How long does it take to read An Enemy of the People?
An Enemy of the People by Henrik Ibsen takes about 2 hours 18 minutes to read at 250 words a minute.
About 2 hours 18 minutes
An evening's read
First published 1883. 125 pages, about 34,375 words.
5 days at 30 minutes a day
Estimate based on 275 words per page.
At other speeds
| Slow, 150 words a minute | 3 hours 49 minutes |
| Average, 250 words a minute | 2 hours 18 minutes |
| Fast, 400 words a minute | 1 hour 26 minutes |
The page count is the median across 66 editions, so your copy may differ. How we calculate.
About the book
A small Norwegian town has just begun to win fame and wealth through its medicinal spring waters. Dr. Stockmann, resident physician in charge, discovers that the waters are poisoned. On receiving proof of this, he immediately reports to his associates, but is shocked to find that instead of being thanked, he is looked upon as a dangerous crank, motivated by a desire to prove that his fellow townsmen are wrong, and to bring ruin upon them. As the people who run the local paper do their utmost to urge secrecy and compromise, the determined doctor realizes that the honesty and idealism he has counted upon to make the truth prevail, simply does not exist in the face of selfish “practical” interests. The press will not report his findings; the officials refuse to give him a hearing; he loses his position and the townspeople boycott him; and every weapon of blackmail, slander, and eviction are brought against his family. At the end, the townspeople, gathered around the doctor’s home, throw stones through the windows. Stockmann addresses his family: “But remember now, everybody, you are fighting for the truth and that is why you’re alone. And that makes you strong."
Subjects: Norwegian drama, Plays, Water, Drama, Pollution, English
