Master Olof

by August Strindberg, Edwin Björkman (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, Drama, Fiction, Swedish Literature, Religion, Historical, 19th Century

140 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1872

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

[Anders · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pjäs om Olaus Petri, tiden för Luther.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

OLOF: One man alone cannot turn the current.
GERT: You fool! Lead the current. What is the current? It is we, the people. The old ones are stagnant ponds; you won't have to struggle against them. But don't let them dry you up and turn to muck. Cut a channel for them, and they too will be swept up.

Master Olof is play focusing on a man who seeks to bring Lutheranism to Sweden in the time of dissent against Protestantism; his struggles lead to a lot of controversy, to say the least. I thought that this play felt a little slow to me, although it had its moments. I think I may have just not felt interested enough, but it was decent enough that I liked it okay.

My issue was just that nothing really stood out to me- it seemed a bit too typical, and the characters weren't quite developed enough. But then again, if I understand correctly, this was one of the earlier plays of Strindberg, so I feel that it was not developed because it was one of the first endeavors of a pretty good playwright. So I can excuse him as I continue to another of his plays- The Father.

[Staffan Lingärde · Rating 3 out of 5]

Egentligen tre dramer (Prosaupplagan, Mellandramat och Versupplagan) som AS skrev under 1870talet då han ännu inte slagit igenom som författare.
Nationalupplagans del 5 är en mäktig tegelsten där enbart kommentardelen utgör en egen bok.
Kul men lite svettigt att mala igenom.
Här finns vackra textavsnitt men helhetsintrycket är att denna bok är smaskens för literaturvetaren.

[Sine Nomine · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is another great play by August Strindberg, and like all his other plays, it is full of symbols and subtle messages.

[Hadrian · Rating 3 out of 5]

6,5/10

[Anders Karlsson · Rating 2 out of 5]

overrated