Les Sensations détraquées de Strindberg. “Perdre le Nord”?

Abstract

The text Sensations détraquées by August Strindberg, written directly in French, seems to embody all the characteristics of a “decadent” text. It was published in three instalments in the literary supplement of Le Figaro on 17 November 1894, and then on 26 January and 9 February 1895. It was reissued in 2016. However, Sensations détraquées is not a text by Strindberg, but rather an intralingual translation by Georges Loiseau. Loiseau removes what he likely considers stylistic awkwardness but adds linguistic affectations that could rightly be considered decadent. This article proposes a journey between the two French versions of the text (Loiseau’s and Strindberg’s), ending with an overview of the Swedish translations of Sensations détraquées.