Laura Kieler
Laura Kieler (born 9 January 1849 in Tromsø, Norway – died 23 April 1932 in Ålsgårde, Denmark) was a Norwegian-Danish novelist. Events from her life and marriage served as the inspiration for the character Nora Helmer in Henrik Ibsen's play A Doll's House.
Laura Kieler | |
---|---|
Born | Laura Anna Sophie Müller January 9, 1849 Tromsø, Norway |
Died | April 23, 1932 83) Ålsgårde, Denmark | (aged
Occupation | novelist |
Nationality | Norwegian-Danish |
Spouse | Victor Kieler |
Biography
She was born Laura Anna Sophie Müller to a Norwegian father, Morten Smith Petersen von Führen, and Danish mother, Anna Hansine Kjerulf Müller.[1][2]
When Kieler was nineteen years old, she wrote a response to Henrik Ibsen's play Brand that endeared her to Ibsen and his wife. They became friends and nurtured her literary ambitions.[3]
In 1873, she married Victor Kieler, a schoolteacher. The events of her marriage served as the inspiration for the character Nora Helmer in Henrik Ibsen's play A Doll's House.[4] Kieler's husband contracted tuberculosis soon after their wedding, and like the character Nora, Laura Kieler borrowed money under false pretenses in order to finance a trip to Italy for a cure. Some years later, in a desperate attempt to repay the loan, Kieler forged a check. When Kieler's husband learned of the fraud, he demanded a divorce and sought to bar his wife from their children. Kieler had a nervous breakdown and entered a mental asylum for a month.[2] They were later reconciled, but Kieler never forgave Ibsen for using her life as fodder for his controversial drama.
Bibliography
- Kieler, Laura (1887). Silhouetter (in Danish). Milo'ske boghandelsforlag.
- Kieler, Laura (1895). Paa post! : roman (in Danish). Odense: Milo.
- Kieler, Laura (1904). Sten Stensen til Stensbo (in Danish). Hagerup.
- Kieler, Laura (1909). Det stenholt Gods: et Sagn fra Stormnatten 1659 (in Danish). Copenhagen: Hagerup.
References
- "Laura Anna Sophie Müller Kieler". Nordic Women's Literature. Retrieved 7 October 2018.
- Mortensen, Birgit. "Laura Kieler (1849–1932)". KVINFO. Retrieved 24 June 2017.
- Joan Templeton (2001). Ibsen's Women. Cambridge University Press. p. 386. ISBN 9780521001366. Retrieved 25 June 2017.
- A. S. Byatt (2 May 2009). "Blaming Nora". The Guardian. Guardian News and Media. Retrieved 24 June 2017.