{"id":8823,"date":"2020-11-20T00:00:32","date_gmt":"2020-11-20T00:00:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/swedish\/?p=8823"},"modified":"2020-11-20T00:00:32","modified_gmt":"2020-11-20T00:00:32","slug":"swedish-literary-bad-boy-august-strindberg","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/swedish\/swedish-literary-bad-boy-august-strindberg\/","title":{"rendered":"Swedish Literary Bad Boy, August Strindberg"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>

Self Portrait, August Strindberg Photo: Nordiska museet<\/p><\/div>\n

Renowned Swedish dramatist and literary bad boy August Strindberg is one of the greatest contributors to modern Swedish literature. This week, we\u2019ll learn a little bit about the Strindberg legacy, what\u2019s behind his tormented artist persona, and read one of his poems, \u201c<\/span>H\u00f6gsommar i vinter.<\/span><\/i>\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>August Strindberg (1849-1912) was a f\u00f6rfattare<\/em> (writer), <\/span>dramatiker <\/span><\/i>(dramatist), and <\/span>bildkonstn\u00e4r<\/span><\/i> (visual artist). He was born and raised in Stockholm, and went on to study at Uppsala where he was known for pushing boundaries and challenging his teachers. His first writing job was for the Swedish morning newspaper <\/span>Dagens nyheter <\/span><\/i>as a journalist, but he went on to international fame with pieces like <\/span>Fr\u00f6ken Julie <\/span><\/i>(Miss Julie), and <\/span>Ett dr\u00f6mspel<\/span><\/i> (A Dream Play). <\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Strindberg som<\/i><\/b> b<\/strong><\/em>anbrytare <\/i><\/b>\/ Strindberg as a Trailblazer<\/b><\/p>\n

\"\"

Photo: Wikipedia, Self-portrait of August Strindberg at V\u00e4rmd\u00f6-Brevik, Tyres\u00f6, in 1891.<\/p><\/div>\n

A lot of Strindberg\u2019s work was auto-biographical, critiquing <\/span>makt<\/span><\/i> (power) and <\/span>hierarki<\/span><\/i> (hierarchy), <\/span>samh\u00e4llsnormer <\/span><\/i>(societal norms), and <\/span>\u00e4ktenskap<\/span><\/i> (marriage). His literary breakthrough came in 1879 with the satire <\/span>R\u00f6da rummet<\/span><\/i> (The Red Room), an introspective, yet relatable piece where Strindberg draws from his bohemian lifestyle in Stockholm, mocking the social class structure. Shortly thereafter, the not-as-successful satire <\/span>Det nya riket<\/span><\/i> (The New Kingdom) earned him criticism so harsh, that he fled Sweden with his family.\u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>Skillsm\u00e4ssor och infernokrisen<\/i><\/b> \/ Divorces and The Inferno Crisis
\n<\/b>Strindberg struggled in familial relations. He was estranged from his father and all three of his marriages ended in divorce. During his exile from Sweden, Strindberg saw the end of his passionate, but tumultuous relationship with his first wife Siri von Essen. Soon after, he had yet another failed marriage that pushed him into a livskris<\/em> (life crisis) and psykos<\/em> (psychosis). <\/span>He hallucinated, had vivid dreams, and struggled with demons, he called <\/span>infernokrisen<\/span><\/i> (the inferno crisis).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Kvinnor\u00f6relsen och Strindberg<\/i><\/b> \/ Women\u2019s Movement and Strindberg<\/b><\/b>Interestingly enough, the divorce of his first wife Siri von Essen in 1891 coalesced with the rise of the Women\u2019s Movement in Europe. Strindberg wrote that he felt persecuted and wrote <\/span>Woman\u2019s Inferiority to Man<\/span><\/i> in 1890 to international audiences. Strindberg is widely seen as a misogynist, and anti-feminist still today.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Why do his pieces stand the test of time? <\/b>
\n<\/span>Strindberg was not interested in writing classic pieces of prose, mirroring the literary masters that came before him. He was a rule-breaker, and this carried over into the over 120 pieces of prose and drama. His language was considered to be extremely approachable and modern then, making it digestible for today\u2019s audiences as well.<\/p>\n

<\/span>H\u00f6gsommar i vinter <\/i><\/b>\/ High Summer in Winter<\/b><\/p>\n

\"\"

Portrait by August Strindberg by Edvard Munch<\/p><\/div>\n

<\/b>I chose this poem because as the winter nights grow darker, people create their own worlds inside their homes. In this case, there\u2019s a bit of irony in thinking of \u201chigh summer\u201d in the middle of winter, but that\u2019s the kind of juxtaposition Strindberg does best. <\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>H\u00f6gsommar i vinter<\/b><\/em><\/p>\n

Ute braskar vinterkv\u00e4llen,
\n<\/span>gatan ligger tyst och m\u00f6rk,
\n<\/span>draget skakar kaklugnsspj\u00e4llen,
\n<\/span>och av porten h\u00f6res skr\u00e4llen
\n<\/span>n\u00e4r som vinden g\u00e5r i durk.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Enkel kv\u00e4llsvard \u00e4r till \u00e4nda,
\n<\/span>flickan dukar av v\u00e5rt bord;
\n<\/span>l\u00e5t oss ljus i kronan t\u00e4nda
\n<\/span>natten uti dag att v\u00e4nda,
\n<\/span>natten \u00e4r till n\u00f6jet gjord!<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Jag skall f\u00e4lla ner gardinen
\n<\/span>att ej grannen h\u00e4r oss ser;
\n<\/span>jag sl\u00e5r vin p\u00e5 karaffinen,
\n<\/span>och med vackra solskensminen
\n<\/span>s\u00e4tt dig vid pianot ner.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Sjung om sommarn, sjung om skogen,
\n<\/span>sjung om havet helst \u00e4nd\u00e5!
\n<\/span>J\u00e4mt till stormar redobogen
\n<\/span>vresig v\u00e4n, men alltid trogen,
\n<\/span>svarta djup och b\u00f6ljor bl\u00e5.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Nu vid dina friska toner
\n<\/span>och pianots harmoni
\n<\/span>v\u00e4xa mina pelargoner,
\n<\/span>f\u00f6dda under heta zoner,
\n<\/span>och till lummig l\u00f6vskog bli.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

