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Today is 150th anniversary of the birth August Strindberg, the Swedish playwright considered to be one of the fathers of modern European theater. Fans of Woody Allen's Manhattan might recognize the name from a line that Allen's character utters in a conversation about relationships: "You shouldn't ask me for advice. When it comes to relationships with women, I'm the winner of the August Strindberg Award."
This comment neatly summarizes the way Strindberg is largely viewed in the contemporary world. In his personal life he was married and divorced three times, each marriage ending with a bitter feud. His troubles with relationships have caused many to dismiss him as a misogynist, and the themes found in most of his plays seemed to support this argument. They're full of sex, lust, and the enduring struggle for power that he believed characterized every relationship. But that criticism only seems valid if you take his plays at face value. Beneath the surface of the lines his male characters speak, it's possible to detect a sweeping criticism of the mores set upon the society in which he lived, especially as they pertained to the gender roles and sexual desires.
Regardless of whether he was a simple misogynist or social critic with a certain insight into matters of gender and class, it cannot be denied that Strindberg was a neurotic and very serious individual. It's hard to imagine him laughing.
This brings me to a series of very clever cartoons that have paired the playwright with the world's second lightest element, Helium, who is depicted as a pink balloon hovering around the writer's head. In the cartoons, Strindberg recites particularly dark and depressing lines from his writing, and Helium echoes certain words and phrases with a childish, high pitched voice:
"The whole of nature stinks of disintegration and decay."
"Decay! Decay! Decay!"
Poor Helium; all he wants to do is cheer poor old Strindberg up. He even brings him a cupcake in one episode! Alas, I think it's a lost cause.
Happy birthday, August. You may have been a miserable man, but you were a damn fine writer.
http://www.strindbergandhelium.com
Posted by: Tom Roberg, Penguin Publishing Manager
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