Travels of a pharmacist

TRAVELS OF A PHARMACIST Andersgaard, Henrik Somveien 1 B N-0493 OSLO NORWAY Henrik Ibsen (1828 - 1906) is one of the very greatest names in world literature. He was a central figure in the modern break-through in the intellectual life of Europe, and is considered the father of modern drama. Less well-known is that Henrik Ibsen left his hometown Skien as a 15-year old youth, going to the small coastal town Grimstad to begin apothecary studies. He got a lower pharmaceutical degree during his six years in Grimstad (1844-1850). In the summer of 1864 Ibsen left Norway and settled in Rome. This was the beginning of a period of 27 years abroad. In the course of this time he lived in Italy (1864-1868), Dresden (1868-1875), Munich (1875-1878), Italy again (1878-1885) and Munich (1885-1891). The author of this lecture has followed the footsteps of our “colleague” Ibsen in Italy and Germany, visiting places where he stayed and lived, looking for connections to Ibsen’s early years as a pharmacist. Examples are shown of the fact that although Ibsen lived far from Norway for almost three decades, he kept in contact with pharmacist colleagues. He also uses modern nature science as settings in his plays, showing his background of nature science.