P\u00e5 din eldsk\u00e4rm syns regattan,
\n<\/span>vita segel, bl\u00e5a berg;
\n<\/span>och p\u00e5 palln sefirgarnskattan
\n<\/span>spinner p\u00e5 den varma mattan;
\n<\/span>blekta blommorna f\u00e5 f\u00e4rg.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

I trym\u00e5n jag ser v\u00e5r lilla
\n<\/span>v\u00e5ning i ett perspektiv
\n<\/span>fast det \u00e4r en optisk villa,
\n<\/span>vinet m\u00e5lar icke illa,
\n<\/span>ger den verklighetens liv.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Fj\u00e4rran arbetsbordet vilar
\n<\/span>under b\u00f6ckers tunga rad,
\n<\/span>halvsl\u00e4ckt lampa d\u00e5sigt smilar
\n<\/span>mot de svarta skaft och pilar
\n<\/span>vid ett bl\u00e4ckigt pappersblad.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Till ditt rum jag sen kan titta,
\n<\/span>ljusgr\u00f6n m\u00f6bel i creton;
\n<\/span>hush\u00e5llsboken kan jag hitta,
\n<\/span>i din sykorg syns den sitta
\n<\/span>mellan roller i kartong.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Men igenom d\u00f6rrens springa
\n<\/span>jag ditt lilla huvud ser,
\n<\/span>blicken som en bl\u00e5smidd klinga
\n<\/span>v\u00e4rjer hugg, men vill ej stinga,
\n<\/span>nu i spegeln mot mig ler.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Och jag ser ditt ljusa \u00e4nne,
\n<\/span>blekt blir lampans r\u00f6da sken,
\n<\/span>blixten ifr\u00e5n br\u00f6stets sp\u00e4nne
\n<\/span>sl\u00e5r en ljungeld mellan tvenne
\n<\/span>blickar som f\u00f6rg\u00e5s i en.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Tyst! Det ringer i tamburen!
\n<\/span>Ah, jag vet nog vem det \u00e4r,
\n<\/span>det \u00e4r posten, sista turen;
\n<\/span>men var tyst, min v\u00e4n, som muren,
\n<\/span>\u00f6ppna ej, jag dig besv\u00e4r!<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

L\u00e5t dem ligga i sin l\u00e5da
\n<\/span>kalla brev och korrektur,
\n<\/span>friden blott hos oss f\u00e5r r\u00e5da,
\n<\/span>orostiftare de b\u00e5da
\n<\/span>stanna inom v\u00e4ll\u00e5st bur!<\/p>\n

<\/span>Sjung, min vigda \u00e4lskarinna,
\n<\/span>ingen ringning mer oss n\u00e5r,
\n<\/span>sjung \u00e4nnu, l\u00e5t vinet rinna,
\n<\/span>n\u00f6jets timmar snart f\u00f6rsvinna,
\n<\/span>nu \u00e4r hela natten v\u00e5r!<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Vill du l\u00e4sa mer om Strindberg? <\/span><\/i>Want to read more about Strinberg?<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>August Strindberg from <\/span>www.sweden.se<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

www.strindberg.se<\/span><\/a> \u2013 The Strindberg Society<\/span><\/p>\n

www.strindbergsmuseet.se<\/span><\/a> \u2013 The Strindberg Museum<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\"\"

Renowned Swedish dramatist and literary bad boy August Strindberg is one of the greatest contributors to modern Swedish literature. This week, we\u2019ll learn a little bit about the Strindberg legacy, what\u2019s behind his tormented artist persona, and read one of his poems, \u201cH\u00f6gsommar i vinter.\u201d August Strindberg (1849-1912) was a f\u00f6rfattare (writer), dramatiker (dramatist), and…<\/p>\n

Continue Reading<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":168,"featured_media":8824,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":""},"categories":[3,3079,13],"tags":[3269,3446,8239,364872,191809,34680],"class_list":["post-8823","post","type-post","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-culture","category-swedish-language","category-vocabulary","tag-learn-swedish","tag-swedish","tag-swedish-culture","tag-swedish-language","tag-swedish-literature","tag-swedish-vocabulary"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/swedish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8823","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/swedish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/swedish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/swedish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/168"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/swedish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8823"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/swedish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8823\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9111,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/swedish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8823\/revisions\/9111"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/swedish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8824"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/swedish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8823"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/swedish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8823"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/swedish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8823"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}

Sin egen st\u00f6rsta fan<\/b> \/ His own biggest fan
\n<\/i><\/b>Strindberg is quoted as saying \u201d<\/span>Min eld \u00e4r den st\u00f6rsta i Sverige<\/span><\/i> \/ My fire is the largest in Sweden.\u201d This sentiment is best characterized in Strindberg\u2019s work as a photographer. Fotografiska\u2019s 2012 exhibit <\/span>The Image of Strindberg<\/span><\/a> is a series of photos, mostly self-portraits by Strindberg. He was good at building his personal brand, before that was even a concept, and as Fotografiska put it \u201che was always his favourite motif.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n