The Red Room

The Red Room is the novel that made August Strindberg’s name, published in 1879 and often called the first modern Swedish novel. Its hero, the idealistic young civil servant Arvid Falk, abandons his dull government post to become a writer and throws himself into the bohemian world of Stockholm’s artists, journalists, and reformers, who gather in the red room of a favourite restaurant. What he finds, as he tries to live by his principles, is a society riddled with humbug, corruption, and self-interest at every level, from charities to newspapers to the church. Sharp, satirical, and full of youthful energy, the book skewers the respectable world of its day. This free PDF and EPUB offers the complete novel.