Read this when
Peer Gynt
Peels an onion looking for his true self. Finds… more onion. Peer Gynt is the original 'who am i even' spiral. 🧅
Who it's for
Peer is funny and charming, which is why the play works: the reader enjoys his lies and escapes before realising they are a way of never having to be anyone.
Feelings it meets
What it is
Henrik Ibsen's verse play, written and published in 1867, follows Peer Gynt, a boastful young Norwegian whose lies and escapades lead to his banishment. Among the trolls of the Mountain King he is pressed to accept the troll principle of being 'enough' unto oneself rather than true to oneself, and he flees from commitments, including the devoted Solveig.
Where to find it
Public domain in the US (1867 original and William and Charles Archer's older translation, free online (e.g., Project Gutenberg)). Modern translations in print and via libraries (Libby/Hoopla); stage.
Before you start
Heads up: Abduction of a bride and a drowning.
Age: Ages 14+
it’s no use going back to yesterday, because I was a different person then.Lewis Carroll, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, Chapter X
