David Gedin
V. 1.10 En
2011-12-20
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1849 |
22 January – Carl Oscar Strindberg, age 37,
and Eleonora ”Nora” Strindberg, née Norling, age
26, have their third child, Johan August
Strindberg.
His brother Axel is about to turn 4 and Oscar is
almost 2. He is the first child to be born after
the couple was married – they had been engaged
before.
 Nora
has a lower middle-class background; she is the
daughter of a master tailor and was working as a
waitress at the Liljeholmen Inn when she and Carl
Oscar met. At first she was his housekeeper.
Carl Oscar – the son of Zacharias Strindberg, a
successful spice merchant from the Jämtland
Province – is described as sociable and steadfast.
The family lives at Riddarholmshamnen, where Carl
Oscar has his office and charters steamboats for
passenger and goods traffic.
He inherited the occupation from Johan Ludvig
Strindberg, his brother and 17 years his senior,
whom he succeeded as owner and chief cashier of
the iron steamboat Samuel Owens, built in 1840. It
is the first of its type in Sweden. Every now and
then he also has various kinds of shops around
Stockholm.
Sweden is in the process of industrialising, and
the new Companies Act sets the stage for railway,
telegraph, gas pipe and other construction. But
Europe is in upheaval. The year before saw the
February Revolution in Paris, the March Revolt in
Stockholm, the outbreak of the First
Schleswig-Holstein War and the publication of Karl
Marx’s Manifesto of the Communist Party
(Manifest der Kommunistischen Partei). |
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1850s |
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Notwithstanding
Strindberg’s portrayal in The Son of a Servant
(Tjänstekvinnas son), he appears to have
grown up in a stable, middle-class home with a
domineering father who has an unusual attraction
to beauty and culture (music, clothing, gardening)
and a religious, fairly retiring mother.
In the decade following his birth, a number of new
siblings arrive (Eleonora in 1850, who presumably
dies shortly thereafter; Olof in 1854; Anna in
1855; Elisabeth in 1857; and Nora in 1858), and
the family is constantly on the move between
apartments by Klara Church and country residences
at Nortull.
A bankruptcy in 1853 means temporary disaster, but
household finances quickly recover.
Strindberg starts school – first grammar school,
followed by preparatory school and finally the
Jakob Secondary Grammar School in 1860 at the age
of 11.
He and his brothers spend their summers as
boarders at the houses of parish clerks in the
countryside.
Railway and telegraph construction are making
transportation and communication easier day by
day. Sweden issues its first postage stamps. The
social and economic status of women is in flux.
Their legal and practical opportunities improve:
new rights, occupations and educational options
are available to them. Meanwhile, prostitution and
syphilis are spreading like wildfire
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1860s |
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Nora shows signs of
tuberculosis in summer 1861. That autumn
Strindberg enters Stockholm Lyceum, a private
upper secondary school. Nora is bedridden as of
January 1862 and dies on 20 March at the age of
39. Strindberg, who has just turned 13,
experiences a religious crisis and adopts a
pietistic Christian faith that seems to stick with
him until his university years. Late that autumn,
Carl Oscar (now 51) announces his engagement to
Emilia Petersson, the family’s housekeeper and 30
years his junior. They marry and Emil is born some
six months later.
When he’s not in school, August earns money as a
private tutor. He joins the Sharpshooters
Association and has his first powerful experience
of the archipelago – which he will use over and
over in his writing – during an exercise on
Tyresö.
In 1867 he becomes the first member of his family
to earn an upper secondary degree and goes to
Uppsala to study aesthetics and modern languages.
His studies don’t go well, and he interrupts them
time and time again to take various teaching
positions. Meanwhile he publishes his first
newspaper articles, makes an unsuccessful attempt
to embark on an acting career and starts to write
plays.
Sweden is modernising faster than ever. The Free
Churches are on the march and the Church of Sweden
is in retreat. Liberal, middle-class society is
finally on the verge of taking over from the old
class structure. The bicameral parliament
(riksdagen) is established in 1866-1867. Dagens
Nyheter (Daily News) is founded, grows quickly
and is circulated throughout the country by rail.
Leaving pigswill, dead animals or rubbish on the
street is made illegal.
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1870s |
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1870 |
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Strindberg helps found Runa, an Uppsala club whose
members borrow pseudonyms from Nordic mythology
and encourage his literary aspirations. Writes his
first known poems and continues to focus on plays.
