The Road to Damascus

Johan August Strindberg (1849-1912) was a Swedish writer, playwright, and painter. Strindberg is known as one of the fathers of modern theatre. His work falls into two major literary movements, Naturalism and Expressionism. His novel The Red Room (1879) brought him fame. His early plays were written in the Naturalistic style. His best-known play from this period is Miss Julie (1888). Later, he underwent a time of inner turmoil known as the Inferno Period, which culminated in the production of a book written in French, Inferno (1897). He also exchanged a few cryptic letters with Nietzsche. Strindberg subsequently broke with Naturalism and began to produce works informed by Symbolism. He is considered one of the pioneers of the Modern European stage and Expressionism. The Dance of Death (1900), A Dream Play (1902) and The Ghost Sonata (1907) are well-known plays from this period. It is not so widely known that Strindberg also was a telegrapher, painter, photographer and alchemist.