Henrik Ibsen published 2 novels, 1 poetry collection, 29 plays and 5 other books, beginning with Brand (1866). The best-known is A Doll's House (1879).
Updated September 2026
Where to start with Henrik Ibsen
Standalone novels in order
Digte (May 1871)
Six Great Modern Plays (1956)
Poetry in order
Henrik Ibsen (1951)
Plays in order
The Burial Mound (1850)
Catiline (Apr 1850)
Norma (1851)
St. John's Eve (1853)
The Feast at Solhaug (1856)
Lady Inger of Ostrat (1857)
Olaf Liljekrans (1857)
The Vikings at Helgeland (1858)
Love's Comedy (1862)
The Pretenders (1863)
Brand (1866)
Peer Gynt (Nov 1867)
The League of Youth (1869)
Emperor and Galilean (1873)
The Pillars of Society (Oct 1877)
Et Dukkehjem (1879)
A Doll's House (Dec 1879)
Ghosts (1881)
An Enemy of the People (Nov 1882)
The Wild Duck (Nov 1884)
Rosmersholm (1886)
From Ibsen's Workshop (1888)
The Lady from the Sea (1888)
Hedda Gabler (1890)
The Master Builder (1892)
Little Eyolf (1894)
John Gabriel Borkman (1896)
When We Dead Awaken (1899)
Eleven Plays of Henrik Ibsen (1900)
Other books in order
Kongs-emnerne (1864)
The Doll's House: A Play (1890)
Prose Dramas (1904)
The League Of Youth And Pillars Of Society (1906)
A Doll's House and Two Other Plays (1911)
Film and TV adaptations
- Lady Inger of Ostrat (1975)Film · from Lady Inger of Ostrat
- Peer Gynt (1915)Film · from Peer Gynt
- Peer Gynt (1919)Film · from Peer Gynt
- Peer Gynt (1934)Film · from Peer Gynt
- Peer Gynt (2006)Film · from Peer Gynt
- Pillars of Society (1916)Film · from The Pillars of Society
- Pillars of Society (1920)Film · from The Pillars of Society
- Pillars of Society (1935)Film · from The Pillars of Society
- A Doll's House (1918)Film · from A Doll's House
- A Doll's House (1922)Film · from A Doll's House
- A Doll's House (1973)Film · from A Doll's House
- Sara (1993)Film · from A Doll's House
- Ghosts (1915)Film · from Ghosts
- Jhuthi Sharm (1940)Film · from Ghosts
- An Enemy of the People (1937)Film · from An Enemy of the People
- An Enemy of the People (1978)Film · from An Enemy of the People
- An Enemy of the People (1990)Film · from An Enemy of the People
- An Enemy of the People (2005)Film · from An Enemy of the People
- The House of Lies (1926)Film · from The Wild Duck
- Die Wildente (1976)Film · from The Wild Duck
- The Wild Duck (1983)Film · from The Wild Duck
- The Daughter (2015)Film · from The Wild Duck
- La donna del mare (1922)Film · from The Lady from the Sea
- La Dama del mar (1954)Film · from The Lady from the Sea
- Hedda Gabler (1920)Film · from Hedda Gabler
- Hedda Gabler (1925)Film · from Hedda Gabler
- Hedda (1975)Film · from Hedda Gabler
- Hedda (2025)Film · from Hedda Gabler
- Aakasha Gopuram (2008)Film · from The Master Builder
- A Master Builder (2013)Film · from The Master Builder
- The Frost (2009)Film · from Little Eyolf
Free to read
All free classicsThe collected works of Henrik Ibsen, Vol. 07 (of 11)
The collected works of Henrik Ibsen, Vol. 04 (of 11)
The collected works of Henrik Ibsen, Vol. 01 (of 11)
The collected works of Henrik Ibsen, Vol. 09 (of 11)
The collected works of Henrik Ibsen, Vol. 08 (of 11)
The collected works of Henrik Ibsen, Vol. 06 (of 11)
The collected works of Henrik Ibsen, Vol. 05 (of 11)
The collected works of Henrik Ibsen Vol. 10 (of 11)
The collected works of Henrik Ibsen, Vol. 03 (of 11)
Early Plays — Catiline, the Warrior's Barrow, Olaf Liljekrans
The collected works of Henrik Ibsen, Vol. 02 (of 11)
The collected works of Henrik Ibsen, Vol. 11 (of 11)
The Vikings of Helgeland
The feast at Solhoug
About Henrik Ibsen
Henrik Johan Ibsen was a Norwegian playwright. He is considered one of the world's pre-eminent writers of the 19th century and is often referred to as "the father of modern drama". He pioneered theatrical realism but also wrote lyrical epic works. His major works include Brand, Peer Gynt, Emperor and Galilean, A Doll's House, Ghosts, An Enemy of the People, The Wild Duck, Rosmersholm, Hedda Gabler, The Master Builder, and When We Dead Awaken. In 2014, Ibsen was considered the most frequently performed dramatist in the world after Shakespeare. Store norske leksikon describes him as "the center of the Norwegian literary canon".
Biography from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Photo via Wikimedia Commons.
Henrik Ibsen FAQ
- How many books has Henrik Ibsen written?
- Henrik Ibsen published 2 novels, 1 poetry collection, 29 plays and 5 other books that we list, as of September 2026.
- What order should I read Henrik Ibsen's books in?
- Publication order is a safe choice; the full list is above. Most readers start with A Doll's House.
- What is Henrik Ibsen's last book?
- Digte (1871).
- What is Henrik Ibsen's most famous book?
- A Doll's House (1879) is Henrik Ibsen's most widely read book.
- Does Henrik Ibsen write under a pen name?
- Yes: Henrik Ibsen has also published as Brynjolf Bjarme.
- Which Henrik Ibsen books have been adapted?
- 11 books have been adapted for film or TV, including Lady Inger of Ostrat (film, 1975), Peer Gynt (film, 1915), The Pillars of Society (as Pillars of Society, film, 1916) and A Doll's House (film, 1918).
- Can I read Henrik Ibsen's books for free?
- Yes. 28 books by Henrik Ibsen are in the public domain in the US and free to read online or download here.
Authors like Henrik Ibsen
Sources: book lists and dates from Wikidata and Open Library, ratings from Open Library readers, free texts from Project Gutenberg. Last updated September 2026.