Merete Morken Andersen (born 1965) is a Norwegian author of five novels, several children's books, a book of poetry and a book on Henrik Ibsen. She has her degree in comparative literature from the University of Bergen. Her books have been translated into eight languages. Her novel Oceans of Time (in English 2005) has been nominated for the 2006 International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award. Her latest novel Mandel (Almond) was published in October 2005. She lives in Oslo, Norway.

The Artist as an Enemy of the People. Ibsen in the Perspective of Role Theory.

In my paper I will read Ibsen's play An Enemy of the People (1882) in the perspective of the role theory of J. L. Moreno (1889-1974), the founder of psychodrama. As a Norwegian author of today's democratic and "liberated" society, which has been strongly influenced by Ibsen's thoughts, I will examine the artist's role and her possibilities for acting as an agent of change in her own society. I will compare it to that of Ibsen's role in his time and in relation to the society in which he acted as an influential agent of change.

My questions will be: What is the role of the artist of today? How has it changed since Ibsen's time? What does it mean to act as an agent of change today?
 
An Enemy of the People is a play which examines the nature of the roles we play in the constantly shifting dynamics of society. An analysis of the play will serve as a background for my discussion. I will also use recent events on the political stage and compare them to events found in Ibsen's play as a starting point for my discussion.