The Royal Dramatic Theatre accepts To Rome
(Till Rom), a one-act play. The play
Hermione is not performed but wins an
honourable mention from the Swedish Academy.
The Franco-Prussian War of 1870-1871 marks the end
of the Second French Empire. Jules Verne publishes
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (Vingt mille lieues
sous les mers), Aleksis Kivi publishes Seven
Brothers (Seitsemän veljestä) and Leopold von
Sacher-Masoch publishes Venus in Furs (Venus im
Pelz).
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1871 |
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Strindberg submits his bachelor thesis in
aesthetics but receives only a mediocre grade – to
his great chagrin. During the first summer, he
rents a place on Kymendö with fellow Runa members
Arvid Wickström, Joseph Josephson and Eugène
Fahlstedt.
The Royal Dramatic Theatre produces his one-act
tragedy The Outlaw
(Den fred löse).
King Karl XV awards him a 200 kronor private
scholarship.
The German Empire is proclaimed and the Paris
Commune is brutally suppressed. Georg Brandes
begins his lecture Main Currents in Nineteenth
Century Literature (Hovedstrømninger, Book 6 vol.
1872-90): ”'Literature in our time lives because
it puts problems under debate.”
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1872 |
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Strindberg leaves Uppsala for good in the autumn
and moves to an apartment in Stockholm. He writes
his first short story and paints his first
painting. Works as a freelance journalist. Becomes
acquainted with a group of young artists on whom
the bohemian circle of Lill-Jans in The Red
Room (Röda rummet) will be based.
He writes Master Olof (Mäster Olof), but
the Royal Dramatic Theatre turns it down. Begins
to write for Dagens Nyheter.
King Karl XV dies and his brother becomes King
Oscar II of Sweden and Norway
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1873 |
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Strindberg gets involved in the first of his many
unknown loan intrigues: Shares a Riksbank (central
bank) loan with two acquaintances.
Publishes the Swedish Insurance Magazine
(Svensk Försäkringstidning), closes down after
six editions. Spends the summer on Kymendö
drawing, painting and writing. Moves to Sandhamn
in the autumn and considers becoming a telegraph
operator.
Continues to write articles and literature.
Dagens Nyheter hires him but he quits in fury
after five months.
The krona replaces the riksdaler as the national
currency. An economic crisis begins in Vienna and
starts to spread. The world enters the Long
Depression, which is not completely over until
1896.
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1874 |
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He writes the “middle version” of Master Olof
(Mäster Olof). Obtains a position as an
assistant librarian at the National Library of
Sweden, still housed at the Royal Palace in
Stockholm. Studies Chinese in order to catalogue a
collection of writings.
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1875 |
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He publishes articles, works at the National
Library of Sweden and substitutes as a teacher.
During the summer he gets to know Lieutenant Baron
Carl Gustaf Wrangel af Sauss and his wife Siri von
Essen.
Realistic drama makes its breakthrough at the
Royal Theatre in Copenhagen with Bjørnstjerne
Bjørnson’s A Bankruptcy (En fallit), which
became a big European success.
The Riksdag adopts the metric system, and the
custom of setting up mileposts come to an end.
A reform is adopted whereby everybody is to be
addressed as “you” instead of by their title.
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1876 |
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Strindberg has a fiery confrontation with his
father, probably because the business has been
turned over to his brother, Oscar.
Reworks Master Olof (Mäster Olof) again,
this time in verse, but it is turned down too.
Siri von Essen and Carl Gustaf Wrangel divorce.
Strindberg goes to Paris, his first long trip
abroad. Studies the impressionists but is critical
of them.
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1877 |
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Siri von Essen makes a successful début as an
actress at the Royal Dramatic Theatre.
Strindberg studies Chinese with the intention of
becoming a Sinologist, and he makes contacts in
France.
Writes a book of short stories entitled Town
and Gown (From Fjärdingen and Svartbäcken).
Marries Siri and they move to what is now
Biblioteksgatan.
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1878 |
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Siri has a daughter whom they name Kerstin but she
dies, probably the same day.
