The Isle of the Blessed and other stories

August Strindberg is an immensely talented and prolific author, whose works include plays (Master Olof, Miss Julie), novels (The Red Room), poetry and other writings on a wide variety of subjects. These three short works by Strindberg have been selected from his lesser-known but important collection of short stories Svenska öden och äventyr (Swedish Destinies and Adventures). The Isle of the Blessed is a humorous account of how a group of travellers find themselves stranded on a tropical island after a shipwreck, and are forced to set up a new home and start a new way of life. It is an astute and tongue-in-cheek criticism of society, politics, religion, education and the human condition. Mr Bengt’s Wife is an engaging love story, and relates how the protagonist overcomes personal tragedy as well as society’s expectations to eventually find true happiness. The Last Shot is set in southern Germany during the Thirty Years War, and describes the dogged determination of a loyal and patriotic mayor to protect his people and not let his town fall to the enemy. Written in the 1880s, the three diverse and highly entertaining stories, each of interest and importance in its own right, can still find relevance in the modern world.