Strindberg & the plays
August Strindberg (1849 - 1912)
Strindberg 50 years old
One of Sweden's greatest writers and playwrights. He was a contemporary with Henrik Ibsen, ans Christian Andersen, Sören Kierkegaard and Knut Hamsun and equally influential on the literary scene.
He wrote poetry, fiction and plays and his work falls within the categories of naturalism and later on expressionism. The novel that brought him to fame was The Red Room (1879). As a playwright he strived to be impartial and objective.
He considered reality boring and mundane and wanted his plays to be open for interpretation and exploration during the theatrical process. One of his most known naturalistic plays is Miss Julie. Later he was considered to be one of the pioneers of the modern European Stage when he turned towards symbolism and expressionism. Ett drömspel (A Dream Play,) Spöksonaten (A Ghost Sonata) and Dödsdansen (The Dance of Death) are a few famous plays from this era.
He wrote poetry, fiction and plays and his work falls within the categories of naturalism and later on expressionism. The novel that brought him to fame was The Red Room (1879). As a playwright he strived to be impartial and objective.
He considered reality boring and mundane and wanted his plays to be open for interpretation and exploration during the theatrical process. One of his most known naturalistic plays is Miss Julie. Later he was considered to be one of the pioneers of the modern European Stage when he turned towards symbolism and expressionism. Ett drömspel (A Dream Play,) Spöksonaten (A Ghost Sonata) and Dödsdansen (The Dance of Death) are a few famous plays from this era.
The Plays
FINISHED PLAYS
Playing with Fire (1893)
A comedy in one act. This play is set at a sea resort during the summer. The couple, Kerstin and Knut, is staying with Knut’s wealthy parents, along with Knut’s cousin Adele. Knut and Kerstin are in total financial dependency of his parents which creates some tensions between them. To complicate things further an old friend of Knut surprisingly shows up for a few days. Intrigues, jealousy and scheming are part of everyday life since both Knut and his father are hosting warm feelings towards Cousin Adele, while Kerstin and Axel are in heat.
Mr. Bengt's Wife (1882)
A Romantic Comedy in five acts. This is the first time this play has been translated into English and the second one we finished. The play takes place during the Swedish Reformation in Sweden, when all convents were closing and the church became Lutheran. The lead character is a young strong, spirited woman called Margit. She escapes the convent life and marries her hero Mr. Bengt, a knight and nobleman. However, married life is not at all what Margit had expected and all her illusions come to an abrupt awakening when she finds out they are bankrupt. Her old childhood friend, the bailiff, comes to her comfort but everything is not what it seems. Margit is very much a modern woman of today, who even asks for a divorce with the King of Sweden. In this play comparisons and answers to Ibsen’s' A Doll's House' can be seen, as well as certain elements of the absurdity that later comes to full bloom in A Dream Play.
IN THE WORKS
The Secret of the Guild (1880)
A Comedy in four acts. This is the third play we are currently working on, and is now in the process of being translated from Swedish to English for the first time. This play is about a few craft’s men who are part of a club that is responsible for
building and finishing a cathedral in the village. There is a secret handed down so each alderman of the society of how to build so the church tower will hold up against the natural elements. There is a power struggle within the guild about who has the secret and who should be the next alderman. Jealousy, lies and attempted murder are all things going on, ending in catastrophe. It is believed that Strindberg may have used the cathedral of Uppsala as inspiration for this story as it collapsed once during construction.
Ett halvt ark papper: A short story from the collection Sagor (1903)
The English title would be "A half sheet of paper" from "Stories". It's about a man reminising after losing his wife.
Check out http://strindbergfestival.com/ for information about upcoming Strinberg productions around the country for the 100 year anniversary of his death.
Playing with Fire (1893)
A comedy in one act. This play is set at a sea resort during the summer. The couple, Kerstin and Knut, is staying with Knut’s wealthy parents, along with Knut’s cousin Adele. Knut and Kerstin are in total financial dependency of his parents which creates some tensions between them. To complicate things further an old friend of Knut surprisingly shows up for a few days. Intrigues, jealousy and scheming are part of everyday life since both Knut and his father are hosting warm feelings towards Cousin Adele, while Kerstin and Axel are in heat.
Mr. Bengt's Wife (1882)
A Romantic Comedy in five acts. This is the first time this play has been translated into English and the second one we finished. The play takes place during the Swedish Reformation in Sweden, when all convents were closing and the church became Lutheran. The lead character is a young strong, spirited woman called Margit. She escapes the convent life and marries her hero Mr. Bengt, a knight and nobleman. However, married life is not at all what Margit had expected and all her illusions come to an abrupt awakening when she finds out they are bankrupt. Her old childhood friend, the bailiff, comes to her comfort but everything is not what it seems. Margit is very much a modern woman of today, who even asks for a divorce with the King of Sweden. In this play comparisons and answers to Ibsen’s' A Doll's House' can be seen, as well as certain elements of the absurdity that later comes to full bloom in A Dream Play.
IN THE WORKS
The Secret of the Guild (1880)
A Comedy in four acts. This is the third play we are currently working on, and is now in the process of being translated from Swedish to English for the first time. This play is about a few craft’s men who are part of a club that is responsible for
building and finishing a cathedral in the village. There is a secret handed down so each alderman of the society of how to build so the church tower will hold up against the natural elements. There is a power struggle within the guild about who has the secret and who should be the next alderman. Jealousy, lies and attempted murder are all things going on, ending in catastrophe. It is believed that Strindberg may have used the cathedral of Uppsala as inspiration for this story as it collapsed once during construction.
Ett halvt ark papper: A short story from the collection Sagor (1903)
The English title would be "A half sheet of paper" from "Stories". It's about a man reminising after losing his wife.
Check out http://strindbergfestival.com/ for information about upcoming Strinberg productions around the country for the 100 year anniversary of his death.