One of the earliest ethnic theaters in America was the Norwegian Theater of Marcus Thrane, established in Chicago in September, 1866. Many of the plays presented by the theater were written by Thrane, a radical newspaper editor and freethinker, and are among the most significant Norwegian-American literature produced in America at the time. This book includes seven translated plays written by Thrane between 1866 and 1884, and cover the entire period of his active professional life in America. Terje Leiren is professor and chair of the Department of Scandinavian Studies, University of Washington.

Foreword
Preface
Introduction
--An American Servant Girl
--The Posting Station in Hallingdal
--Who Grinds the Coffee?
--The Hypocrites
--Holden
--The Power of the Black Book

Terje I. Leiren is Sverre Arestad Endowed Professor in Norwegian Studies and chair of the Department of Scandinavian Studies at the University of Washington.