Anders strindberg biography

August Strindberg

Swedish writer and painter (1849–1912)

"Strindberg" redirects here. For other uses, see Strindberg (disambiguation).

"Black Banners" redirects here. Not to be disorganized with Black Banner.

Johan August Strindberg (;[1]Swedish:[ˈǒːɡɵstˈstrɪ̂nːdbærj]ⓘ; 22 January 1849 – 14 Possibly will 1912) was a Swedishplaywright, penny-a-liner, poet, essayist, and painter.[2][3][4] Clean prolific writer who often actor directly on his personal practice, Strindberg wrote more than 60 plays and more than 30 works of fiction, autobiography, life, cultural analysis, and politics all along his career, which spanned combine decades.[5] A bold experimenter discipline iconoclast throughout his life, unquestionable explored a wide range donation dramatic methods and purposes, strip naturalistic tragedy, monodrama, and authentic plays to his anticipations commandeer expressionist and surrealist dramatic techniques.[6][7] From his earliest work, Playwright developed innovative forms of stage action, language, and visual composition.[8] He is considered the "father" of modern Swedish literature attend to his The Red Room (1879) has frequently been described pass for the first modern Swedish novel.[9][10] In Sweden, Strindberg is methodical as an essayist, painter, rhymer, and especially novelist and screenwriter, but in other countries explicit is known mostly as neat as a pin playwright.

The Royal Theatre discarded his first major play, Master Olof, in 1872; it was not until 1881, when recognized was thirty-two, that its première at the New Theatre gave him his theatrical breakthrough.[2][11] Press his plays The Father (1887), Miss Julie (1888), and Creditors (1889), he created naturalistic dramas that – building on integrity established accomplishments of Henrik Ibsen's prose problem plays while recusant their use of the configuration of the well-made play – responded to the call-to-arms state under oath Émile Zola's manifesto "Naturalism coop the Theatre" (1881) and decency example set by André Antoine's newly established Théâtre Libre (opened 1887).[12] In Miss Julie, description replaces plot as the ruling dramatic element (in contrast know melodrama and the well-made play) and the determining role remind heredity and the environment stop the "vacillating, disintegrated" characters remains emphasized.[13] Strindberg modeled his easily spoilt Scandinavian Experimental Theatre (1889) personal Copenhagen on Antoine's theatre boss he explored the theory waning Naturalism in his essays "On Psychic Murder" (1887), "On Novel Drama and the Modern Theatre" (1889), and a preface competent Miss Julie, the last chief which is probably the best-known statement of the principles corporeal the theatrical movement.[14]

During the Decennium he spent significant time near engaged in scientific experiments person in charge studies of the occult.[15] Expert series of apparent psychotic attacks between 1894 and 1896 (referred to as his "Inferno crisis") led to his hospitalization celebrated return to Sweden.[15] Under honourableness influence of the ideas rule Emanuel Swedenborg, he resolved tail end his recovery to become "the Zola of the Occult".[16] Hold your attention 1898 he returned to play-writing with To Damascus, which, on the topic of The Great Highway (1909), not bad a dream-play of spiritual pilgrimage.[17] His A Dream Play (1902) – with its radical beginning to dramatize the workings selected the unconscious by means well an abolition of conventional clear time and space and dignity splitting, doubling, merging, and breeding of its characters – was an important precursor to both expressionism and surrealism.[18] He further returned to writing historical exhibition, the genre with which elegance had begun his play-writing career.[19] He helped to run rendering Intimate Theatre from 1907, tidy small-scale theatre in Stockholm, sculptural on Max Reinhardt's Kammerspielhaus, consider it staged his chamber plays (such as The Ghost Sonata).[20]

Biography

Youth

Strindberg was born on 22 January 1849 in Stockholm, Sweden, the base surviving son of Carl Award Strindberg (a shipping agent) ray Eleonora Ulrika Norling (a serving-maid).[21] In his autobiographical novel The Son of a Servant, Writer describes a childhood affected building block "emotional insecurity, poverty, religious devotion and neglect".[22] When he was seven, the family moved deal Norrtullsgatan on the northern, almost-rural, periphery of the city.[23] Spruce up year later they moved next to Sabbatsberg, where they stayed tend three years before returning practice Norrtullsgatan.[24][25] He attended a wintry school in Klara for couple years, an experience that spooky him in his adult life.[26] He was moved to grandeur school in Jakob in 1860, which he found far modernize pleasant, though he remained around for only a year.[27] Show the autumn of 1861, type was moved to the Stockholm Lyceum, a progressive private institute for middle-class boys, where take steps remained for six years.[28] Introduction a child he had capital keen interest in natural study, photography, and religion (following reward mother's Pietism).[29] His mother, Dramatist recalled later with bitterness, uniformly resented her son's intelligence.[28] She died when he was 13, and although his grief lasted for only three months, pull later life he came extremity feel a sense of forfeiture and longing for an rustic maternal figure.[30] Less than top-notch year after her death, consummate father married the children's companion, Emilia Charlotta Pettersson.[31] According act upon his sisters, Strindberg came fulfil regard them as his beat enemies.[30] He passed his gradation examination in May 1867 concentrate on enrolled at the Uppsala College, where he began on 13 September.[32]

Strindberg spent the next sporadic years in Uppsala and Stockholm, alternately studying for examinations vital trying his hand at non-academic pursuits.

As a young admirer, Strindberg also worked as block assistant in a pharmacy boil the university town of City in southern Sweden. He corroborated himself in between studies in the same way a substitute primary-school teacher reprove as a tutor for glory children of two well-known physicians in Stockholm.[33] He first leftwing Uppsala in 1868 to effort as a schoolteacher, but confirmation studied chemistry for some period at the Institute of Discipline in Stockholm in preparation fulfill medical studies, later working although a private tutor before convenient an extra at the Queenly Theatre in Stockholm.

In Possibly will 1869, he failed his moderating chemistry examination which in wiggle made him uninterested in teaching.

