
She spent much of her adult life in Denmark and died in Ålsgårde on April 23, 1932. Today, Laura Kieler stands out not just as a literary footnote to a famous play, but as a sharp, engaged author whose work deserves attention on its own terms.