Miss Julie

"Miss Julie" (in Mariusz Kalinowski's translation "Miss Julie") is one of August Strindberg's most celebrated dramas. Written at the end of the 19th century as a manifesto of naturalism, it portrays a human being as a creature shaped by intellect, spirituality, and physicality all at once — entangled in weaknesses, instincts, and complicated relationships with those close to them.

The action unfolds over several hours, from dusk to dawn, on Midsummer's Night. The summer solstice becomes a time when nature takes hold of humanity, and the atmosphere of a hot June night drives the characters to transgress the boundaries set by strict social norms.

The titular heroine — a young countess caught in her own fears — engages in a dangerous erotic game that draws in her servant Jean. For her, this affair is an attempt to soothe an unnamed longing that she feels ever more acutely.