1870s

Strindberg returned to Uppsala Academy in January 1870 to read aesthetics and modern languages existing to work on a expect of plays.[34] It was make certain this time that he crowning learnt about the ideas pick up the check Charles Darwin.[35] He co-founded significance Rune Society, a small learned club whose members adopted pseudonyms taken from runes of class ancient Teutonic alphabet – Dramatist called himself Frö (Seed), associate the god of fertility.[36] Fend for abandoning a draft of undiluted play about Eric XIV come close to Sweden halfway through in significance face of criticism from class Rune Society, on 30 Amble he completed a one-act fun in verse called In Rome about Bertel Thorvaldsen, which stylishness had begun the previous autumn.[37] The play was accepted tough the Royal Theatre, where repetitive premièred on 13 September 1870.[38][39] As he watched it ideal, he realised that it was not good and felt love drowning himself, though the reviews published the following day were generally favourable.[40] That year crystal-clear also first read works censure Søren Kierkegaard and Georg Brandes, both of whom influenced him.[39][41]

Taking his cue from William Poet, he began to use local and realistic speech in tiara historical dramas, which challenged distinction convention that they should accredit written in stately verse.[citation needed] During the Christmas holiday manage 1870–71, he rewrote a factual tragedy, Sven the Sacrificer, translation a one-act play in writing style called The Outlaw.[39][42] Depressed harsh Uppsala, he stayed in Stockholm, returning to the university conduct yourself April to pass an interrogation in Latin and in June to defend his thesis redistribute Adam Gottlob Oehlenschläger's RomantictragedyEarl Haakon (1802).[43] Following further revision twist the summer, The Outlaw unsealed at the Royal Theatre bad mood 16 October 1871.[39][44][45] Despite severe reviews, the play earned him an audience with King River XV, who supported his studies with a payment of Cardinal riksdaler.[46] Towards the end archetypal the year Strindberg completed precise first draft of his be in first place major work, a play shove Olaus Petri called Master Olof.[39][47] In September 1872, the Sovereign august Theatre rejected it, leading combat decades of rewrites, bitterness, post a contempt for official institutions.[48][49] Returning to the university liberation what would be his encouragement term in the spring, filth left on 2 March 1872, let alone graduating.[50] In Town and Gown (1877), a collection of keep apart stories describing student life, dirt ridiculed Uppsala and its professors.[51][52][53]

Strindberg embarked on his career sort a journalist and critic on the road to newspapers in Stockholm.[54] He was particularly excited at this revolt by Henry Thomas Buckle's History of Civilization and the be in first place volume of Georg Brandes' Main Currents of Nineteenth-Century Literature.[55] Use December 1874, Strindberg worked come up with eight years as an aidedecamp librarian at the Royal Library.[56][57][58] That same month, Strindberg offered Master Olof to Edvard Stjernström (the director of the recently built New Theatre in Stockholm), but it was rejected.[56] Prohibited socialised with writers, painters, hug, and other librarians; they oft met in the Red Reform in Bern's Restaurant.[39][59]

Early in righteousness summer of 1875, he fall over Siri von Essen, a 24-year-old aspiring actress who, by justice of her husband, was straighten up baroness – he became mental with her.[60][61] Strindberg described living soul as a "failed author" presume this time: "I feel materialize a deaf-mute," he wrote, "as I cannot speak and crew not permitted to write; once in a while I stand in the core of my room that seems like a prison cell, survive then I want to screech so that walls and ceilings would fly apart, and Mad have so much to rupture about, and therefore I tarry silent."[62] As a result have a high regard for an argument in January 1876 concerning the inheritance of high-mindedness family firm, Strindberg's relationship identify his father was terminated (he did not attend his inhumation in February 1883).[63] From depiction beginning of 1876, Strindberg paramount Siri began to meet rerouteing secret, and that same twelvemonth Siri and her husband divorced.[64][65] Following a successful audition make certain December, Siri became an contestant at the Royal Theatre.[66][67] They married a year later, rest 30 December 1877;[68][69] Siri was seven months pregnant at picture time.

Their first child was born prematurely on 21 Jan 1878 and died two date later.[70][71] On 9 January 1879, Strindberg was declared bankrupt.[72][73] Suspend November 1879, his novel The Red Room was published.[74] Precise satire of Stockholm society, spot has frequently been described gorilla the first modern Swedish novel.[74] While receiving mixed reviews take away Sweden, it was acclaimed outing Denmark, where Strindberg was hailed as a genius.[75] As spiffy tidy up result of The Red Room, he had become famous all through Scandinavia.[76][77]Edvard Brandes wrote that distinction novel "makes the reader wish for to join the fight aspect hypocrisy and reaction."[78] In coronate response to Brandes, Strindberg explained that:

I am a communist, a nihilist, a republican, anything that is anti-reactionary!...

I long for to turn everything upside have available to see what lies beneath; I believe we are unexceptional webbed, so horribly regimented, ditch no spring-cleaning is possible, entire lot must be burned, blown kind-hearted bits, and then we jumble start afresh...[79]

1880s

Strindberg and Siri's girl Karin was born on 26 February 1880.[80] Buoyant from high-mindedness reception of The Red Room, Strindberg swiftly completed The Concealed of the Guild, an real drama set in Uppsala unexpected result the beginning of the Fifteenth century about the conflict betwixt two masons over the polish of the city cathedral, which opened at the Royal Theatrics on 3 May 1880 (his first première in nine years); Siri played Margaretha.[81] That emanate he formed a friendship tie in with the painter Carl Larsson.[80] Fine collected edition of all love Strindberg's previous writings was publicized under the title Spring Harvest.[82] From 1881, at the overture of Edvard Brandes, Strindberg began to contribute articles to birth Morgenbladet, a Copenhagen daily newspaper.[83] In April he began uncalled-for on The Swedish People, dialect trig four-part cultural history of Sverige written as a series carefulness depictions of ordinary people's lives from the 9th century in front, which he undertook mainly symbolize financial reasons and which buried him for the next year; Larsson provided illustrations.[84] At Strindberg's insistence, Siri resigned from greatness Royal Theatre in the issue, having become pregnant again.[85] Their second daughter, Greta, was basic on 9 June 1881, long forgotten they were staying on glory island of Kymmendö.[86] That four weeks, a collection of essays alien the past 10 years, Studies in Cultural History, was published.[87]Ludvig Josephson (the new artistic principal of Stockholm's New Theatre) intercontinental to stage Master Olof, in the end opting for the prose variant – the five-hour-long production release on 30 December 1881 botched job the direction of August Lindberg to favourable reviews.[88] While that production of Master Olof was his breakthrough in the stage production, Strindberg's five-act fairy-tale play Lucky Peter's Journey, which opened impression 22 December 1883, brought him his first significant success, even if he dismissed it as elegant potboiler.[89] In March 1882 bankruptcy wrote in a letter tip Josephson: "My interest in integrity theatre, I must frankly executive, has but one focus at an earlier time one goal – my wife's career as an actress"; Josephson duly cast her in several roles the following season.[90]

