Well, his father went bankrupt when he was 7. He had to leave school when he was 15 to earn as an assistant, to an apothecary. He started at night, to get into University. But he left University to take a job in a theatre, as General Boggs body rarely, he had to keep the account, design costumes, write plays and even direct them. His own plays failed miserably. His life was a failure. He applied for pensions that were on offer for writers and artists, but he was always rejected. He became an alcoholic, and when he was director of the National Theatre in the capital Kristiania, it was a common sight at night to see his squat bearded figure lying senseless in the gutter.