Plays: The Father, Countess Julie, the Outlaw and the Stronger

by August Strindberg, Edith Oland (Translator), Warner Oland (Translator)

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.

Genres: Plays, Classics, Fiction

160 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 2005

About the author

Johan August Strindberg, a Swede, wrote psychological realism of noted novels and plays, including Miss Julie (1888) and The Dance of Death (1901).

Johan August Strindberg painted. He alongside Henrik Ibsen, Søren Kierkegaard, Selma Lagerlöf, Hans Christian Andersen, and Snorri Sturluson arguably most influenced of all famous Scandinavian authors. People know this father of modern theatre. His work falls into major literary movements of naturalism and expressionism. People widely read him internationally to this day.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/August_...

Reviews

[Mac]

I became aware of August Strindberg's work through admiring references from the film director Ingmar Bergman. This book collects four plays. "The Father," "Countess Julie," and "The Stronger" come from 1887-1889, from the middle period of Strindberg's career. By contrast, he wrote "The Outlaw" in 1871, when he was a university student. King Charles XV of Sweden saw the first production and told the young author how much he enjoyed it. He helped subsidize Strindberg's further education and set him on the path of his future success.

The plays are in a similar naturalistic style to Strindberg's older contemporary, Henrik Ibsen. The three mature plays examine problems of modern (19th century) life, while "The Outlaw" is set in medieval Iceland. I enjoyed all four plays, and look forward to reading more of Strindberg's work.

[Wendi Enright]

Three great plays, all ahead of their time in subject matter.

[Reader]

مسرحيه عجبتني فكرتها❤️

Two ladies and one man

[Richard Crookes]

I read one reviewer who said Strindberg turns you inside out. Very true. Both Countess Julie and The Father are wonderfully drawn pictures of some of the conflicts between the sexes. Of course it doesn't have to be like this.

[Bryan]

Really enjoyed The Father and Countess Julie, not so sure about The Outlaw and The Stronger but still worth a read, and I will definitely try to see some of his plays performed.

[Seamus Enright]

The first two are bleak, brooding classics, the other two are minor short plays which you can live without reading.