The Red Room

A young idealist arrives in Stockholm and discovers that every institution, the church, the press, the parliament, the theater, is corrupt. Strindberg’s debut novel, Sweden’s first modern novel, is a savage satire that remains startlingly relevant.

Why Read This

The Red Room made Strindberg famous and scandalized Sweden simultaneously. It follows Arvid Falk, a young civil servant who quits his job to become a writer and moves through Stockholm’s institutions discovering that each one is a machine for hypocrisy. The novel is episodic, Dickensian in its gallery of characters, and wickedly funny in its demolition of bourgeois pretension.

Where Miss Julie shows Strindberg the dramatist, The Red Room shows Strindberg the social satirist. Together they reveal his full range: the intimate psychologist and the panoramic critic.

What to Expect

An episodic satirical novel set in 1870s Stockholm. The tone shifts between comedy and bitterness. The structure is loose, following Falk through a series of encounters. Some knowledge of Swedish society helps but is not essential.