Although he wrote more than 60 plays and 30 works of fiction as well as books and articles on history, cultural analysis and politics, Strindberg described himself as “a failed author.”
In 1909 he was considered for the Nobel Prize in Literature. When he failed to win that prize, the outpouring of financial support for him amounted to nearly 250,000 Swedish crowns.
[Comparative buying power in 2011 U.S. dollars: $11,912,162. Yes, Strindberg was rich.]
The Nobel Prize that year was only 139,800 Swedish crowns.
Strindberg was, and is, incredibly famous. But every indication tells us that he was miserable throughout his life.
So tell me, was he successful?