Death in a Cold Climate: A Guide to Scandinavian Crime Fiction

by Barry Forshaw

Barry Forshaw, the UK's principal crime fiction expert, presents a celebration and analysis of the Scandinavian crime genre, from Sjöwall and Wahlöö's Martin Beck series through Henning Mankell's Wallander to Stieg Larsson's demolition of the Swedish Social Democratic ideal in the publishing phenomenon The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo .

Genres: Scandinavian Literature, Nonfiction, Nordic Noir, Books About Books, Crime

207 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2012

About the author

Barry Forshaw is a writer, broadcaster and journalist whose books include British Crime Writing: An Encyclopedia, The Rough Guide to Crime Fiction, Brit Noir, British Gothic Cinema, Nordic Noir, Sex and Film, Euro Noir, Death in a Cold Climate: Scandinavian Crime Fiction and BFI Classics: War of the Worlds along with books on Italian cinema, film noir and the first UK biography of Stieg Larsson, The Man Who Left Too Soon. He has written on books and films for many newspapers and magazines; he also edits Crime Time, and is one of the talking heads for the ITV Crime Thriller author profiles. He records documentaries on crime fiction and film for a variety of BBC producers for both TV and radio, along with much work for foreign broadcasters. He has been Vice Chair of the Crime Writers' Association. As well as his specialist area of books (in most genres), he writes on film (booklets for special edition DVDs) and all aspects of the arts (popular and serious). He is winner of the Keating Award for Non-Fiction for British Crime Writing: An Encyclopedia (Greenwood)
In a previous career he was an illustrator, working for both The Natural History Museum and Jackie.

Reviews

[Harry · Rating 5 out of 5]

What I have learned from Barry Forshaw is that knowledge of anything lends the possessor of that knowledge subtle pleasures more rich and atmospheric than that which is provided to those not possessing such knowledge.

For an American audience it is difficult to understand that in spite of the proximity of various Scandinavian countries towards each other their individual identities are nevertheless remarkably pronounced. Here in America we can travel thousands of miles across state lines with little or no pronounced discernment in culture, tradition, and language (Denmark, on the other hand, can fit multiple times over within the confines of say a single state, like North Carolina!).

What do we as Americans really know about Scandinavia? It's not as if this block of countries is at the forefront of our schools' social studies curriculum. Is it that Iceland is barren and has volcanoes? That Sweden has a social welfare system to die for? That Norway has oil and fjords? Culturally, we have heard of Hans Christian Andersen, the little mermaid, or that vikings once roamed this part of the world. Or maybe we remember reading Henrik Ibsen? And what about Finland, do we know anything at all aside from perhaps reading Kierkegaard?

So when inhabitants of these Scandinavian countries lend an extraordinary patience towards Americans who lazily lump these distinct individual countries together we find Barry Forshaw's study an extraordinary effort to avoid such misconceptions.

For those who have been reading my reviews of Scandinavian and Nordic crime fiction - reviews that incorporate many tidbits derived from this single reference manual, Barry Forshaw opens up a world of Scandinavian writers and equally talented translators in what can only be termed as a celebration of the Scandinavian crime genre.

Make no mistake, the Scandinavian crime genre is more forensic and detailed than in the crime genre of any other country as it explores not just the axiomatic base of any crime fiction (life and death) but social and political issues brought forth by increasing globalization and immigration touting the very straightforward realism given birth by Maj Sjöwall and Per Wahlöö whose Martin Beck series most consider the original seed of Scandinavian crime fiction.

The prose is straightforward, devoid of the sensationalism and romanticism to which we in America are so accustomed (Nesbo and Larsson may be the exception). Get ready to travel into forbidding territory - the Nordic soul - where the effect is one of lowering one's emotional temperature while simultaneously affording the reader a cool, balanced appraisal of the situations and characters that are presented to us. The Northern view of life is famously bleak and once the reader is accustomed to this, we're in for a fabulous ride into strange psychological territories, often morbid and deadly and rendered in hyper realism.

This book (see table of contents below) places all the authors, translators and book publishers within the context of social changes that occur in their respective countries. It is a road map to what has not been taught in our American schools: a road map into the soul of Scandinavia.

This is one of the best books I've read in 2013 and it has afforded me a lifetime love of these authors all of whom I'd never heard of before.


Barry Forshaw

About the author:
Barry Forshaw is a UK writer and journalist specializing in crime fiction and cinema. His books include:

The Man Who Left Too Soon: The Life and Works of Stieg Larsson(2010), British Crime Writing: An Encyclopedia(2008), The Rough Guide to Crime Fiction(2007), Italian Cinema: Arthouse to Exploitation(2006) and this volume in review Death in a Cold Climate: A Guide to Scandinavian Crime Fiction(2012), and he has contributed to the Directory of World Cinema. He has also written for a variety of national newspapers as well as for Movie Mail, Waterstone's Books Quarterly and Good Book Guide and is editor of the online Crime Timemagazine. He is also a talking head for the ITV Crime Thriller author profiles and BBC TV documentaries, and has been Vice Chair of the Crime Writers' Association.

Table of contents
Here's what's in the book. You'll find it to be a celebration of all things Nordic and Scandinavian. Enjoy!

