Ibsen's play An Enemy of the People was started before Ghosts but was not finished until after the latter play. It is a scathing indictment of social standards, as a doctor who points out contamination of a town's water supply goes from hero to enemy when his revelation upsets the local economy. Viking Press has a 1987 edition edited by Arthur Miller, the author of Death of a Salesman.

At the same time that Ibsen wrote in Norway, August Strindberg was the leading playwright in Sweden. Both playwrights explored the new realistic forms. Miss Julie, Strindberg's 1888 drama about an aristocratic girl and her affair with her conniving butler, is considered his best.

The Russian author Anton Chekhov is considered one of the greatest authors of short stories and dramas in history. He cited Ibsen as one of his main influences. All...