Ibsen wrote poems all through his life as a writer, but mainly during the first half, up to 1875. After that he almost gave up verse as a form of literature.
Ibsen's very earliest poems – written while he was living in Grimstad – were lampoons and pieces of mockery. His first more "serious" attempt in the genre was "Resignation", written in 1847. Two years later he had a poem published in the paper Christiania-Posten of September 28th 1849. The title of the poem was "In Autumn" and it was published under the pseudonym Brynjolf Bjarme. Thus Ibsen made his debut as a lyricist before that of a dramatist (his first drama, Catiline, came out in 1850).
In the fifties and sixties Ibsen published poems in a number of newspapers and magazines: Christiania-Posten, Aftenbladet, Morgenbladet, Andhrimner, Samfundsbladet, Illustreret Nyhetsblad, Bergens Stiftstidende, Bergensposten and Fædrelandet. Several times he played with the idea of publishing a collection of poems, the first time just after he arrived in Christiania in 1850 (see "Various Poems written in 1848, 1849 and 1850".
It was not until 1870 that Ibsen set to work on his plan. He was then living in Dresden and was dependent on the help of the headmaster Jakob Løkke to obtain copies of the poems he had had printed in Norwegian newspapers and magazines. He had few copies himself.
On January 8th 1871 Ibsen wrote to his publisher Frederik Hegel as follows:
"I have received the copies of my poems. They amount to a thick volume, but up to now I have scrapped three quarters of them, and I am re-working the last quarter. I have already started on this."
Ibsen went through every poem and re-wrote it to some extent. The first, second and third parts of the manuscript were sent to Hegel on the 21st and 31st of January and the 8th of February 1871 respectively. On the 16th and 25th of February more followed. As late as the 15th of April Ibsen sent an "after-thought", "A Rhyming Letter to Mrs. J. L. Heiberg" (considered by many people to be the best thing Ibsen wrote in the form of a poem).
First edition
Poems was published by Gyldendalske Boghandels Forlag in Copenhagen on May 3rd 1871 in an edition of 4 000 copies.
The reviews were mainly positive. Ibsen was particularly apprehensive regarding Georg Brandes's view of the publication. His review was not the most positiv one and may have contributed to Ibsen's discarding of verse as a genre some years later. Edmund Gosse's review in the periodical "The Spectator" was the first mention of Ibsen in England.
The "Second, Enlarged Edition" of Poems appeared in December 1875. Four new poems had been added to the collection. In the course of Ibsen's life Poems was issued seven times.
By Jens-Morten Hanssen / ibsen.net