Gunnar Heiberg

Gunnar Edvard Rode Heiberg (18 November 1857 – 22 February 1929) was a Norwegian poet, playwright, journalist and theatre critic.

Personal life He was born in Christiania a son of judge Edvard Omsen Heiberg (1829–1884) and his wife Minna (Vilhelmine) Rode (8 June 1836 – 1917). He was a brother of Jacob, Anton and Inge Heiberg, as well as an uncle of Hans Heiberg, first cousin of Eivind Heiberg, Gustav Adolf Lammers Heiberg Helge Rode and Kristofer Hansteen,

In 1905 Heiberg stood forward as an agitator for the dissolution of the union between Norway and Sweden. At the 16 January 1905 première of Kjærlighedens Tragedie Heiberg held a speech against the union, stating that a peaceful continuation of the present conditions between Sweden and Norway was impossible. Heiberg was adamant that the only acceptable solution would be a free and independent Norwegian state, and that no compromise could be made in that regard. Present at the event was the former (1900–1902) Liberal Party of Norway Minister of Defence Georg Stang, whom Heiberg greatly admired for his work on the construction of many of the defensive fortifications along the Norwegian–Swedish border. After the completion of his speech Heiberg walked across the room to where Colonel Stang was seated, toasted him, put his arm around Stang's neck and exclaimed: "I love you". The dissolution went through, but Heiberg also opposed the Karlstad Treaty, the conditions of which he found "humiliating". One of Heiberg's main points of contention with the Karlstad Treaty was the Norwegian acceptance to dismantle the border fortifications, writing in Dagbladet 13 September 1905 that "an honourable war is far less dank and sickening than a dishonourable peace". Also, as a republican he did not want a new monarchy to ascend the throne; Collected speeches about all these topics were published in 1923 under the title 1905. In 1912 Heiberg attacked Christian Michelsen, in the play Jeg vil værge mit land. (I will/want to defend my country)

From 1923 he received a writer's grant from the state. He died in November 1929 in Oslo, and is buried at Vestre gravlund.

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