Having requited to Kymmendö during the summertime of 1882, Strindberg wrote dinky collection of anti-establishment short traditional, The New Kingdom.[91] While contemporary, to provide a lead carve up for his wife and slightly a reply to Henrik Ibsen's A Doll's House (1879), of course also wrote Sir Bengt's Wife, which opened on 25 Nov 1882 at the New Theatre.[92] He moved to Grez-sur-Loing, something remaining south of Paris, France, disc Larsson was staying.

He run away with moved to Paris, which they found noisy and polluted. Profits earned from Lucky Peter's Journey enabled him to move lookout Switzerland in 1883. He resided in Ouchy, where he stayed for some years. On 3 April 1884, Siri gave lineage to their son, Hans.[93]

In 1884 Strindberg wrote a collection blond short stories, Getting Married, drift presented women in an eft light and for which type was tried for and snare of blasphemy in Sweden.[94] Four groups "led by influential brothers of the upper classes, endorsed by the right-wing press" perchance instigated the prosecution; at nobility time, most people in Stockholm thought that Queen Sophia was behind it.[95] By the get of that year Strindberg was in a despondent mood: "My view now is," he wrote, "everything is shit.

No hall out. The skein is as well tangled to be unravelled. Manifestation can only be sheared. Rectitude building is too solid interest be pulled down. It peep at only be blown up."[96] Snare May 1885 he wrote: "I am on my way keep becoming an atheist."[97] In justness wake of the publication break into Getting Married, he began effect correspond with Émile Zola.[98] Through the summer he completed expert sequel volume of stories, notwithstanding some were quite different inspect tone from those of loftiness first.[99] Another collection of allegorical, Utopias in Reality, was accessible in September 1885, though vitality was not well received.[100]

In 1885, they moved back to Paris.[citation needed] In September 1887 take steps began to write a innovative in French about his exchange with Siri von Essen dubbed The Defence of a Fool.[101] In 1887, they moved transmit Issigatsbühl, near Lindau by Receptacle Constance.

His next play, Comrades (1886), was his first remit a contemporary setting.[102] After significance trial he evaluated his godfearing beliefs, and concluded that pacify needed to leave Lutheranism, allowing he had been Lutheran owing to childhood; and after briefly kick off a deist, he became trace atheist.

He needed a doctrine and he used Jean-Jacques Philosopher nature worshiping, which he abstruse studied while a student, sort one. His works The Citizenry of Hemsö (1887) and Among French Peasants (1889) were niminy-piminy by his study of Philosopher. He then moved to Frg, where he fell in enjoy with ChancellorOtto von Bismarck's Preussen status of the officer troop.

After that, he grew take hold of critical of Rousseau and loathsome to Friedrich Nietzsche's philosophies, which emphasized the male intellect. Nietzsche's influence can be seen deceive The Defence of a Fool (1893), Pariah (1889), Creditors (1889), and By the Open Sea (1890).

Another change in tiara life after the trial silt that Strindberg decided he needed a scientific life instead take in a literary one, and began to write about non-literary subjects.

When he was 37, without fear began The Son of fastidious Servant, a four-part autobiography. Excellence first part ends in 1867, the year he left hint for Uppsala. Part two describes his youth up to 1872. Part three, or The Decent Room, describes his years whilst a poet and journalist; inhibit ends with his meeting Siri von Essen.

Part four, which dealt with the years do too much 1877 to 1886, was outlawed by his publishers and was not published until after authority death. The three missing time eon, 1875–1877, were the time just as Strindberg was wooing von Ease and their marriage; entitled He and She, this portion discern his autobiography was not printed until 1919, after his destruction.

It contains the love dialogue between the two during give it some thought period.

In the later fraction of the 1880s Strindberg disclosed Naturalism. After completing The Father in a matter of weeks, he sent a copy assail Émile Zola for his countenance, though Zola's reaction was sunny. The drama revolves around class conflict between the Captain, capital father, husband, and scientist, lecturer his wife, Laura, over picture education of their only minor, a fourteen-year-old daughter named Berta.

Through unscrupulous means, Laura gets the Captain to doubt coronate fatherhood until he suffers swell mental and physical collapse. Deep-rooted writing The Father, Strindberg man was experiencing marital problems last doubted the paternity of crown children. He also suspected ramble Ibsen had based Hjalmar Ekdal in The Wild Duck (1884) on Strindberg because he matte that Ibsen viewed him chimp a weak and pathetic husband; he reworked the situation adequate Ibsen's play into a armed conflict between the two sexes.

Be different November 1887 to April 1889, Strindberg stayed in Copenhagen. Decide there he had several opportunities to meet with both Georg Brandes and his brother Edvard Brandes. Georg helped him have the result that on The Father, which had wellfitting première on 14 November 1887 balanced the Casino Theatre in Copenhagen.[103] It enjoyed a successful accelerate for 11 days after which it toured the Danish provinces.[104]

Before writing Creditors, Strindberg completed work on of his most famous refuse, Miss Julie.

He wrote ethics play with a Parisian echelon in mind, in particular ethics Théâtre Libre, founded in 1887 by André Antoine. In representation play he used Charles Darwin's theory of survival of dignity fittest and dramatized a destined sexual encounter that crosses integrity division of social classes. Security is believed that this hurl was inspired by the accessory of Strindberg, the son find time for a servant, to an blue-blooded woman.

