August Strindberg — Inferno

New translation by Carl Nordblom
with a preface by Dr. Henrik Johnsson 
 
August Strindberg's autobiographical Inferno is perhaps one of the most gripping and vividly written occult novels of all time. Set in the 1890s, it finds the renowned Swedish writer in the middle of his life and at the height of his literary career, yet consumed by a desire to abandon mundane life in search of the knowledge that unlocks the secrets of nature and spirit. He moves to Paris, leaving his wife and daughter behind, and resolves to devote himself entirely to alchemy and the esoteric sciences.

https://tinyurl.com/szztmpvs

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With search term 'alchemy':
https://www.cambridge.org/core/search?q=Alchemy

With search term 'alchemical':
https://www.cambridge.org/core/search?q=alchemical

The 'Sammlung unterschiedlicher bewährter Chymischer Schriften' (Collection of various proven Chymical writings) is an important German-language anthology of alchemical treatises, which is mainly attributed to the Flemish alchemist **Johann Isaac Hollandus** (and his presumed father Isaac Hollandus).

First published in Frankfurt am Main in 1667 (with later editions in Vienna in 1746 and 1773, among others), the work summarizes practical laboratory instructions, symbolic representations and alchemical philosophy of the early modern period.

Major works & treatises included

1. **From the hand of the philosophers** (*Manus philosophorum cum signaturis*)
A symbolic and practical guide with alchemical symbols and tool illustrations.
2. **Opus Saturni**
Focuses on lead (*Saturn*) and its transmutation as well as the production of alchemical preparations from it.
3. **Opera Vegetabilia**
Describes processes using plant substances and wine to produce the so-called *Lapis vegetabilis*.
4. **Opus Minerale** (*Mineral-Werck*)
Contains detailed instructions and engravings/woodcuts of smelting furnaces, distilling devices and recipes (including for the production of artificial gemstones).
5. **Attachment of a Fragment from the Cabala**
Combines hermetic-alchemical ideas with kabbalistic number and symbol theory.
6. **Tractatus de Lapide Philosophico**
A treatise on the nature and manufacture of the *Philosopher's Stone*.
7. **Tractate on the wanderings of those alchymists** (*Auctoris incerti*, partly attributed to Michael Sendivogius)
A critical look at common mistakes, frauds, and misinterpretations in the practice of alchemy.

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### Meaning & Special Features

* **Practical focus:** Compared to purely allegorical texts, the Hollandus writings offer unusually concrete chemical process descriptions (distillation, alloys, salts).
* **Illustrations:** The editions are known for their copperplates and wood engravings that vividly depict stills, laboratory equipment, and the symbolic “Hand of the Philosophers.”
* **Reception:** The writings had a great influence on hermeticism and early chemical technology in Central Europe in the 17th and 18th centuries.


Original texts here:

https://www.digitale-sammlungen.de/en/vi...53?page=,1

"This article provides a first in-depth look at the La fonderia dell’Illmo et Ecc.mo Signor Don Antonio de’ Medici, a publication that was issued at the Casino di San Marco in Florence in 1604. This work has been deemed to be lost by many scholars on the Casino, but in fact a copy of it is found in the British Library. The article analyses the contents of La fonderia, paying particular attention to the alchemy and Paracelsianism to be identified therein. La fonderia is primarily a book of medical recipes, but also contains some intriguing theoretical parts. The paper also examines the marginalia that can be found in the British Library copy of La fonderia. The article concludes with a reflection on the importance of alchemy and Paracelsianism at Don Antonio’s Casino."

Full text.

https://brill.com/view/journals/nun/37/1...yOe6w-IuEV

"The brain-teasing Veronese riddle might instead make sense to alchemists. Especially if associated with the inexplicably neglected drawing on the verso. In fact, it would have sufficed a normal scientific attitude, that’s to say turning the page, to see a sketch very similar to the long tongues three-headed face of Turba Philosophorum. The two illustrations are much alike, but the Veronese parchment is much more sophisticated than Turba Philosophorum’s. As for the riddle, it was a common medieval conundrum: ” In front of him led oxen, White fields plowed, A white plow held, A black seed sowed”. Even Umberto Eco reported it in his novel “Baudolino”, but in a close to Latin form."

https://labyrinthdesigners.org/alchemy-l...pretation/

"The Telekhines were primordial sea-dwellers and the first inhabitants of Rhodes, often described as the children of Pontus and Thalassa or the blood of Uranus... The mastery the Telekhines held over metal eventually bled into a mastery over the occult. They did not see a distinction between technology and magic; to them, smelting iron was as much an incantation as it was a physical process. This holistic view of the world made them the first alchemists of antiquity, but it also turned them into objects of intense fear among the surrounding human populations and the gods themselves."

https://mindexpanse.blog/what-is-a-telek...-mastery-a

"We are pleased to present Fredrik Söderberg's fifth solo exhibition at the gallery, The Alchemical Wedding, featuring a new series of watercolour and oil paintings. Continuing his long-standing interest in symbols and the ways they evolve across time and cultures, Söderberg brings together references from esoteric traditions, myths, and art history in a new body of work where painting itself mirrors the alchemical process. Inspired by the seventeenth-century book ‘The Chymical Wedding of Christian Rosenkreutz’, the exhibition takes its title from a story in which transformation, change, and the meeting of opposites form the central themes."

https://chgallery.se/exhibitions/151-fre...l-wedding/

"Jacques is a Delaware-born artist, filmmaker and Associate Professor of Visual Arts at Palm Beach State College in West Palm Beach, Florida, who graduated from the California Institute of the Arts in 2000. His practice is deeply rooted in alchemy, esotericism and 20th century surrealism influenced by vintage science fiction book covers, 19th century romanticism and the alchemical concept of the Magnum Opus a search for transformation through working with the raw material of identity and experience."

https://artstoheartsproject.com/5-surrea...eart-list/

   

"Fern. is an Animation & Motion Design Studio that is equal parts craft and collaboration. Their work spans the full range of creative content, animation, and motion design: brand animation and motion graphics, 2D cel animation and illustration, narrative short films, music videos, interactive and experiential animation, and design systems. They work with brands, agencies, music artists, and nonprofits, from early creative strategy through final delivery, including art direction, storyboarding, character development, animation, and sound design."

Transmute:

"High up in an isolated tower, an odd alchemist's experiment to change basic metal to gold becomes unstable. Transmute is an original animated short film conceived around the theme of metamorphosis, nodding to the archaic alchemical pursuit of transmutation while using bold colors, clean shapes, and a distinctly modern visual language to tell a story that feels both ancient and immediate."

https://animationclub.school/studios/fern/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rk-faZ9JLUQ

"The Picture Museum of Sorcery, Magic and Alchemy is a comprehensive book by Emile Grillot DeGivry that explores the history and practices of magic and alchemy. The book is filled with over 800 illustrations and photographs that depict various aspects of these ancient arts, including spells, rituals, and artifacts. The author provides a detailed account of the origins of magic and alchemy and their evolution over time. He also explores the different types of magic and alchemy that exist, including white magic, black magic, and the occult. The book is a valuable resource for anyone interested in the history and practice of magic and alchemy, as well as for those interested in the cultural and spiritual significance of these practices."

https://www.amazon.com/Picture-Museum-So...1162578289