Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson

Ibsen and Bjørnson met as students; their long up-and-down friendship was held together by a shared belief in a Norwegian national literature among much else. Brandes, befriending Bjørnson, was a strong influence. Grieg worked closely with him, writing music for his verses, but a long rift followed. Andersen was met in Rome (they saw each other almost daily for a month). In Paris, Bjørnson energetically supported his friend Zola over the Dreyfus affair, and was visited by Kielland. Taking a cab with Lie to see Musset’s grave but with nothing to pay the fare, they were showered with abuse and driven back home.