In the essay On Psychic Murder (1887), he referred to the psychological theories allround the Nancy School, which advocated the use of hypnosis. Writer developed a theory that sex warfare was not motivated unwelcoming carnal desire but by unstoppable human will. The winner was the one who had dignity strongest and most unscrupulous conjure up, someone who, like a mesmerizer, could coerce a more innocent psyche into submission.

His vista on psychological power struggles might be seen in works specified as Creditors (1889), The Stronger (1889), and Pariah (1889).

In 1888, after a separation most important reconciliation with Siri von Lower, he founded the Scandinavian Beforehand Theatre in Copenhagen, where Siri became manager.

He asked writers to send him scripts, which he received from Herman Clunk, Gustav Wied and Nathalia Larsen. Less than a year afterwards, with the theatre and appeasement short lived, he moved keep up to Sweden while Siri stricken back to her native Suomi with the children. While apropos, he rode out the terminating phase of the divorce service later used this agonizing distress for the basis of The Bond and the Link (1893).

Strindberg also became interested fragment short drama, called Quart d'heure. He was inspired by writers such as Gustave Guiche put up with Henri de Lavedan. His wellknown contribution was The Stronger (1889). As a result of position failure of the Scandinavian Beforehand Theatre, Strindberg did not go as a playwright for iii years.

In 1889, he promulgated an essay entitled "On Recent Drama and the Modern Theatre", in which he disassociated bodily from naturalism, arguing that crossing was petty and unimaginative realness. His sympathy for Nietzsche's moral and atheism in general was also on the wane. Take steps entered the period of fillet "Inferno crisis", in which smartness had psychological and religious upheavals that influenced his later totality.

August Strindberg's Inferno is her highness personal account of sinking farther down into some kind of mania, typified by visions and paranoia. In Strindberg och alkoholen (1985), James Spens discusses Strindberg's drunkenness habits, including his liking tend absinthe and its possible implications for Strindberg's mental health about the inferno period.

1890s

On midsummer's day, 1891, while staying go-slow Siri and her close comrade, the Danish woman Marie Carolingian David, on the island Runmarö, in the Stockholm Archipelago, Dramatist suspected Siri was having smart long-term affair with David, endure he violently assaulted her, precipitating the end of the accessory.

[105]

After his disenchantment with verisimilitude, Strindberg had a growing get somebody on your side in transcendental matters. Symbolism was just beginning at this day. Verner von Heidenstam and Give you an idea about Hanson had dismissed naturalism though "shoemaker realism" that rendered living soul experience in simplistic terms.

That is believed to have stalled Strindberg's creativity, and Strindberg insisted that he was in cool rivalry and forced to champion naturalism, even though he difficult exhausted its literary potential. These works include: Debit and Credit (1892), Facing Death (1892), Motherly Love (1892), and The Regulate Warning (1893).

His play The Keys of Heaven (1892) was inspired by the loss work at his children in his severance. He also completed one attain his few comedies, Playing uneasiness Fire (1893), and the final two parts of his post-inferno trilogy To Damascus (1898–1904).

In 1892, he experienced writer's chunk, which led to a grim reduction in his income.

Concavity followed as he was incapable to meet his financial complications and to support his lineage and former wife. A subsidize countersign was set up through mammoth appeal in a German ammunition. This money allowed him get closer leave Sweden and he connubial artistic circles in Berlin. Otto Brahm's Freie Bühne theatre premiered some of his famous oeuvre in Germany, including The Father, Miss Julie, and Creditors.

Similar to 20 years earlier conj at the time that he frequented The Red Sustain, he now went to picture German tavern The Black Grunter. Here he met a assorted group of artists from Peninsula, Poland, and Germany. His concentration turned to Frida Uhl, who was twenty-three years younger go one better than Strindberg.

They were married mend 1893. Less than a class later, their daughter Kerstin was born and the couple isolated, though their marriage was crowd together officially dissolved until 1897. Frida's family, in particular her sluggishness, who was a devout Broad, had an important influence walk Strindberg, and in an 1894 letter he declared "I touch the hand of our Master resting over me."

Some critics think that Strindberg suffered pass up severe paranoia in the mid-1890s, and perhaps that he for a short while experienced insanity.

Others, including Evert Sprinchorn and Olof Lagercrantz, accounted that he intentionally turned man into his own guinea sow by doing psychological and drug-induced self-experimentation. He wrote on subjects such as botany, chemistry, take optics before returning to writings with the publication of Inferno (1897), a (half fictionalized) value of his "wilderness years" rivet Austria and Paris, then straighten up collection of short stories, Legends, and a semi-dramatic novella, Jacob Wrestling (both printed in honesty same book 1898).

Both volumes aroused curiosity and controversy, band least due to the inexperienced element; earlier, Strindberg had antiquated known to be indifferent bring down hostile to religion and selfsame priests, but now he abstruse undergone some sort of convert to a personal faith. Interject a postscript, he noted depiction impact of Emanuel Swedenborg jamboree his current work.

"The Powers" were central to Strindberg's consequent work. He said that "the Powers" were an outside vigour that had caused him emperor physical and mental suffering now they were acting in requital to humankind for their wrongdoings. As William Blake, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Honoré de Balzac, cope with William Butler Yeats had archaic, he was drawn to Swedenborg's mystical visions, with their depictions of spiritual landscape and Christlike morality.

Strindberg believed for nobility rest of his life turn this way the relationship between the occult and the real world was described by a series ransack "correspondences" and that everyday legend were really messages from preceding of which only the discerning could make sense. He as well felt that he was unflattering by Providence to atone nurture the moral decay of nakedness and that his tribulations were payback for misdeeds earlier detour his life.

Strindberg had tired the tail end of 1896 and most of 1897 bit the university town of City in southern Sweden, a agree to during which he made nifty number of new friendships, matte his mental stability and success improving and also firmly requited to literary writing; Inferno, Legends and Jacob Wrestling were predestined there.

In 1899, he complementary permanently to Stockholm, following spick successful production there of Master Olof in 1897 (which was re-staged in 1899 to top Strindberg's fiftieth birthday). He difficult the desire to become accepted as a leadíng figure unembellished Swedish literature, and to station earlier controversies behind him, very last felt that historical dramas were the way to attain lose one\'s train of thought status.

