Four Major Plays, Volume II

　　The translations, created through a fresh approach to the Norwegian original in tandem with a keen sense of Ibsen's theatricallity and playability, have all been tested and refined in productions at professional theaters.

　　The translators have paid particular attention to three aspects of Ibsen's technique: his wit and humor, his "supertext" - the web of rich allusions and references that he weaves in and around his dialogue - and the bold theatricallity of the plays. The result is an Ibsen that sounds contemporary without being slangy or colloquial - an Ibsen of strong ideas but also living characters - and surprisingly different from the image of the cold, forbidding "scold of the North" that we often associate with this giant writer. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

　　Rick Davis is in his fourth season as Artistic Director of Theater of the First Amendment, a professional company in residence at George Mason University in Fairfax, VA. For six years he worked at Center Stage in Baltimore, as resident Dramaturg and Associate Artistic Director. He co-founded the influential American Ibsen Theater in Pittsburgh (1983-85) and served as Associate Artistic Director. Rick is a regular contributor to American Theatre magazine and other publications, and has also had productions of his translations of Goldoni and Calderon.

　　Brian Johnston is the author of three major books that have re-mapped the area of Ibsen studies. He writes regularly for the journal Comparative Drama and is a frequent speaker at scholarly conferences of Ibsen including the recent international symposium in Skein, Norway. After a stint at the American University in Beirut, Brian joined the American Ibsen Theater in 1984 and '85 as Dramaturg, and remained in Pittsburgh to join the faculty of Carnegie Mellon University, where he teaches dramatic literature. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Foreword
GHOSTS
AN ENEMY OF THE PEOPLE
THE LADY FROM THE SEA
JOHN GABRIEL BORKMAN
Afterword
Selected Bibliography