, _Magnhild_--an imperfect production, in which
his ideas on social questions were seen to be in a state of
fermentation, and gave expression to his republican sentiments in the
polemical play called _The King_, to a later edition of which he
prefixed an essay on "Intellectual Freedom," in further explanation of
his position. _Captain Mansana_, an episode of the war of Italian
independence, belongs to 1878. Extremely anxious to obtain a full
success on the stage, Bjornson concentrated his powers on a drama of
social life, _Leonardo_ (1879), which raised a violent controversy. A
satirical play, _The New System_, was produced a few weeks later.
Although these plays of Bjornson's second period were greatly discussed,
none of them (except _A Bankruptcy_) pleased on the boards. When once
more he produced a social drama, _A Gauntlet_, in 1883, he was unable to
persuade any manager to stage it, except in a modified form, though this
play gives the full measure of his power as a dramatist. In the autumn
of the same year, Bjornson published a mystical or symbolic drama
_Beyond our Powers_, dealing with the abnormal features of religious
excitement with extraordinary force; this was not acted until 1899, when
it achieved a great success.

Meanwhile, Bjornson's political attitude had brought upon him a charge
of high treason, and he took refuge for a time in Germany, returning to
Norway in 1882. Convinced that the theatre was practically closed to
him, he turned back to the novel, and published in 1884, _Flags are
Flying in Town and Port_, embodying his theories on heredity and
education. In 1889 he printed another long and still more remarkable
novel, _In God's Way_, which is chiefly concerned with the same
problems. The same year saw the publication of a comedy, _Geography and
Love_, which continues to be played with success. A number of short
stories, of a more or less didactic character, dealing with startling
points of emotional experience, were collected in 1894; among them those
which produced the greatest sensation were _Dust, Mother's Hands_, and
_Absalom's Hair_. Later plays were a political tragedy called _Paul
Lange and Tora Parsberg_ (1898), a second part of _Beyond our Powers_
(1895), _Laboremus_ (1901), _At Storhove_ (1902), and _Daglannet_
(1904). In 1899, at the opening of the National theatre, Bjornson
received an ovation, and his saga-drama of _Sigurd the Crusader_ was
performed.

A subject which interested hi