Ο Ερρίκος Ιψεν υπήρξε ο δραματουργός που επηρέασε, όσο κανένας άλλος, τη δραματουργία του ελληνικού θεάτρου στον 20ο αιώνα, τόσο καθοριστικά, όσο ο Μολιέρος, ο Γκολντόνι, ο Σίλλερ και ο Σαίξπηρ τη δραματουργία του 19ου αιώνα. Την πρώτη παράσταση των «Βρυκολάκων» του 1894 προλόγισε ο Γρηγόριος Ξενόπουλος, ο πατέρας του ελληνικού αστικού θεάτρου ιδεών, ο οποίος ήταν ο γονιμότερος δέκτης της ιψενικής, θεατρικής ιδεολογίας και τεχνικής. Πολλοί Ελληνες συγγραφείς, από τον Ξενόπουλο και τον Νιρβάνα έως τον Ιάκωβο Καμπανέλλη, ομολογούν τις οφειλές τους στον Ιψεν, ενώ οι μεγαλύτεροι Ελληνες πρωταγωνιστές, μεταφραστές και, κυρίως, σκηνοθέτες ανέβασαν στη σκηνή επανειλημμένα το σύνολο της ιψενικής δραματουργίας, ισορροπώντας μεταξύ της βόρειας και της μεσογειακής αστικής ηθικής._
ΚΩΣΤΑΣ ΓΕΩΡΓΟΥΣΟΠΟΥΛΟΣ Φιλόλογος – Κριτικός Θεάτρου Πρόεδρος Δ.Σ.«Κέντρου Μελέτης & Ερευνας του Ελληνικού Θεάτρου – Θεατρικού Μουσείου»
Henrik Ibsen was the dramatist who influenced more than any one else 20th century Greek theatre dramaturgy as decisively as Molière, Goldoni, Schiller and Shakespeare had influenced 19th century dramaturgy.
The introduction at the first performance of ‘Ghosts’ in 1894 was made by Grigorios Xenopoulos, the father of the Greek civic theatre of ideas who was the most fertile recipient of Ibsen’s ideology and technique.
Many Greek authors, from Xenopoulos and Nirvanas to Iakovos Kambanellis admit how much they owe to Ibsen, while the biggest leading Greek actors, translators, and mainly directors have repeatedly staged the whole of Ibsen’s dramaturgy, balancing between Nordic and Mediterranean civic morals.
KOSTAS GEORGOUSOPOULOS-Philologist - Theatre Critic-President of the Board -"Museum and Study Centre of the Greek Theatre
Performances in Greece during the Ibsen Year 2006.
The Norwegian dramatist Henrik Ibsen (1828-1906) became known in Greece for the first time thanks to an essay written by the Greek poet and short story writer Georgios Vizyinos (1849-1896). This essay was published in the Athens leading literary magazine "Eikongraphimeni Estia" in 1892.
Referring to Ibsen`s life and works, Vizyinos includes his translation of the symbolic poem "Ederfuglen". He further on comments on Ibsen`s historical plays, and most important dramas "Brand", "Peer Gynt" and "A doll`s house".
Vizyinos was the first Greek man of letters who established Ibsen`s reputation in Greece. Two years later in october 1894, "Ghosts" was staged in Athens. This play together with "The Wild Duck" and "A Doll`s House" are the most frequently staged plays in Greece. Since 1894 approximately 130 perfomances came into being at Greek theatres.
References: Professor Panos Karagiorgos
11 June 1906, a few weeks after Ibsen`s death, in a well known Athenian magazine called "Noumas" there appeared a short yet very interesting poem:
To Ibsen
Please, don`t forget to send me some news from Hades. Among your other news, give me please, an answer to this: is it true that Mistriotis -through Antoniadis- ordered Sophocles, his cousin, to avoid your companionship ?
Answer
We write to you both. It\s true, what you ask......But who is this cousin anyway......I admire his courage.....Nevertheless, when he comes to the place we are now, then we are going to talk about all this....We write no more, because we are now in charge of many things; we have stopped writing dramas and we are getting a lot of fun ! Sophocles-Ibsen
This poem is not that important in itself. Its importance is that it provides us information about Ibsen`s prestige in Greece of those days. It was natural to expect that Ibsen could meet Sophocles in Hades and become close friends. This poem is just one additional piece of evidence about Ibsen`s early establishment and perception in Greece. It is also evidence that he was associated with and compared to the ancient tragedians, for better or worse. As a matter of fact, the bibliography on this issue is quite rich. We know for example that Ibsen is repeatedly associated, by some Greek critics, with the classical tragedians, Aeschylus, Euripides and more often, with Sophocles.
References:Professor Yorgis Yatromanolakis