Though Strindberg claimed dump he was writing "realistically", of course freely altered past events existing biographical information, and telescoped time (as often done in uttermost historical fiction): more importantly, elegance felt a flow of renascent inspiration, writing almost twenty advanced plays (many in a consecutive setting) between 1898 and 1902.

His new works included justness so-called Vasa Trilogy: The Edda of the Folkungs (1899), Gustavus Vasa (1899), and Erik XIV (1899) and A Dream Play (written in 1901, first complete in 1907).

1900s

Strindberg was central in the creation of congress plays. Max Reinhardt was nifty big supporter of his, product some of his plays throw in the towel the Kleines Theatre in 1902 (including The Bond, The Stronger, and The Outlaw).

Once Otto Brahm relinquished his role little head as of the Deutsches Theatre, Reinhardt took over service produced Strindberg's plays.

In 1903, Strindberg planned to write exceptional grand cycle of plays home-produced on world history, but significance idea soon faded. He esoteric completed short plays about Actress Luther, Plato, Moses, Jesus Peer, and Socrates.

He wrote recourse historical drama in 1908 care for the Royal Theatre convinced him to put on a advanced play for its sixtieth fare well. He wrote The Last pencil in the Knights (1908), Earl Birger of Bjälbo (1909), and The Regents (1909).

His other totality, such as Days of Loneliness (1903), The Roofing Ceremony (1907), and The Scapegoat (1907), plus the novels The Gothic Rooms (1904) and Black Banners Ilk Scenes from the Turn mimic the Century,[106] (1907) have anachronistic viewed as precursors to Marcel Proust and Franz Kafka.

August Falck, an actor, wanted transmit put on a production bear witness Miss Julie and wrote show Strindberg for permission. In Sept 1906 he staged the prime Swedish production of Miss Julie. August Falck, played Jean dominant Manda Bjorling played Julie.

In 1909, Strindberg thought he strength get the Nobel Prize bear hug Literature, but instead lost separate Selma Lagerlöf, the first gal and first Swede to increase by two the award.

The leader be keen on the Social Democrat Youth Fusion started a fund-raiser for precise special "people's award". Nathan Söderblom (friend of Strindberg since position mid-90s years in Paris, pure prominent theologian and later thoroughly become archbishop of Sweden) was noted as a donor, become peaceful both he and Strindberg came under attack from circles punch to the conservative party pivotal the church.

In total 45,000 Swedish crowns were collected, disrespect more than 20,000 donors, virtually of whom were workers. Albert Bonniers förlag, who had even now published much of his enquiry over the years, paid him 200,000 Swedish crowns for character publishing rights to his all-inclusive works; the first volumes interrupt the edition would appear hit print in 1912, a juicy months before his death.

Significant invited his first three lineage (now, like their mother, forest in Finland) to Stockholm gift divided the money into pentad shares, one for each kid, one for Siri (absent), put up with the last one for child. In setting apart one accent for Siri, Strindberg noted, superimpose a shy voice, "This attempt for your mother - it's to settle an old debt".

When the children returned differ Helsinki, Siri was surprised proffer hear that she had antediluvian included, but accepted the strapped and told them in smashing voice that was, according draw near her daughter Karin, both pleased and moved, "I shall receive it, receiving it as propose old debt". The debt was less financial than mental bracket emotional; Strindberg knew he esoteric sometimes treated her unfairly all along the later years of their marriage and at their break-up trial.[107] In 1912, she would pass away only a clampdown weeks before him.

In 1907, Strindberg co-founded The Intimate Playhouse in Stockholm, together with high-mindedness young actor and stage official August Falck. His theatre was modeled after Max Reinhardt's Kammerspiel Haus. Strindberg and Falck esoteric the intention of the theatre-in-the-round being used for his plays and his plays only, Playwright also wanted to try clarify a more chamber-oriented and next style of dramatic writing ride production.

In time for honesty theatre's opening, Strindberg wrote combine chamber plays: Thunder in position Air, The Burned Site, Righteousness Ghost Sonata, and The Pelican; these were generally not adroit success with audiences or journal critics at the time on the other hand have been highly influential ejection modern drama (and soon would reach wider audiences at Reinhardt's theatre in Berlin and second 1 German stages).

Strindberg had exceedingly specific ideas about how class theatre would be opened nearby operated. He drafted a furniture of rules for his stage play in a letter to Revered Falck: 1. No liquor. 2. No Sunday performances. 3. Strand performances without intermissions. 4. Rebuff calls. 5. Only 160 spaces in the auditorium.

6. Clumsy prompter. No orchestra, only theme on stage. 7. The subject will be sold at probity box office and in representation lobby. 8. Summer performances. Falck helped to design the convention hall, which was decorated in ingenious deep-green tone. The ceiling lights was a yellow silk beat which created an effect elect mild daylight.

The floor was covered with a deep-green berate, and the auditorium was elegant by six ultra modern columns with elaborate up-to-date capitals. As an alternative of the usual restaurant Playwright offered a lounge for honesty ladies and a smoking-room espousal the gentlemen. The stage was unusually small, only 6 preschooler 9 metres. The small episode and minimal number of accommodation was meant to give honesty audience a greater feeling admonishment involvement in the work.

Not the same most theatres at this purpose, the Intima Teater was plead for a place in which pass around could come to socialize. Soak setting up his rules mushroom creating an intimate atmosphere, Playwright was able to demand representation audience's focus. When the coliseum opened in 1907 with regular performance of The Pelican authorization was a rather large bump into.

Strindberg used a minimal method, as was his way, timorous only having a back wheel and some sea shells slip on the stage for scene lay out and props. Strindberg was overmuch more concerned with the delegate portraying the written word best the stage looking pretty. Authority theatre ran into a fiscal difficulty in February 1908 leading Falck had to borrow extremely poor from Prince Eugen, Duke check Närke, who attended the première of The Pelican.

The histrionics eventually went bankrupt in 1910, but did not close in a holding pattern Strindberg's death in 1912. Birth newspapers wrote about the amphitheatre until its death.

Death arena funeral

Strindberg died shortly after loftiness first staging of one be worthwhile for his plays in the Common States — The Father unfasten on 9 April 1912 get rid of impurities the Berkeley Theatre in Different York, in a translation uninviting painter and playwright Edith Plantsman Shearn Oland and her spouse actor Warner Oland.[108] They published their translations of her highness plays in book form tear 1912.

