The Inferno

Strindberg (1849-1912) was a Swedish playwright, novelist, poet, essayist and painter with an interest in alchemy, occultism and theosophy. A prolific writer who drew from his own experience, his career spanned four decades during which time he wrote over 60 plays and more than 30 works of fiction, autobiography, history, cultural analysis and politics. He was a bold experimenter who explored a wide range of dramatic methods and purposes from naturalistic tragedy to his anticipations of expressionist and surrealist techniques. 'Inferno' is an autobiographical novel originally written in French in 1896-97 at the height of Strindberg's troubles with both censors and women which gives an account of his life while living in Paris and after, and explores his various obsessions including occultism and Swedenborgiansim. The work displays signs of paranoia and neuroticism which it is believed he exaggerated for dramatic effect.