Strindberg publishes a verse edition of Master
Olof (Mäster Olof) and finances it himself –
the reviews are mostly unfavourable. In the autumn
he is unable to pay a guarantee commitment and has
to declare bankruptcy. He and Siri have spent her
entire fortune of 15,000 kronor (850,000 kronor by
today’s standards).
Adolf E. Nordenskiöld takes off on the Vega to
find the Northeast Passage. The steam-operated
Eldkvarn grist mill at Kungsholmen in Stockholm
burns down in the Fire of the Century. Lars Magnus
Ericsson starts to manufacture telephones.
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1879 |
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a result of his Asiatic studies, Strindberg is
elected to the Swedish Society for Anthropology
and Geography and La societé des études japonaise,
chinoises, tartares et indo-chinoises in Paris.
Publishes The Red Room (Röda
rummet), which is an immediate success. Moves
to a three-room flat on Humlegårdsgatan.
Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll’s House (Et
dukkehjem) premiers as part of a
well-coordinated move in all Nordic countries. The
public debate on women’s duties swells to a storm.
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1880s |
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1880 |
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 Strindberg
signs several book contracts and is elected to the
Idun society.
The Royal Dramatic Theatre performs The Secret
of the Guild (Gillets hemlighet) with Siri in
a bit part
Siri has a daughter in February whom they name
Karin. The family spends the summer on Kymendö. He
starts to build a Nordic network and makes contact
with Norwegian writer Alexander Kielland and
Danish politician and writer Edvard Brandes.
The decade’s big “morality feud” about sexuality,
ethics and private life takes off in earnest.
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1881 |
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 Strindberg
signs a contract with Fritze’s book seller to the
court for The Swedish People… (Svenska folket…)
for the unheard-of sum of 10,000 kronor.
Contacts Carl Larsson about illustrations and
works with him during the summer on Kymendö. The
book arouses fury because of Strindberg’s attack
on Erik Gustaf Geijer’s historiography on the
back.
Siri leaves the Royal Dramatic Theatre at
Strindberg’s urging. She has a daughter whom they
name Greta.
Nya teatern in Stockholm produces Master Olof
(Mäster Olof), which turns out to be a hit.
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1882 |
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The Secret of the Guild (Gillets hemlighet) is
performed in Helsinki – Strindberg’s first play
abroad. He writes Lucky Peter’s Journey
(Lycko-Pers resa) and Mr Bengt’s Wife (Herr
Bengts hustru).
Moves to Kymendö in late spring and builds a
writer’s cottage. Publishes the satirical The
New Kingdom (Det nya riket), which sparks an
enraged counter-attack from conservatives. Edvard
Brandes breaks with him because of the book’s
anti-Semitism.
The “Authors of the Eighties” make their
breakthrough on a broad front.
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1883 |
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Carl Oscar dies. He and Strindberg had not seen
each other for six years. Strindberg spends the
summer on Dalarö and Kymendö.
He publishes Poems (Dikter) for an
unusually large fee.
 Goes
with his family to Paris and the Nordic artist’s
colony Grez-sur-Loing. Lucky Peter’s Journey
(Lycko-Pers resa) is a hit at Nya teatern in
Stockholm. He publishes a book of poetry entitled
Sleepwalking Nights in Broad Daylight
(Sömngångarnätter på vakna dagar).
Anne Charlotte Leffler’s and Alfhild Agrell’s
plays are performed in Stockholm, and Ellen Fries
becomes the first Swedish woman to obtain a PhD
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1884 |
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Siri and Strindberg move to Switzerland.
Strindberg publishes articles in French and
Swedish.
Siri has a son whom they name Hans.
Strindberg writes Married (Giftas) in six
weeks and is charged with blasphemy after
publishing it. Goes to Stockholm, is acquitted and
is hailed by his supporters while much of
the public is enraged. Goes back to Switzerland.
Verner von Heidenstam, also in Switzerland, gets
in touch with him.
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1885 |
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Works of Strindberg are published in French,
Danish and German translation.
The family moves back to Grèz-sur-Loing
temporarily. Strindberg starts on Married II
(Giftas II).
Ernst Josephson, Richard Bergh, Carl Larsson, Karl
Nordström, Bruno Liljefors and others open an
exhibition entitled “From the Shore of the Seine”
at Blanch’s Art Salon in Stockholm in opposition
to the Royal Academy of Fine Arts.
