The Inferno

A semi-autobiographical descent into madness and spiritual crisis, The Inferno chronicles Strindberg's torment as he abandons science for occultism, endures paranoia and isolation, and seeks redemption through suffering. The book transforms personal hell into a Swedenborgian journey toward faith.

The narrator, a thinly veiled Strindberg, recounts his separation from his wife and his subsequent chemical experiments in Paris, which result in burned hands and growing paranoia. He experiences a brief period of happiness—'Paradise Regained'—marked by successful experiments and a nascent religious sensibility, but this collapses into spiritual crisis and a failed miracle. Fleeing to the Hôtel Orfila, he descends into a purgatory of whispers, shadows, and persecution. Reunited with his daughter in Klam, he encounters ominous coincidences that fuel his delusions. Introduced to Swedenborg's writings, he interprets his earthly sufferings as a literal hell, a purification for past sins. The narrative follows his pilgrimage to Lund, Sweden, where he grapples with repentance, reads the Bible, and experiences a direct sign from God—a ray of sunlight and a thunderclap. He ultimately frames his life as a cautionary tale, a sign and a proverb, confessing his false prophetic role and questioning the nature of suffering.