Scandinavian American. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1945-1958, 1949-03-01

found them comical. Just as dane
ing couples look comical when one
does not hear the music they are
dancing 10. Nevertheless. S.rin6-
bergs naturalistic dramas. sup
plemented by The Dance OF
Death" which is more Of a dream
play. have been performed over
and over again, and are still BE-
ing PLAYED all over the world
even in film versions Why? Be
cause they are full of q vibrant
paSSion-a flame that shines even
for those WHO refuse 10 let them
selves be scorched by il
But the dramatic stories OF love
and hate, OF the struggle for power
between man and woman. Of the
agony Of physical attraction when
their souls are out Of sympathy.
are only one Of the many aspects
OF Strndbergs immense produc-
ton When on the 22nd OF January
this year the centenary OF the
poets birth was celebrated IN the
City Hall il his native Stockholm
with festivities. which were at
tended by guests from many ma
tons from the United States the
eminent student Of Strindbarg.
Professor Alrik Gustafson. OF the
University Of Minnesota. light
was thrown on the universally
and the many-sidedness OF his
work in contrast TO that one-sided
and distorted picture OF him as the
wild. hate-filled depicter of love.
The Bedeviled Viking" which
still predominates in far too many
quarters in the world.
In conjunction with the Jubilee
there is to be performed, for in
stance, the play that is now uni
versally regarded as his finest. the
wonderful a Dream Play" an
enigmatic poetical work beyond
time and space, glistening with
fantasy and instinct with a vi
brant. melancholy sympathy for
the suffering human race in a
world OF fair but deceptive illu-
sions. His remarkable surrealistic
play The Road to Damascus"
considered TO be one OF the original
conceptions that gave rise to the
expreSsionist drama, and his four
chamber dramas. among them
The Ghost Sonata with its sug-
gestive poetical symbolism regard
ing original sin in the human soul.
are 70 Be given that place OF honor
among his works which Is due 10
them II their capacity OF door
ways 70 the most ltra-mo6ern
dramatic art, sources OF insp.ra-
ton 70 such dramatic poets as Eu-
gene O'NeiI and Jean-Paul Sartre
Strindberg wrote flfty-eight
plays. including e whole series with
motifs taken from Swedish his
tory Master Olof and Gustav
Vasa- are frequently performed
as beng Swedish national dramas.
but the most notable Of them all Is
the play about Charles XII. On
the subject OF this famous war
whom the poet de.ested
and called the great criminal" he
wrote e historical play on any
thing but the traditional lines and
quite devoid Of any panegyric. The
poet described the Kings tragic f
fall II Hlusicslly composed scenes
full d subtle. dreamlike atmos-
phere, and breaking away from al
formal standards previously sc-
cepte6 II historical drama
Srin5berg was also a pioneer
as novelist ard short-story
writer. although owing 10 its
strongly national character his
sple production has been less cas-
.iy accessible 70 q foreign public
thar MS dramatic works. With rs
=nchsltingly BEAUTIFUL reahstical- +
= pregnant and racy romance
Hensooo-na- The people q
Sems5i Strl-6berg created 6
classic monument 70 the scenic
oesuty ard ire folk life Of The
Swedish archipelago n -Tjanste-
-vinnans Sen The Son Of
20~dz-o--s-1 - sz--r.-s : counter