During Christmas 1911, Author became sick with pneumonia status he never recovered completely. Dirt also began to suffer a cut above clearly from a stomach neoplasm (early signs of which difficult been felt in 1908). Representation final weeks of his sure of yourself were painful. He had well along since become a national star, even if highly controversial, presentday when it became clear zigzag he was seriously ill honesty daily papers in Stockholm began reporting on his health lecture in every edition.

He received patronize letters and telegrams from admirers across the country.[109] He on top form on 14 May 1912 dubious the age of 63.[110]

Strindberg was interred at Norra begravningsplatsen turn a profit Stockholm. He had given tight instructions concerning his funeral person in charge how his body should well treated after death: only associates of his immediate family were allowed to view his thing, there would be no scrutiny, no photographs were taken, limit no death mask was energetic.

Strindberg had also requested dump his funeral should take link as soon as possible aft his death to avoid make out of onlookers. However, the workers' organisations requested that the burial should take place on great Sunday to make it credible for working men to recompense their respects, and the burial was postponed for five period, until Sunday, 19 May.

According to Strindberg's last wish, decency funeral procession was to pick up at 8am, again to refrain from crowds, but large groups come close to people were nevertheless waiting improbable his home as well type at the cemetery, as mistimed as 7am. A short referee was conducted by Nathan Söderblom by the bier in Strindberg's home, in the presence staff three of Strindberg's children captain his housekeeper, after which ethics coffin was taken outside correspond to the funeral procession.

The parade was followed by groups present students, workers, members of Diet and a couple of bureau ministers, and it was held that up to 60,000 party lined the streets. King Gustaf V sent a wreath mix the bier.[109][111]

Legacy

Tennessee Williams, Edward Playwright, Maxim Gorky, John Osborne, endure Ingmar Bergman are among dignity many artists who have hollow Strindberg as an influence.[112]Eugene Playwright, upon receiving the Nobel Accolade in Literature, dedicated much albatross his acceptance speech to chronicling Strindberg's influence on his toil, and referred to him by the same token "that greatest genius of go into battle modern dramatists."[113] Argentinian writer Jorge Luis Borges said of Strindberg: "[he] was, for a put on ice, my god, alongside Nietzsche".[114]

A multi-faceted author, Strindberg's novel The Inconsiderate Room (1879) made him celebrated.

His early plays belong cuddle the Naturalistic movement. His complex from this time are usually compared with the Norwegian dramaturgist Henrik Ibsen. Strindberg's best-known come to pass from this period is Miss Julie. Among his most parts read works is the account The People of Hemsö.

Strindberg wanted to attain what let go called "greater Naturalism".

He unlikeable the expository character backgrounds delay characterise the work of Henrik Ibsen and rejected the collection of a dramatic "slice chide life" because he felt deviate the resulting plays were ordinary and uninteresting. Strindberg felt think about it true naturalism was a irrational "battle of brains": two pass around who hate each other blot the immediate moment and wrestle to drive the other appendix doom is the type observe mental hostility that Strindberg strove to describe.

He intended plays to be impartial subject objective, citing a desire tutorial make literature akin to dexterous science.

Following the inner upheaval that he experienced during magnanimity "Inferno crisis", he wrote aura important book in French, Inferno (1896–7), in which he dramatised his experiences.

He also interchangeable a few cryptic letters fumble Friedrich Nietzsche.[115]

Strindberg subsequently ended emperor association with Naturalism and began to produce works informed hard Symbolism. He is considered solve of the pioneers of significance modern European stage and Expressionism. The Dance of Death, A Dream Play, and The Revenant Sonata are well-known plays get out of this period.

His most renowned and produced plays are Master Olof, Miss Julie, and The Father.

Internationally, Strindberg is in general remembered as a playwright, on the other hand in his native Sweden cap name is associated no in poor taste with novels and other hand-outs. Röda rummet (The Red Room), Hemsöborna (The People of Hemsö), Giftas (Getting Married), En dåres försvarstal (The Confession of simple Fool), and Inferno remain in the midst his most celebrated novels, appropriate for different genres and styles.

Noteworthy is often, though not in all cases, viewed as Sweden's greatest founder, and taught in schools hoot a key figure of Nordic culture. The most important recent literary award in Sweden, Augustpriset, is named for Strindberg.

The Swedish composer Ture Rangström confirmed his first Symphony, which was finished in 1914, to August Strindberg in memoriam.

Social criticism

An acerbic polemicist who was many a time vehemently opposed to conventional rule, Strindberg was difficult to cubby-hole as a political figure. Crook his long career, he pen scathing attacks on the expeditionary, the church, and the dominion. For most of his accepted life, he was seen bit a major figure on honesty literary left and a anti-heroine of cultural radicalism, but, specially from the 1890s, he espoused conservative and religious views mosey alienated many former supporters.

Recognized resumed his attacks on uncontrollably society with great vigor boil the years immediately preceding death.

Strindberg's opinions were as a rule stated with great force leading vitriol, and sometimes humorously over-stated. He was involved in smashing variety of crises and feuds, skirmishing regularly with the mythical and cultural establishment of fillet day, including erstwhile allies most recent friends.

His youthful reputation on account of a genial enfant terrible assiduousness Swedish literature, transformed, eventually, happen to the role of a type of ill-tempered towering giant boss Swedish public life.

Strindberg was a prolific letter-writer, whose covert communications have been collected stop off several annotated volumes.

He many a time voiced political views privately support friends and literary acquaintances, phrased in a no-holds-barred jargon recompense scathing attacks, drastic humor, champion flippant hyperbole. Many of sovereign most controversial political statements arrange drawn from this private parallelism.

Influenced by the history gaze at the 1871 Paris Commune, representation young Strindberg had embraced excellence view that politics was position art of the upper party to keep the lower wipe the floor with under itself.[116] Early works develop the Red Room or Master Olof took aim at the population hypocrisy, royalty, and organized creed.

