The overshadowing influence of Strindberg on twentieth-century literature is here sharply brought into focus by Birgitta Steene in this perceptive study of Strindberg, who once wrote, "My fire is the greatest fire in Sweden." This book fills a gap in Strindberg scholarship in English by concentrating on Strindberg the conscious artist and form-giver, rather than Strindberg the madman and misogynist.