Why Did August Strindberg Not Kill Himself?

Abstract

The Swedish playwright, August Strindberg (1849–1912) spent the years 1894–1896 in a self-described “Inferno” when he believed himself literally in hell. A man with prior suicidal tendencies, he developed persecutory delusions pointing to the definite possibility of suicide by 1896. His recovery in 1897, followed by a short partial relapse, and then renewed recovery in early 1898 led to a productive and stable, albeit lonely, final period of life with less feuding and pessimism, and more emotional balance. Scholars have tended to credit his adoption of some of Swedenborg's ideas as instrumental in his recovery. However, an alternative interpretation is offered, focusing on human-relations aspects of his life. This interpretation emphasizes validation of his essential sense of himself as tormented genius and later as loving Father as the critical recovery variables. The relative importance of different facts presumed to have prevented Strindberg's possible suicide is discussed.