Terje Vigen

Terje Vigen is a poem written by Norwegian writer Henrik Ibsen and published in 1862. It follows the life of Terje Vigen, a fictional Norwegian man who lives in the town of Grimstad, during the early 19th century. During the Gunboat War, Grimstad is under a British naval blockade, and Vigen decides to travel to Denmark to acquire essential goods for his family in a small rowboat in 1809. However, his boat is captured by a Royal Navy corvette, and Vigen is sent as a prisoner of war to England, where he remains until the war is over. Returning to Grimstad in a Swedish Navy frigate in 1814, Vigen discovers that his wife and daughter have died. Becoming a maritime pilot, years later Vigen rescues a yacht in distress. He discovers that the yacht's captain was the commander of the corvette who took him prisoner, but decides against vengeance and rescues the Englishman along with his wife and child.