The Man Who Played with Fire: Stieg Larsson's Lost Files and the Hunt for an Assassin

by Jan Stocklassa

In the book, Anna-Lena and Stieg hammered home that “right-wing extremism” was an imprecise expression since some of the relevant groups could be considered left-wing and others didn’t have any political party affiliation. The right-wing groups could then be divided into “fascists” and “the radical right.” The only thing they all had in common was hostility toward immigrants. One of the newer parties described was the Sweden Democrats party, which was formed in 1988 by people from organizations built on racism and hostility to foreigners.

he would also use the extra time and money to drive his own projects ahead at a faster pace. The battles against racism, sexism, and intolerance were vital and had to continue.

The enormous amount of work Stieg must have put into this was evident—late nights, weekends—when he read, pondered, wrote, and sorted materials. Many hours that he could have spent doing things with Eva and his friends, or something else entirely. He could have had a completely normal family and lived in Bromma. But then he wouldn’t have been Stieg Larsson. His books wouldn’t have been written, right-wing extremism would have had freer rein in Sweden, and his investigations into the Palme assassination would never have happened.