Acknowledgments
Introduction
Crime and the Left
The Cracks Appear: Henning Mankell
Sweden: The Dream Darkens
Sweden: Foreign Policy and Unreliable Narratives
Last Orders: The Larsson Phenomenon
The Fight Back: Anti-Larsson Writers
Criminals and Criminologists
Norway: Crime and Context
Norway and Nesbø
Iceland: Crime and Context
Fringe Benefits: Icelandic Woes
Finland: Crime and Context
Death in Denmark
Danish Uncertainties
Film and TV Adaptations
Bibliography
Index

[Michael Ridpath · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a comprehensive and up-to-date guide to Scandinavian Crime fiction, full of interesting insights. A number of themes emerge, in particular the desire many authors have to highlight the weaknesses of their societies which aspire to be models of social democracy. Also the importance of Sjowal and Wahlloo as an inspiration to almost all of them. There appears to be something about the very normality of the settings which adds to the attraction to readers and writers, perhaps as a contrast to the dysfunctional characters inhabiting so many of these novels.

Forshaw does not speak the languages in question, so he does not attempt to assess the original writing style of the authors. He is interesting on the translating process, and quotes from a number of the foremost translators of Scandinavian crime into English. (The only minor quibble I have is Forshaw's excessive use of parentheses).

[Kevin · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice overview of the genre, and if you're keen on Nordic crime fiction and want for more you'll probably discover quite a few names you'll no doubt be interested in looking up, but there's nothing fundamentally new about the subject here, and you're unlikely to come out of it with any insight you didn't already have going in. But maybe this is just me.

[Gisela Hafezparast · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent introduction and discussion about Scandinavian Crime Fiction, which I absolutely adore. What is also very well discussed in this book although sometimes a bit too long, is the importance of good translation by people who understand not only the nuances of the respective languages the translate from and to, but also the culture and politics of the country.

Would recommend this book to anybody, who like me was hooked on Scandi books the minute Henning Mankell caught me with his master creation, the great Wallander!

[Dimitris Passas (TapTheLine) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an erudite work on Scandinavian crime fiction, extending from Sjöwall and Wahlöö's Martin Beck series to the current transnational expansion of the Nordic Noir genre on novels, tv series and films. Barry Forshaw is one of the few experts on the subject, even though he is British, and he manages to integrate his insightful remarks into the specific country's socio-political context. He also attempts to cover a variety of social aspects that scandi-crime fiction is dealing with such as the decline of the welfare state in countries such as Sweden and Denmark, the leftist approach to criminality in general and many others, something that is helping the reader to comprehend the general background which gave birth to the Nordic Noir phenomenon. It is also worth mentioning that Barry Forshaw is the writer of other relevant to this subject books such as ''The Man Who Left Too Soon'' (a biography of the late Stieg Larsson) and ''Nordic Noir: The Pocket Essential Guide to Scandinavian Crime Fiction, Film TV'' which are both great reference books for everyone who has a special interest on the genre.

[Steve · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great overview of the recent Scandinavian crime fiction. He covers everything from Sjowall/ Wahloo and Mankell to those more recently (being) translated such as Stefan Mani, Unni Lindell and Camilla Ceder. Politics, sociology and cultural differences get a mention and there are chapters on Sweden, Norway, Iceland, Finland and Denmark. The final chapter looks t TV and film adaptations focusing on Wallender and Larson, though the excellent Killing gets more than a mention too.

I now have a list of authors I'd like to read!

[Tiina · Rating 2 out of 5]

This had a lot of potential but it was just slightly too dry. I think the research was there but none of it was seamless. As it's written by a literary scholar, I expected a lot more. It seemed he hasn't decided whether he is writing a research paper or a non-fiction book. He would have benefitted from an editor. Some chapters were talking about one author and then randomly mentioned two other authors in a paragraph, only to go back to the first. It was disjointed. In all fairness, I did get several recommendations and a decent overview of Scandi crime translations into English up to the years 2011-2012.
2.5 stars, not rounded up. It might be my problem, since I wanted more. But I will be happy if I never see the word "adroit" again. So, so overused in the book.

[Randal · Rating 4 out of 5]

A highly readable survey of Scandinavian crime fiction. Forshaw gets high marks for interviewing authors and translators and quoting directly from them. The only bad is that a book like this gets out of date so fast. A lot of new "nordic noir" has appeared in English translation since 2012.

[Johanna · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am now very well informed on Scandinavian crime fiction and I learned that there are only 2,3 murders per year in Iceland.

[Angela Oatham · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really interesting read and introduced me to several new authors.

[Stacie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Competent and informative overview of Scandinavian crime fiction from a writer who is clearly a fan.

[• Domeniko • · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.10

[Bradley · Rating 3 out of 5]

A pretty rigorous attempt at an overview of Nordic crime writers with a focus on those that have been translated into English.

It does become repetitive quite swiftly.

An Author is introduced.

They are not as well known as they should be in English speaking world.

The body of work to date and the central themes are looked at.

They have been influenced by such and such an author (Ruth Rendell and a couple of ground breaking Nordic authors)

The idealistic view the world has of a fair and cultured society has been fractured by the retreat of a strong welfare state and race tensions.

They are well served by the translations.

There are problems with translations.
The police have different command structures and procedures.
Jokes have to be altered.

The translators like to spend time in the environment in which the books are written to get a feel of the place.

Then we move onto the next author and pretty much we hear the same things again.

[Alison S ☯️ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent and interesting guide to Scandinavian crime fiction. Looks at Sweden, Iceland, Norway, Finland and Denmark in turn outlining the differences between the countries and the historical, social and cultural context for each. The contributions from translators discussing some of the challenges they face in their work was particularly fascinating and I now have a very long "Hit List" of new authors and titles to try!

[Kit · Rating 1 out of 5]

So hacky that Palgrave Macmillan should be ashamed to have published it. Its purple, repetitious prose and smug platitudes utterly fail to provide any analytical insight into Scandinavian crime fiction either as texts or as cultural phenomena. It has been a while since i have read a book this badly written.

[Paul Curd · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great overview of current Scandinavian crime fiction and writers by a man who knows what he's talking about. Indispensable.