Synopses & Reviews
Novelist, satirist, poet, photographer, painter, alchemist, and hellraiserand#8212;August Strindberg was all these, and yet he is principally known, in Arthur Miller's words, as "the mad inventor of modern theater" who led playwriting out of the polite drawing room into the snakepit of psychological warfare. This biography, supported by extensive new research, describes the eventful and complicated life of one of the great literary figures in world literature. Sue Prideaux organizes Strindberg's story into a gripping and highly readable narrative that both illuminates his work and restores humor and humanity to a man often shrugged off as too difficult.
Best known for his play Miss Julie, Strindberg wrote sixty other plays, three books of poetry, eighteen novels, and nine autobiographies. Even more than most, Strindberg is a writer whose life sheds invaluable light on his work. Prideaux explores Strindberg's many art-life connections, revealing for the first time theand#160;originals who inspired the characters of Miss Julie and her servant Jean, the bizarre circumstances in which the play was written, and the real suicide that inspired the shattering ending of the play. Recounting the playwright's journey through the "real" world as well as the world of belief and ideas, Prideaux marks the centenary of Strindberg's death in 1912 with a biography worthy of the man who laid the foundation for Western drama through the twentieth century and even into the twenty-first.
Review
and#8220;Prideauxand#8217;s biography [of Strindberg] . . .and#160; is lavishly illustrated and reasonably priced and efficiently narrates the complex life in 308 pages.and#8221;and#8212;Jeffrey Meyers, Booklist
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“[Prideaux] is adept at linking Strindbergs work to his life—especially his volatile love affairs.”—New Yorker Jeffrey Meyers - Booklist
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and#8220;In her rich Strindberg: A Life . . . Ms. Prideaux memorably captures not only the turbulent intellectual atmosphere of the period but also its legacy for later eras.and#8221;and#8212;Henrik Bering, Wall Street Journal
Review
and#8220;Beautifully produced . . . Prideaux does an excellent job of locating Strindberg in his period . . . A must-read for fans of Strindberg, Prideaux's tome is substantial and interesting enough to please anyone looking for a great bio.and#8221;and#8212;Publishers Weekly (starred review)
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and#8220;A lively, enlightening, at times thrilling life of an extraordinary artist.and#8221;and#8212;John Banville, New York Review of Books
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"What an absolutely extraordinary manand#160;August Strindberg was, and what a tormented, demented life he led! I havenand#8217;t read such a fascinating biography for ages.and#8221;and#8212;Sam Leith, The Spectator and#160;
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andldquo;[A] rich and absorbing biographyandhellip;Writing the biography of a frenzied, unstable genius like Strindberg is an enormous challenge, and Prideaux rises to it with fine authority.andrdquo;andmdash;John Carey, The Sunday Times
Review
andldquo;In Prideauxandrsquo;s hands, Strindberg, a vulnerable but also naively determined man, with striking chaotic hair like a combed back walnut whip, comes vividly to life. Indeed, the joy of her book is in the detail, from quoted letters and diaries and some stunning photography.andrdquo;andmdash;Tim Auld, The Sunday Telegraph
Review
andldquo;andhellip; [An] absorbing new studyandhellip;Prideaux is a deft guide to the absinthe-heavy bohemian underworlds of Berlin and Paris which Strindberg inhabited for much of the 1890s.andrdquo;andmdash; Claudia FitzHerbert, The Daily Telegraph
Review
andldquo;andhellip;The Strindberg portrayed in this detailed, accessible biography which coincides with the centenary of his death on 12 May 1912, reveals a man and a writer few in the English speaking world will have the notion ofandhellip;Sue Prideauxandrsquo;s lively account of a wilful, passionate, often deranged pilgrimage in search of truth, artistic honesty and finally, God, will change our narrow perspective on the astonishing polymath.andrdquo;andmdash;Robert Carver, The Tablet
Review
andldquo;andhellip;[A] deeply researched and engrossing biographyandhellip;The copious selection of his elemental canvases and celestographs is one beauty of this outstandingly well-produced bookandhellip;Prideaux opens her book with a bravura chapter on the origins of Miss Julie, excels in relating his characters to their living originals, and in showing how they were transformed by the processes of post-naturalism.andrdquo;andmdash;Irving Wardle, Literary Review
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“… [An] exhaustingly researched biography…and a deft piece of detective work.”—David Stenhouse, Scotland on Sunday Irving Wardle - Literary Review
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andldquo;andhellip; [This] unstable genius is brought to book in this fine study.andrdquo;andmdash;The Sunday Times (Culture)
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“[A] splendid biography”—Frank Wilson, Philadelphia Inquirer John Barnville - New York Review of Books
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Shortlisted for the 2012 Duff Cooper Prize. Frank Wilson - Philadelphia Inquirer
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Shortlisted for the Samuel Johnson Prize. Duff Cooper Prize - Duff Cooper Prize
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Selected as a Choice Outstanding Academic Title 2012 for Germanic within the Humanities category. Samuel Johnson Prize - Smuel Johnson Prize
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Winner, 2012 Duff Cooper Prize. Frank Wilson - Philadelphia Inquirer
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“Sue Prideauxs achievement is to restore Strindbergs humanity, showing the vivisectionist of extreme emotion as a kind and humorous man. She is not an apologist for the crueller consequences of his chaotic personal life, instead she calmly sets out the pain he caused alongside his creative achievement.”—Ruth Scurr, The Guardian Outstanding Academic Title - Choice
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“Insightful, compelling, [and] comprehensive.”—H. I. Einsohn, Choice Frank Wilson - Philadelphia Inquirer
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"A meticulously researched and beautifully written account of the dramatistand#8217;s turbulent life."and#8212;Antony Beevor, Mail on Sunday
Review
"Fascinating and beautifully written."and#8212;Antony Beevor. The Sunday Telegraph
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"A gripping tale, well toldand#8230; Prideauxand#8217;s very readable biography of Strindberg is a welcome introduction to the man and his works for English-speaking readers."and#8212;Lynn R. Wilkinson, Art Newspaper
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andldquo;andhellip; [An] exhaustingly researched biographyandhellip;and a deft piece of detective work.andrdquo;andmdash;David Stenhouse, Scotland on Sunday
Review
and#8220;[Prideaux] is adept at linking Strindbergand#8217;s work to his lifeand#8212;especially his volatile love affairs.and#8221;and#8212;New Yorker
Review
andldquo;[A] splendid biographyandrdquo;andmdash;Frank Wilson,and#160;Philadelphia Inquirer
Review
Winner,and#160;2012 Duff Cooper Prize.
Review
and#8220;Insightful, compelling, [and] comprehensive.and#8221;and#8212;H. I. Einsohn,and#160;Choice
Synopsis
A mesmerizing account of the chaotic life and brilliant work of a playwright whose influence is undiminished 100 years after his death
About the Author
Sue Prideaux is a writer living in Sussex, UK. Her book Edvard Munch: Behind the Scream won the James Tait Black Memorial Prize in biography.