Writing Daughters

In this book, Eszter Szalczer looks at a previously neglected aspect of August Strindberg's life and work: his daughters, both fictional and real, and their relationship to writing - both their father's and their own. In Strindberg's work, father- and daughter-figures often appear intertwined, and the daughters are often seen to be acting roles in their father's narratives. This study explores these roles in detail, and offers parallel readings of the father's stories and those of the daughters in order to create a dialogue between different perspectives. Such readings challenge the conventional authorial voice which singularly 'fathers' the text, and posits writing as a process that extends beyond the limits of the individual literary work. Writing turns into an ongoing dialogue as long as daughters keep being written, and daughters continue to write.