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1886 |
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 Strindberg
finishes Married II (Giftas II) and his
reputation as a misogynist continues to
grow. Writes Among French Peasants,
Marauders, and
the sequence The Son of a Servant, Time of
Ferment, In the Red Room, He and She and
The Author (Bland franska bönder, Marodörer;
Tjensteqvinnans son, Jäsningstiden, I Röda Rummet,
Han och hon, Författaren).
Spends time with Verner von Heidenstam.
Starts to tour France in order to obtain material
for the second part of Among French Peasants but
breaks it off after quarrelling with his travel
companion and photographer. Takes a series of
realistic snapshots of himself and his family.
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1887 |
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Strindberg remains extraordinarily productive and
writes The Father, The People of Hemsö
and A
Madman’s Defence (Fadren, Hemsöborna, En dåres
försvarstal). Publishes several articles about
women’s emancipation in the Danish press and
generates public debate.
He and Siri decide in July to divorce. Moves with
his family to Copenhagen in November.
Opposition to the young authors grows in Sweden.
Divinity teacher John Personne publishes
Strindbergian Literature and Immorality among
Schoolchildren (Strindbergslitteraturen och
osedligheten bland skolungdomen); female authors
in particular are subject to increasingly intense
criticism.
The protectionists in riksdagen (the parliament)
take power from the free traders.
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1888 |
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Strindberg writes Life in the Skerries, Miss
Julie and Creditors (Skärkarslif, Fröken Julie,
Fordringsägare). He and his family stay at an
estate in Skovlyst, Denmark, where a conflict with
the bailiff and Strindberg’s relationship with the
bailiff’s under-age half-sister gives rise to both
literature and a trial.
Founds the Scandinavian Experimental Theatre in
Copenhagen to perform his plays.
Receives fan mail from Friedrich Nietzsche and
they correspond briefly before Nietzsche’s mental
breakdown.
Anne Charlotte Leffler moves to Italy. Victoria
Benedictsson commits suicide in Copenhagen. Ernst
Josephson has a mental breakdown. Verner von
Heidenstam publishes Years of Pilgrimage and
Wandering (Vallfart och vandringsår), his first
book.
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1889 |
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Strindberg completes Among French Peasants
and the play The Stronger (Bland franska
bönder, Den starkare). Writes The Fifth
Night (Femte sömngångarnatten) and the
plays Pariah
and Simoon (Paria, Samum).
Starts By the Open Sea (I hafsbandet).
The experimental theatre opens with Creditors (Fordringsägare)
and Pariah.
The premiere (a private showing) of Miss Julie
(Fröken Julie) with Siri in the title role is
held at the premises of the Student Society.
Returns to Sweden and settles down on Runmarö.
Breaks definitively with Siri and divorce
proceedings begin.
The Swedish Social Democratic Workers' Party (SAP)
is founded.
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1890s |
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1890 |
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The verse Master
Olof (Mäster Olof) opens at the Royal Dramatic
Theatre and a party is held for Strindberg at
Hotell Rydberg. Strindberg writes in a letter that
he had gone to a brothel ”in the same building
where my wedding was held”. Begins to perform
physics experiments.
Moves around in the Stockholm area. Travels.
 Verner
von Heidenstam and Oscar Levertin publish Pepita’s
Wedding (Pepitas bröllop), a satire on the
Eighties.
Sweden’s first May Day demonstration is held.
Approximately 150,000 people participate in 22
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1891 |
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Divorce proceedings with Siri infuriate Strindberg
and they escalate into legal charges. Sets off for
the Norrland province in August to write about the
Swedish countryside but stops after Åre. Moves to
Djursholm, where he rents various apartments.
Artur Hazelius opens the Skansen outdoor museum.
Selma Lagerlöf starts her career with The Story
of Gösta Berling (Gösta Berlings saga), Gustaf
Fröding with Guitar and Concertina (Guitarr och
dragharmonika) and Per Hallström with
Poetry and Imagination (Lyrik och fantasi).
Oscar Levertin publishes Legends and Songs
(Legender och visor). The writers of the
Nineties make their breakthrough on a broad front.
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1892 |
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Writes plays and paints. Exhibits paintings at
Birger Jarl’s Bazaar in Stockholm but receives
mixed reviews and few sales. Resumes his
experimentation with photography. Divorce from
Siri is completed.
