Johan August Strindberg (/ˈstrɪndbɜrɡ, ˈstrɪnbɜrɡ/ About this sound Swedish pronunciation : /ˈstrindˌbɜrj/; 22 January 1849 – 14 May 1912) was a Swedish playwright, novelist, poet, essayist and painter. A prolific writer who often drew directly on his personal experience, Strindberg's career spanned four decades, during which time he wrote over 60 plays and more than 30 works of fiction, autobiography, history, cultural analysis, and politics.