The Four Greats ( Danish and

Norwegian Norwegian, Norwayan, or Norsk may refer to: *Something of, from, or related to Norway, a country in northwestern Europe * Norwegians, both a nation and an ethnic group native to Norway * Demographics of Norway *The Norwegian language, including ...

''de fire store'') is a term used for four of the most influential Norwegian writers of the late 19th century. The Four Greats were: *

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 pla ...

(1828–1906) playwright, theatre director, and poet who introduced

Theatrical realism Realism in the theatre was a general movement that began in 19th-century theatre, around the 1870s, and remained present through much of the 20th century. It developed a set of dramatic and theatrical conventions with the aim of bringing a greater ...

to the Norwegian stage. *

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 distinguishe ...

(1832–1910) novelist, dramatist and playwright who became the first Norwegian Nobel laureate. * Jonas Lie (1833–1908) novelist, poet, and playwright focusing largely on the folk life and social spirit of the nation of Norway. *

Alexander Kielland Alexander Lange Kielland (; 18 February 1849 – 6 April 1906) was a Norwegian realistic writer of the 19th century. He is one of the so-called " The Four Greats" of Norwegian literature, along with Henrik Ibsen, Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson a ...

(1849–1906) novelist, short story writer, playwright, essayist most known for his satirical writings and short stories. As an addition to this list, a positive argument exists for

Amalie Skram Amalie Skram (22 August 1846 – 15 March 1905) was a Norwegian author and feminist who gave voice to a woman's point of view with her naturalist writing. In Norway, she is frequently considered the most important female writer of the Modern Bre ...

: Som forfattar tilhøyrde ho "dei store" saman med Ibsen, Bjørnson, Kielland og Lie. Ho møtte stor motstand for diktinga i si eiga samtid. Sin første roman måtte ho gi ut på eiga hand, då forlaget meinte at innhaldet var for provoserande. [As an author, she belonged to "the greats" together with Ibsen, Bjørnson, Kielland and Lie. She faced great opposition to her writings in her own time. She had to publish her first novel on her own, as the publisher thought the content was too provocative.] Originally a publicity gimmick introduced by their publisher, Gyldendal, the term stuck and is still widely used for these writers. The four authors had in common that they to some extent belonged to the same generation and were influential in

Literary realism Literary realism is a literary genre, part of the broader realism in arts, that attempts to represent subject-matter truthfully, avoiding speculative fiction and supernatural elements. It originated with the realist art movement that began with ...

within Norway during the period 1860–1890. Additionally Bjørnson, Ibsen and Lie all attended the same school in Christiania (now Oslo), Heltberg Latin School (''Heltbergs Studentfabrikk''). The school had been founded in 1846 by Henrik Heltberg (1806–1873) and Wessel Reehorst (1824–1910) to prepare students for their university matriculation.

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File:Björnstjerne Björnson.jpg, Björnstjerne Björnson File:Henrik Ibsen.jpg, Henrik Ibsen File:Drawing of Jonas Lie.jpg, Jonas Lie File:Alexander Kielland.png, Alexander Kielland File:Portrett av Amalie Skram, 1877 (cropped).jpg, Amalie Skram

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