5 MUST KNOW THINGS About Swedish Crime Fiction & Nordic Noir!
A photo from my February trip to teach crime writing in Sweden. The ancient city walls/entrance of Visby, Gotland Island, Sweden
1. The pioneers of modern Swedish crime fiction are Maj Sjöwall and Per Wahlöö, who between 1965 and 1975 wrote ten novels featuring detective Martin Beck.
2. Stieg Larsson, who died in 2004, shared many personal traits with his hero, Mikael Blomkvist, including being an investigative political reporter.
3. One of Sweden’s most successful crime writers is Camilla Läckberg. Since publishing her first book, The Ice Princess (Isprinsessan), in 2003, she has sold 20 million books in 60 countries.
4. Crime TV seriesThe Bridge is a joint Swedish/Danish production set on both sides of the Öresund Bridge that connects Malmö with Copenhagen. For fans of the show there is The Bridge-themed bus tour of the city narrated by an expert, that takes in key locations and scenes from the television series.
5. Over 80 million people have read Swedish author Stieg Larsson’s three Millennium books — The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo series. A Millennium Tour in Stockholm follows in the footsteps of Mikael Blomkvist and Lisbeth Salander and gives additional background information about the popular characters.