He goes to Berlin and spends time with writers and
artists at the wine cellar ”Zum schwarzen Ferkel”
(The Black Pig), including Edvard Munch and
journalist Frida Uhl. Paints a number of
paintings. Munch paints his portrait.
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1893 |
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 Starts
on philosophical essays in natural history
entitled Antibarbarus. Experiments with
celestographs “without camera or lens”. Unexposed
plates are put out at night and the dots of light
are interpreted as correct images of the
constellations.
The opponents hold an exhibition in Berlin and
Strindberg contributes several paintings.
Marries Frida Uhl and goes to Austria to see her
family.
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1894 |
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 Birth
of a daughter, Christine Kerstin, at Dornach.
The Father and Creditors (Fadren,
Fordringsägare) are hits in Paris.
Goes to Paris. Breaks with Frida in a letter and
she immediately initiates divorce proceedings.
Hangs out in Paris with Knut Hamsun, Frank
Wedekind, Henri Becque, Paul Gauguin and Julien
Leclercq. Performs chemistry experiments. Exhibits
some 20 paintings in Gothenburg along with those
of Olof Sager-Nelson.
Construction begins on Riksdagshuset (the
parliament building) and Riksbankshuset (the
central bank’s building).
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1895 |
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Publication of the French translation of “On the
Inferiority of Women” (”Kvinnans underlägsenhet
under mannen...”, ”L'Infériorité de la femme”)
sparks an intense debate.
Writes scientific essays and continues his physics
experiments. Hospitalised and treated for hand
eczema. Conducts research in a laboratory at the
Sorbonne.
Hangs out with the artist’s clique in Paris:
Gauguin, Leclercq, Wladislaw Slewinsky, Alphonse
Mucha, Fredrick Delius and Edvard Munch. Writes
the foreword to a Gauguin exhibition. Contributes
paintings to an exhibition of the Swedish Artist
Society.
Hjalmar Söderberg starts off his career with
Aberrations (Förvillelser).
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1896 |
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Moves to
Hotel Orfila and starts on The Occult Diary
(Ockulta dagboken). Thinks that he has
produced gold and gets in touch with alchemy
circles in France, who greet him as a colleague
and coworker.
Goes to Austria to see his daughter Kerstin.
Stays with Frida’s mother and her twin sister.
Starts to study Swedenborg’s writings.
Fröding goes on trial for indecency for his poem “A
Morning Dream” (”En morgondröm”) but is
acquitted.
Alfred Jarry’s play Kung Ubu (Ubu Roi)
opens in Paris and almost causes a riot
The first modern-day Olympic Games are arranged in
Athens.
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1897 |
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Returns to Lund. Publishes articles about alchemy.
Writes Inferno, a novel about his time in
Paris and Austria. It
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regarded as confirming that he is mentally ill.
Goes back to Paris.
Master Olof (Mäster Olof) starring Anders
de Wahl is a hit at Vasateatern in Stockholm.
The Public Art and Industry Exhibition is arranged
on Djurgården in Stockholm. Salomon August Andrée
embarks on a balloon expedition to the North Pole
but crashes after three days.
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1898 |
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Writes the play To Damascus (Till Damaskus).
Returns to Lund. Starts to discuss publication of
his collected novels and stories with Gustaf af
Geijerstam, the new senior editor at Gernandts.
 Émile
Zola publishes the article “I accuse”
(”J’accuse”) denouncing the French government
for anti-Semitism and miscarriage of justice
against Alfred Dreyfus. But Strindberg thinks he
must be guilty because God is punishing him.
The Swedish Trade Union Confederation (LO) is
founded.
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1899 |
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Writes historical plays The Saga of the
Folkungs (Folkungasagan), Gustav Vasa
and Erik XIV. Gustav Vasa opens at Svenska teatern
in Stockholm and may be Strindberg’s biggest hit
ever.
His 50th birthday; a celebration is held in Lund
and by Gustaf af Geijerstam in Stockholm. Goes to
Stockholm over the summer and stays there.
Verner von Heidenstam’s “The Citizen’s Song”
(”Medborgarsång”) criticises the requirement
that people must earn a certain income in order to
vote.
Norway abolishes the union flag.
The Second Boer War modernises warfare through the
use of barbed wire, drabber uniforms and
concentration camps for the civilian population.
