Not too many years ago, it would have
been hard to think of examples of Scandinavian crime fiction beyond the
Martin Beck series and Smilla's Sense of Snow.
Suddenly, readers are blessed with a deluge of choices. What has led to
such a renaissance of crime fiction from a part of the world not known
for its criminal tendencies?
Vit Wagner
has two answers. One is simple enough: Hennning Mankell. The popularity
of his Kurt Wallander series - both in Sweden and abroad - made
publishers recognize that there was a vast market for other writers to
tap. (To dig a little deeper, Bill Ott
suggests that the fall of the Iron Curtain and the subsequent wave of
immigration into the Scandinavian countries set up the tensions that
drive Mankell's fiction and made it instantly accessible to audiences in the US.)
The other is bit more complicated. Wagner
points to the 1986 assassination of Swedish Prime Minister Olaf
Palme, still unsolved. It left many emotionally fraught questions
dangling; not just the relatively trivial "who did it?" but more
complex ones about modern society and violence. According to author and
critic Marie Peterson, the only literature that explored the impact of
the assassination, felt deeply throughout Scandinavia, was crime fiction.
As Peter Rozovskyhas
pointed out, Scandinavian writers are not so much interested in the
solving of puzzles or the voyeuristic experience of crime, but rather
in "the slow, rippling effect of a violent act on the minds, souls and
social fabric of those they leave behind." In many ways, crime fiction
has taken the place of the 19th century social novel, particularly in
Scandinavia.
Whatever has led to this wealth of
freshly-translated fiction, readers have plenty to choose from. Reading
crime fiction can give the curious reader a feeling for
Scandinavian culture, society, and landscapes. This Website and companion blog are intended to help the armchair traveler on their journeys.
Entries
are arranged by country. Each entry includes (when available)
biographical information about the author, titles translated into
English, links to Worldcat records for Swedish, UK, and US
publications, translator's name, and a selection of reviews. (Please
note - your library holdings may not be reflected in the Worldcat
links, since not all libraries are included and libraries may own
different editions of the same work. Be sure to check your own library
catalog.) To the left, each page has a menu of blog choices
highlighting blogs that pay particular attention to contemporary
international crime fiction.
Start-up funding for this project
was provided through a Research, Scholarship and Creativity grant from
Gustavus Adolphus College. Thanks are also due to Karen Meek, whose Eurocrime Website was an invaluable resource.
Please feel free to contact the compiler - Barbara Fister - with any additions, corrections, or suggestions. |
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A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P R S T W Y
Alvtegen, Karin
Arnaldur
Indrišason
Bagge, Tapani
Birkegaard, Mikkel
Bodelsen, Anders
Bornemark, Kjell-Olof
Burman, Carina
Christensen, Lars Saaybe
Dahl, Arne
Dahl, K. O.
Davidson, Leif
Davys, Tim
Edwardson, Åke
Ekman, Kerstin
Eriksson, Kjell
Fioretos, Aris
Frimansson, Inger
Fossum, Karin
Grytten, Frode
Guillou, Jan
Hellstrom, Borge & Anders Roslund
Hoeg, Peter
Holt, Anne
Indrišason, see Arnaldur
Indrišason
Jansson, Tove
Joensuu, Matti Yrjänä
Jungersen, Christian
Jungstedt, Mari
Kallifatides, Theodor
Kirstila, Pentti
Läckberg Camilla
Lampi, Heimo
Lang, Maria
Larsen, Michael
Larsson, Asa
Larsson, Bjorn
Larsson, Stieg
Liffner, Eva-Marie
Mankell, Henning
Markllund, Liza
Nesbų, Jo
Nesser, Håkan
Nielsen, Torben
Östergren, Klas
Peterzen, Elisabet
Roslund, Anders, see Hellstrom, Borge & Anders Roslund
Rygg, Pernille
Scheen, Kjersti
Siguršardóttir, see Yrsa Siguršardóttir
Silbersky, Leif, see Svedilid, Olov & Leif Silbersky
Sipila, Jarkko
Sjöwall, Maj & Per Wahlöo
Staalesen, Gunnar
Svedilid, Olov & Leif Silbersky
Theorin, Johan
Tursten, Helene
Wagner, Jan Costin
Wahloo, see also Sjowall, Maj & Per Wahloo
Westö, Kjell
Yrsa Siguršardóttir
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