Scandinavian noir

Scandinavian noir or Scandinavian crime fiction is a genre comprising crime fiction written in Scandinavia with certain common characteristics, typically in a realistic style with a dark, morally complex mood.

Most notable is perhaps the Millennium Trilogy created by Stieg Larsson and published posthumously. The three books about private investigator Lisbeth Salander and middle-aged journalist Mikael Blomkvist have reached tremendous success both in Sweden and globally and topped the best seller lists in several European countries as well as in the United States. Other popular books include Henning Mankell's Wallander novels, some of which have been filmed for TV.

Common features

According to literary agent Niclas Salomonsson, who specialises in Scandinavian crime stories, the works have a distinctive and appealing style: "realistic, simple and precise…and stripped of unnecessary words". Their protagonists are typically detectives worn down by cares and far from simply heroic.

The works also owe something to Scandinavia's political system where the apparent equality, social justice, and liberalism of the Nordic model is seen to cover up dark secrets and hidden hatreds: Stieg Larsson's Millennium trilogy deals with misogyny and rape, while Henning Mankell's Faceless Killers focuses on the failures of multiculturalism.

Authors

Authors such as Henning Mankell, Mari Jungstedt, Kjell Eriksson, Kerstin Ekman, Håkan Nesser, Åke Edwardson, Helene Tursten, Maj Sjöwall and Per Wahlöö, Åsa Larsson, Liza Marklund, Stieg Larsson, Camilla Lackberg (all Swedish), Arnaldur Indriðason, Yrsa Sigurðardóttir (Icelandic), Pernille Rygg, Anne Holt, Karin Fossum, Jo Nesbø, Gunnar Staalesen (all Norwegian) and Peter Hoeg (Danish) have contributed to the creation and establishment of the genre.

References

• Scandinavian Crime Fiction, ed. by Andrew Nestingen and Paula Arvas, University of Wales Press (2011)