What Happened After Nora Left Her Husband; or, Pillars of Society

play by Jelinek

Also known as: “Was geschah, nachdem Nora ihren Mann verlassen hatte oder Stützen der Gesellschaten”(Show More)

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July 21, 2026

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Elfriede Jelinek's play, What Happened After Nora Left Her Husband; or, Pillars of Society, is a sequel to Henrik Ibsen's A Doll's House. In Ibsen's original play, Nora Helmer leaves her husband, Torvald, after realizing his superficiality and her own disillusionment with their marriage.123

Jelinek's work explores the aftermath of Nora's departure, examining societal structures and gender relations. The title also references Ibsen's earlier play, The Pillars of Society, which critiques societal hypocrisy and the importance of truth and freedom. Jelinek, a Nobel laureate, is known for her controversial writings on gender, sexuality, and popular culture.14

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Elfriede Jelinek
…oder, Stützen der Gesellschaften (1980; What Happened After Nora Left Her Husband; or, Pillars of Society, 1994), which she wrote as a sequel to Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll’s House; Clara S.: musikalische Tragödie (1984; Clara S., 1997); and Bambiland (2003).
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…oder, Stützen der Gesellschaften (1980; What Happened After Nora Left Her Husband; or, Pillars of Society, 1994), which she wrote as a sequel to Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll’s House; Clara S.: musikalische Tragödie (1984; Clara S., 1997); and Bambiland (2003).
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