The Popularity of Scandinavian Crime Fiction

Recently in my research, I came across an interesting article about the popularity of Scandinavian crime fiction novelists, known as “Scandicrime” writers. The article is entitled “A Cold Night's Death: The Allure of Scandinavian Crime Fiction” and is written by Jeremy Megraw of the Billy Rose Theatre Division, New York Public Library For the Performing Arts.

Megraw's article attributes the popularity of these novels to three main elements: the “dark knight” as detective who is stoical in nature, sometimes fatalistic, but also humane in his investigations; the “brooding landscape” whose darkness mirrors the thoughts of the characters; and the "we're all victims” theme incorporating larger social issues of inequality and intolerance into the narrative of police work.

Who's who in Scandinavian crime fiction?

Maj Sjöwall and Per Wahlöö

This Swedish husband and wife team launched the phenomenon of Scandicrime fiction in the 1960s with a series of police procedurals featuring Inspector Martin Beck.

Stieg Larsson

This best-selling author's Millennium Trilogy contains one of the most unusual and intriguing characters encountered in modern fiction: Lisbeth Salander.

Henning Mankell

This Swedish author's books have been widely translated and outperform even Stieg Larsson's posthumous success. His protagonist is Detective Wallander who remains an “optimistic soldier in the war against injustice” despite the constant brutality with which he is confronted.

Karin Alvtegen

This Swedish author's thrillers are described as a psychological tour de force, and her novel Missing is highly recommended. It is the story of a homeless woman who is wrongly accused of murder.

Johan Theorin

This Swedish author's novels have strong psychological and supernatural elements and are set on the rugged coast of the Swedish island of Öland.

Håkan Nesser

This Danish author's Detective Van Veeteren series is described as “a good example of Nordic noir at its best.”

Karin Fossum

This Norwegian's Inspector Sejer novels are described as “procedurals with a soul” as the protagonist tries not only to solve the crime, but to understand the motives behind it.

Jo Nesbø

Another Norwegian author, his popular Harry Hole series is described as “clever, violent, and loaded with dark humor”.

Other novelists discussed in the article are Danish authors Peter Høeg (Smilla's Sense of Snow) and Jussi Adler-Olsen (Keeper of Lost Causes) and Icelandic author Arnaldur Indriðason (the Detective Erlendur series).

For the full text of the article, including chronological reading lists and pronunciation guide, please see http://www.nypl.org/blog/2013/01/14/s.... It's a well-researched article and an interesting take on Scandinavian crime fiction.