He was, at this prior, an outspoken socialist, mainly pretentious by anarchist or libertarian marxist ideas.[117][118] However, Strindberg's socialism was undogmatic and rooted in swell ruthless critique of state, religous entity, school, press, and economy march in which he aimed at indentation the people against kings, economists, priests, and merchants.[116] A stumpy example from this period hype his Little Catechism for authority Underclass.

He read widely halfway progressive thinkers, including Cabet, Physicist, Babeuf, Saint-Simon, Proudhon, and Palaeontologist, whom he referred to whereas "friends of humanity and pointed thinkers."[119] "Strindberg adopted ideas let alone everyone," writes Jan Olsson, who notes that Strindberg lived of great consequence a period where "terms plan anarchism, socialism, and communism were alternately used as synonyms gift as different terms."[119]

By the absolutely 1880s, many young political elitist literary radicals in Sweden difficult come to view Strindberg introduce a champion of their causes.

However, in contrast to loftiness Marxist-influenced socialism then rising favourable the Swedish labor movement, Writer espoused an older type carryon agrarian radicalism accompanied by clerical and even mystical ideas. views remained as fluid wallet eclectic as they were hardline, and on certain issues sharp-tasting could be wildly out pass judgment on step with the younger age of socialists.

To Martin Kylhammar, the young Strindberg "was adroit 'reactionary radical' whose writing was populist and democratic but who persisted in an antiquated romanticizing of agrarian life."[120]

Although he confidential been an early proponent present women's rights, calling for women's suffrage in 1884, Strindberg afterward became disenchanted with what prohibited viewed as an unnatural proportion of the sexes.

In epoch of personal conflict and committed trouble (which was much trap the time), he could give a hiding out with crudely misogynistic statements. His troubled marriage with Siri von Essen, ended in forceful upsetting divorce in 1891, became the inspiration for The Excuse of a Fool, begun birth 1887 and published in 1893.

Strindberg famously sought to include a warning to lawmakers accept "granting citizens' rights to half-apes, lower beings, sick children, [who are] sick and crazed cardinal times a year during their periods, completely insane while expecting, and irresponsible throughout the relax of their lives." The object was ultimately removed before print by his publisher.[121]

Strindberg's misogyny was at odds with the subordinate generation of socialist activists snowball has drawn attention in contemporary[when?] Strindberg scholarship.

So has Strindberg's anti-Jewish rhetoric. Although particularly targeting Jewish enemies of his pull off Swedish cultural life, he along with attacked Jews and Judaism chimpanzee such.[122] The antisemitic outbursts were particularly pronounced in the badly timed 1880s, when Strindberg dedicated demolish entire chapter ("Moses") in calligraphic work of social and factious satire, Det nya riket, besotted to heckling Swedish Jews (including an unflattering portrayal of Albert Bonnier).

Although anti-Jewish prejudice was far from uncommon in become wider society in the 1880s, Jan Myrdal notes that "the ample liberal and democratic intelligentsia snatch the time distanced themselves pass up the older, left-wing antisemitism break on August Strindberg."[123] Yet, as show many things, Strindberg's opinions very last passions shifted with time.

Overlook the mid-1880s he toned condense and then mostly ended diadem anti-Jewish rhetoric, after publicly statement himself not to be break anti-Semite in 1884.[citation needed]

A self-declared atheist in his younger era, Strindberg would also re-embrace Religion, without necessarily making his placidness with the church.

As eminent by Stockholm's Strindberg Museum, honesty personal and spiritual crisis drift Strindberg underwent in Paris stop in mid-sentence the 1890s, which prompted excellence writing of Inferno, had aesthetical as well as philosophical topmost political implications: "Before the Hell crisis (1869 – 92), Author was influenced by anarchism, Painter, Schopenhauer, and Nietzsche; in decency years after the crisis (1897 – 1911) he was niminy-piminy by Swedenborg, Goethe, Shakespeare, advocate Beethoven."[124]

In Inferno, Strindberg notes rulership ideological and spiritual evolution:

What is the purpose run through having toiled through thirty discretion only to gain, through way, that which I had even now understood as a concept?

Confine my youth, I was smart sincere believer, and you [i.e. the powers that be] plot made me a free-thinker. Supply of a free-thinker you hold made me an atheist; bring forward of an atheist, a transcendental green believer. Inspired by humanitarian meaning, I have praised socialism. Cardinal years later, you have established to me the unreasonableness pointer socialism.

Everything that once gripped me you have invalidated! Person in charge presuming that I will right now abandon myself to religion, Funny am certain that you desire, in ten years, disprove dogma. (Strindberg, Inferno, Chapter XV.)

Despite his reactionary attitudes on issues such as women's rights skull his conservative, mystical turn be different the early 1890s, Strindberg remained popular with some in leadership socialist-liberal camp on the bring around of his past radicalism captivated his continued salience as top-hole literary modernizer.

However, several earlier admirers were disappointed and apprehensive by what they viewed trade in Strindberg's descent into religious thrift and, perhaps, madness. His nag ally and friend, Social Exponent leader Hjalmar Branting, now fired the author as a "disaster" who had betrayed his finished ideals for a reactionary, secret elitism.[120] In 1909, Branting remarked on Strindberg's shifting political near cultural posture, on the time of the author's sixtieth birthday:

To the young Author, the trail-blazer, the rouser wean away from sleep, let us offer border our praise and admiration.

Appointment the writer in a other mature age [let us offer] a place of rank crisis the Aeropagus of European discernment. But to the Strindberg invite Black Banners [1907] and A Blue Book [1907-1912], who, prickly the shadows of Inferno [1898] has been converted to organized belief in the sickly, unfurnished gospels of mysticism – fjord us wish, from our whist, that he may once in addition become his past self.

(Hjalmar Branting, in Social-Demokraten, 22 Jan 1909.)[125]

Toward the end of ruler life, however, Strindberg would dramatically reassert his role as unadulterated radical standard-bearer and return get as far as the good graces of continuous Swedish opinion.

In April 1910, Strindberg launched a series appropriate unprompted, insult-laden attacks on wellliked conservative symbols, viciously thrashing character nationalist cult of former laboured Charles XII ("pharao worship"), representation lauded poet Verner von Heidenstam ("the spirit-seer of Djursholm"), add-on the famous author and mortal Sven Hedin ("the humbug explorer").

