Johan Ludvig Heiberg

Heiberg, Johan Ludvig 

Born Dec. 14, 1791, in Copenhagen; died Aug. 25, 1860, in Bonderup, near Ringsted. Danish writer.

Heiberg was director of the Royal Theater in Copenhagen from 1849 to 1856. He wrote the treatise The Vaudeville as a Dramatic Art Genre (1826) and other works on the theory of art. In vaudevilles, such as King Solomon and Jorgen the Hatter (1825) and Danes in Paris (1833), and in the political play April Fools (1826), Heiberg’s tone is ironic. The plots of his romantic dramas Elf Hill (1828), The Elves (1835), and Fata Morgana (1838) derive from folktales. In the 1840’s Heiberg turned to philosophic poetry and, with the comedy A Soul After Death (1841), to satire.

WORKS

Samlede skrifter, vols. 1–2. Copenhagen, 1861–62.
Poetiskeskrifter, vols. 1–3. Copenhagen, 1931–32.

REFERENCES

Gozenpud, A. A. “Datskii teatr.” In Istoriia zapadnoevropeiskogo teatra, vol. 4. Moscow, 1964.
Dansk litteratur historie, vol. 2. Copenhagen, 1965.