Anna Magdalene Thoresen, née Kragh (3 June 1819 – 28 March 1903) was a Danish-born Norwegian poet, novelist, short story writer and playwright. She is said to have inspired a number of other writers to model characters after her. Her stepdaughter,

Suzannah Ibsen Suzannah Ibsen (née Thoresen; 26 June 1836 – 3 April 1914) was a Norwegian woman who was the wife of playwright and poet Henrik Ibsen and mother of noted politician Sigurd Ibsen. Biography Suzannah Daae Thoresen was born in Herøy, Møre og R ...

, was married to

Henrik Ibsen Henrik Johan Ibsen (; ; 20 March 1828 – 23 May 1906) was a Norwegian playwright and theatre director. As one of the founders of modernism in theatre, Ibsen is often referred to as "the father of realism" and one of the most influential playw ...

Personal life

She was born Anna Magdalene Kragh in

Fredericia Fredericia () is a town located in Fredericia Municipality in the southeastern part of the Jutland peninsula in Denmark. The city is part of the Triangle Region, which includes the neighbouring cities of Kolding and Vejle. It was founded in 16 ...

, Denmark, the daughter of skipper Thomas Nielsen Kragh and Anna Kristine Pedersen. She gave birth to an illegitimate child, who was put out to nurse. She then moved to Norway in 1842 and became governess for dean

Hans Conrad Thoresen Hans Conrad Thoresen (July 28, 1802 – June 11, 1858) was a Norwegian priest, a member of the Storting, and Henrik Ibsen's father-in-law. Thoresen was born the son of a cooper in Tønsberg. He passed his theological exam in 1825 and served as a ...

(1802–1858) at Herøy in

Sunnmøre Sunnmøre (, en, South- Møre) is the southernmost traditional district of the western Norwegian county of Møre og Romsdal. Its main city is Ålesund. The region comprises the municipalities ( no, kommuner) of Giske, Hareid, Herøy, Norddal ...

. He was a widower and had five children, and she married him in 1843. From 1844 they lived in

Bergen Bergen (), historically Bjørgvin, is a city and municipality in Vestland county on the west coast of Norway. , its population is roughly 285,900. Bergen is the second-largest city in Norway. The municipality covers and is on the peninsula of ...

, where she played a central role in the cultural life. Her stepdaughter,

, was married to

. She had four children with Hans Conrad Thoresen. After her husband's death in 1858, she travelled to

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...

in 1861, moved to Christiania in 1866, and lived in Copenhagen from 1870. She died in

in 1903.

Career

In Bergen the Thoresens' home became a meeting place for writers and actors. In 1850

Ole Bull Ole Bornemann Bull (; 5 February 181017 August 1880) was a Norwegian virtuoso violinist and composer. According to Robert Schumann, he was on a level with Niccolò Paganini for the speed and clarity of his playing. Biography Background Bull was ...

established a theatre in Bergen, called Det Norske Theater. Thoresen wrote four plays that were staged anonymously at Det Norske Theater. Through the theatre she became acquainted with playwright

. She was a friend of

Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson Bjørnstjerne Martinius Bjørnson ( , ; 8 December 1832 – 26 April 1910) was a Norwegian writer who received the 1903 Nobel Prize in Literature "as a tribute to his noble, magnificent and versatile poetry, which has always been distinguished ...

, who published her poetry collection ''Digte af en dame'' in 1860. Among her novels are ''Studenten'', published in the collection ''Fortællinger'' in 1862, ''Signes Historie'' from 1864, ''Min Bedstemoders Fortælling'' from 1867, and ''Solen i Siljedalen'' from 1868. Among her successful plays are , which was first staged at the

Royal Danish Theatre The Royal Danish Theatre (RDT, Danish: ') is both the national Danish performing arts institution and a name used to refer to its old purpose-built venue from 1874 located on Kongens Nytorv in Copenhagen. The theatre was founded in 1748, first ser ...

in 1870 and later in

Stockholm Stockholm () is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, largest city of Sweden as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people liv ...

and in Christiania, and ''Inden Døre'' from 1877. She published the travel book ''Billeder fra Vestkysten av Norge'' in 1872, and another travel book, ''Billeder fra Midnatsolens Land'', in 1882.

Influence

Thoresen's personality became a model for several female characters in Norwegian literature, including Ibsen's "Rebekka West" (from ''

Rosmersholm ''Rosmersholm'' () is a play written by Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen in Danish—the common written language of Denmark and Norway at the time—and originally published in 1886 in Copenhagen by the Danish publisher Gyldendal. ''Rosmersholm'' ...

'') and "Ellida Wangel" (from ''

The Lady from the Sea ''The Lady from the Sea'' ( no, Fruen fra havet, link=no) is a play written in 1888 by Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen inspired by the ballad '' Agnete og Havmanden''. The drama introduces the character of Hilde Wangel who is again portrayed i ...

''), and Bjørnson's "Maria Stuart" (from his 1864 play), the wild girl "Petra" from ''Fiskerjenten'' and "Leonarda" (from his 1879 play).

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Thoresen, Magdalene Danish women poets 19th-century Norwegian poets 19th-century Danish novelists Danish women dramatists and playwrights Norwegian dramatists and playwrights 1819 births 1903 deaths Norwegian women novelists Danish women novelists Norwegian women poets 19th-century Danish poets 19th-century Norwegian novelists 19th-century Danish dramatists and playwrights 19th-century Danish women writers 19th-century Norwegian women writers People from Fredericia