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1900s |
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1900 |
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Writes Gustaf Adolf, Midsummer, Kasper’s Shrove
Tuesday, Easter and Dance of Death (Gustaf
Adolf, Midsommar, Kaspers Fet-tisdag, påsk,
Dödsdansen).
Meets Harriet Bosse for the first time at an
audition for To Damascus.
Spends the summer in Furusund. Quarrels with his
sister Anna and her husband Hugo von Philp. Dance
of Death is based on the couple.
Ellen Key publishes The Century of the Child
(Barnets århundrade) and Sigmund Freud
publishes The Interpretation of Dreams (Die
Traumdeutung).
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1901 |
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Marries Harriet Bosse on 6 May and moves into a
5-room flat on Karlavägen. She moves out after a
quarrel on 22 August.
Embarks on a painting period.
Has contact with Austrian theatre director and
innovator Max Reinhardt.
Queen Victoria dies and is succeeded by King
Edward VII. In Sweden compulsory military service
is adopted, art nouveau is introduced. The first
Nobel Prize in literature is awarded too Sally Prudhomme instead of Leo
Tolstoy. Swedish writers, including Strindberg,
protest.
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1902 |
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 Writes
Gustav III and Fairhaven and Foulstrand
(Fagervik och Skamsund). Max Reinhardt
produces several plays in Berlin.
Birth of daughter Anne-Marie.
Protests, demonstrations and strikes for universal
suffrage grow in size and intensity. A tax return
is introduced for Sweden’s first general income
tax.
Josef Conrad publishes Heart of Darkness.
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1903 |
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Harriet Bosse initiates divorce proceedings.
Oscar Levertin writes a highly unfavourable review
of Dance of Death (Dödsdansen).
Scania in Malmö exhibits Sweden’s first car
produced on an assembly line.
Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson receives the Noble Prize in
Literature, Pierre and Marie Curie in Physics.
First flight of the Wright Brothers (37 metres).
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1904 |
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 Writes
the novel Gothic Rooms and the satirical
novel Black Banners (Götiska rummen, Svarta
fanor). Gets to know artist Carl Eldh. Divorce
from Harriet Bosse is finalized but their
relationship lasts for another three years.
His sister Elisabeth dies on 10 December. He
doesn’t attend the funeral.
Anton Chekhov’s The Cherry Orchard (Вишнëвый
сад) premiers at the Moscow Art Theatre.
Emigration from Sweden to North American declines
from 42,000 in 1930 to 18,000.
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1905 |
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 Miss
Julie (Fröken Julie) is performed for the
first time in Sweden (privately at Uppsala
Stadshotel). Dance of Death (Dödsdansen)
premiers in Cologne and tours Germany. Comrades
premiers at Lustspieltheater in Vienna.
Carl Eldh does his first portrait of Strindberg.
The new Swedish Riksdagshus (the parliament
building) opens on Helgeandsholmen in Stockholm.
The architecture is heavily criticised, partly
because the connection between Lake Mälaren and
the Baltic Sea is severed.
A labour dispute leads employers to accept the
freedom of association and minimum wages.
Norway declares that its union with Sweden has
been dissolved.
Albert Einstein presents his special theory of
relativity in four articles.
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1906 |
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Writes The Roofing Feast, The Scapegoat and
A Blue Book (Taklagsöl, Syndabocken, En blå bok).
The Crown Bride (Kronbruden) premiers in
Helsinki with Harriet Bosse in the lead. Miss
Julie (Fröken Julie) has its first public
performance in Sweden – produced in Lund by August
Falck, followed by a tour.
Old spelling is abolished in schools and public
documents. The Swedish Academy Glossary is to be
the basis for all spelling from now on.
Henrik Ibsen dies at 78 and Oscar Levertin at 44.
Selma Lagerlöf publishes The Wonderful Adventures
of Nils (Nils Holgerssons underbara resa).
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1907 |
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Björck & Börjesson agree to publish Black
Banners (Svarta Fanor) and become Strindberg’s most important
publisher for the next few years. The character
assassination in it causes widespread indignation.
Writes chamber plays Thunder in the Air, The
Burned House, The Ghost Sonata and The
Pelican (Oväder, Brända tomten, Spök-Sonaten
och Pelikanen).