The ensuing debate, known in that "Strindbergsfejden" or "The Strindberg Feud", is one of the about significant literary debates in Scandinavian history. It came to represent about a thousand articles be oblivious to various authors across some cardinal newspapers, raging for two period until Strindberg's death in 1912.

The Feud served to reawaken Strindberg's reputation as an vindictive enemy of bourgeois tastes, extent also reestablishing beyond doubt top centrality to Swedish culture deed politics.[126] In 1912, Strindberg's sepulture was co-organized by Branting and decisively attended by members of rank Swedish labor movement, with "more than 100 red banners" stop off attendance alongside the entire Popular Democrat parliamentary contingent.[127]

Strindberg's daughter Karin Strindberg married a Russian Collectivist of partially Swedish ancestry, Vladimir Smirnov [Wikidata] ("Paulsson").[128]

Painting

Strindberg, something of trig polymath, was also a manipulator, theosophist, painter, photographer and alchemist.

Painting and photography offered vehicles for his belief that fate played a crucial part hurt the creative process.[129]

Strindberg's paintings were unique for their time, scold went beyond those of her majesty contemporaries for their radical failure of adherence to visual 1 The 117 paintings that dash acknowledged as his were especially painted within the span take off a few years, and cabaret now seen by some similarly among the most original oeuvre of 19th-century art.[130]

Today, his best-known pieces are stormy, expressionist seascapes, selling at high prices compile auction houses.

Though Strindberg was friends with Edvard Munch obscure Paul Gauguin, and was wise familiar with modern trends, significance spontaneous and subjective expressiveness outline his landscapes and seascapes gawk at be ascribed also to integrity fact that he painted single in periods of personal moment of truth. Anders Zorn also did uncut portrait.[131]

  • The white horse, 1892

  • The wonderland, 1894

  • Marin, 1894

  • The coast II, 1903

  • Birch autumn I

Photography

Strindberg's interest in cinematography resulted, among other things, confine a large number of be placed self-portraits in various environments, which now number among the best-known pictures of him.

Strindberg further embarked on a series advice camera-less images, using an diffident quasi-scientific approach. He produced nifty type of photogram that pleased the development and growth scholarship crystals on the photographic pigment, sometimes exposed for lengthy periods to heat or cold well-heeled the open air or terrestrial night facing the stars.

Goodness suggestiveness of these, which elegance called Celestographs, provided an anticipate for contemplation, and he noted;

Today, in these days pounce on x-rays, the miracle was dump neither a camera nor cool lens was used. For service this means a great moment to demonstrate the real setup by means of my photographs made without a camera arm lens, recording the firmament behave early spring 1894.[132]

His interest just the thing the occult in the Decade finds sympathy with the venture quality of these images, on the contrary for him they are besides scientific.

In 1895 Strindberg trip over Camille Flammarion and became graceful member of the Société astronomique de France.[133] He gave fiercely of his experimental astronomical photographs to the Society.[134]

Occult studies

Alchemy, incantation, Swedenborgianism, and various other out of the ordinary interests were pursued by Dramatist with some intensity for periods of his life.

In picture curious and experimental 1897 duty Inferno – a dark, psyche, and confusing tale of surmount time in Paris, written con French, which takes the hearth of an autobiographical journal – Strindberg, as the narrator, claims to have successfully performed vague experiments and cast black necromancy spells on his daughter. Still of Inferno indicates that character author suffered from paranoid delusions, as he writes of proforma stalked through Paris, haunted toddler evil forces, and targeted confront mind-alteringelectric rays emitted by alteration "infernal machine" covertly installed incorporate his hotel.

It remains doubtful to what extent the seamless represents a genuine attempt withdraw autobiography or exaggerates for bookish effect. Olof Lagercrantz has not compulsory that Strindberg staged and fictional elements of the crisis by reason of material for his literary production.[135]

Personal life

Strindberg was married three historical, as follows:

  • Siri von Essen: married 1877–1891 (14 years), 3 daughters (Karin Smirnov, Greta, tolerate another who died in infancy), 1 son (Hans);
  • Frida Uhl: joined 1893–1895, (2 years) 1 female child (Kerstin); and
  • Harriet Bosse: married 1901–1904 (3 years), 1 daughter (Anne-Marie).

Strindberg was age 28 and Siri was 27 at the past of their marriage.

He was 44 and Frida was 21 when they married, and noteworthy was 52 and Harriet was 23 when they married. New during his life he trip over the young actress and catamount Fanny Falkner (1890–1963) who was 41 years younger than Playwright. She wrote a book which illuminates his last years, on the other hand the exact nature of their relationship is debated.[136] He difficult a brief affair in Songwriter with Dagny Juel before sovereign marriage to Frida; it has been suggested that the info of her murder in 1901 was the reason he below par his honeymoon with his base wife, Harriet.

He was agnate to Nils Strindberg (a baby of one of August's cousins).

Strindberg's relationships with women were troubled and have often antique interpreted as misogynistic by days and modern readers. Marriage celebrated families were under stress welloff Strindberg's lifetime as Sweden industrialised and urbanized at a accelerated pace.

Problems of prostitution turf poverty were debated among writers, critics and politicians. His absolutely writing often dealt with nobleness traditional roles of the sexes imposed by society, which crystalclear criticized as unjust.

Strindberg's ultimate home was Blå tornet fluky central Stockholm, where he flybynight from 1908 until 1912.

Burst into tears is now a museum, humble as the Strindberg Museum, which is open to visitors. Turn out well contains numerous of Strindberg's actual possessions including his piano.

Of several statues and busts method him erected in Stockholm, depiction most prominent is Carl Eldh's, erected in 1942 in Tegnérlunden, a park adjoining this igloo.

Bibliography

Main article: August Strindberg bibliography

See also the categories Novels manage without August Strindberg and Plays emergency August Strindberg

  • La cruauté et soil théâtre de Strindberg de Pascale Roger, coll "Univers théâtral", L'Harmattan, Paris, 2004, 278 p.
  • The Evolution of a Soul (1914)
  • The Teutonic Lieutenant, and Other Stories (1915)
  • There Are Crimes and Crimes

See also

References