Founds, with August Falck as manager, Intima
Teatern (The Intimate Theatre) at Norra Bantorget
in Stockholm. Opens with the premiere of The
Pelican, which is a fiasco. A Dream Play (Ett
drömspel) premiers at Svenska teatern in
Stockholm with Harriet Bosse as Indra’s daughter.
Tries to document recurring cloud formations
during his morning walks. Those are his last
photographs.
King Oscar II dies and is succeeded by King Gustaf
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1908 |
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Writes new parts of
A Blue Book (En blå bok). Carl Larsson
discovers his portrait under ”Fictional
Characters” and considers murdering Strindberg.
A series of plays open at Intima Teatern but the
reviews are mixed and the audiences are small.
Begins systematic language studies. Moves to Blå
Tornet (The Blue Tower) on Drottninggatan in
Stockholm.
The new Royal Dramatic Theatre on Nybroplan in
opens with the verse Master Olof (Mäster Olof).
Three young socialists in Malmö blow up the
Amalthea carrying English scabs. One man is
killed, 23 injured.
A campaign is launched against pulp literature. In
their battle against the "cultural filth",
conservative pundits try to include Hjalmar
Söderberg among the morally reprehensible.
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1909 |
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Writes his last play, The Great Highway (Stora
landsvägen). Turns 60 and is courted by the
Social Democratic Youth of Sweden in his
apartment.
Sven Hedin’s return from his voyage of discovery
to Tibet is jubilantly celebrated. Heidenstam
turns 50 and accepts a “national tribute” at
Övralid by students with banners in a torchlight
procession. Awarded an honorary doctorate.
Riksdagen (the parliament) approves universal
suffrage for men and raises the voting age from 21
to 24.
An artist’s group called The Youth (De Unga), including
Isaac Grünewald, attracts much attention with a
new exhibition.
Filippo Tommaso Marinetti publishes his futurist
manifesto in Le Figaro: "'a racing car is more
beautiful than the Victory of Samothrace".
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1910 |
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Publishes an article entitled “Pharaoh Worship”
(”Faraon-dyrkan”) in Afton-Tidningen on 20
April, the first in a series that sparks the
“Strindberg Feud.” Three hundred pundits make 465
contributions over a period of 16 months. The
actors at Intima Teatern rebel against poor
working conditions and unpaid salaries. Strindberg
attacks August Falck in the press. The theatre
gives its last performance on 11 December –
Miss Julie (Fröken Julie) with August Falck as
Jean and Manda Björling as Julie.
The People of Värmland (Värmlänningarne),
the first Swedish feature film, premiers.
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1911 |
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Signs a 200,000 kronor contract with Bonniers for
the rights to his collected works. Nathan
Söderblom tries to nominate Strindberg for the
Nobel Prize but is told that he is too late.
Gustaf Fröding dies. 200,000 people watch the
procession.
An election to the Second Chamber of the Riksdag
is held for the first time following the new
voting regulations. The Conservatives lose
significant support while the Social Democrats
receive more than 28% of the votes. Karl Staaff
forms a new Government as the Social Democrats and
Liberals have a majority of seats in the Riksdag.
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1912 |
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Bonniers begins to
publish his Collected Works (Samlade skrifter)
in 55 volumes. Publication is completed in 1921.
Fifty thousand people celebrate Strindberg’s 63rd
brithday with a torchlight procession organised by
the Stockholm branch of the Social Democratic
Party.
His stomach pain gets worse in late March. The
last photograph of him is taken in a snowstorm on
Drottninggatan on 9 April. He is diagnosed with
stomach cancer and dies on the morning of 14 May.
His children Greta, Karin and Hans sit at his
bedside.
Strindberg is buried at Norra kyrkogården on 19
May. Crowds line the street and the procession
from Blå Tornet is followed by thousands of
people. Members of labour organisations have more
than a hundred banners.
Siri von Essen died three weeks earlier in
Helsinki, his nemesis Carl David af Wirsén dies
one month later, and his daughter Greta dies in a
train accident. Selma Lagerlöf comments: ”Is it
not strange that Strindberg pulls the people
around him with him into death; first his wife and
his daughter, and now the man who stood against
him throughout his life. The chief heads to
Valhalla with a large retinue.”
In September, Max Reinhardt’s epoch-making,
expressionistic production of Dance of Death
(Dödsdansen) premiers in Berlin.
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