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Why the spike in popularity of Scandinavian Crime Fiction in recent years?
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Bill
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Jun 30, 2012 04:12PM
That's a good question. Maybe it's just that more and more are being translated and made available to English audiences. I've enjoyed a few writers, Larsson, Karin Alvtegen, Haakan Nesser, Jo Nesbo and have a few more on my TBR shelves. I'm amazed how many are available on the shelves in my local book shop, it feels like about 20%.
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It does seem there is a current trend to darker, more grim themes to many of the more recent popular mysteries. The few Scandinavian authors I've attempted definitely seem to fit into this category so perhaps that may be part of the attraction?
Sharon wrote: "It does seem there is a current trend to darker, more grim themes to many of the more recent popular mysteries. The few Scandinavian authors I've attempted definitely seem to fit into this categor..."One explanation is that there's quite a small readership for novels written in eg Swedish or Danish, which obliges good writers in those languages to maximise their appeal - by writing crime stories. In other words, Scandinavian crime writing is being done by really good authors!
The other day, Stieg Larsson popped up on my list of potential Facebook friends. Kinda creepy.
I think It's no coincidence that the ones that have cropped up are crime. Apart from Romance, I've been told crime thrillers / crime suspense / real crime are the biggest categorie of seller in English. Maybe there are good literary fictions available in Swedish, but we won't see them because they wont sell enough in Swedish to get the attention of a translator. Richard Snow (Author, Fire Damage)
Some of us (I'm one) like some of them (Larsson, for example, whom you mention) because their protagonists look out towards the world from a point of view that is not thoroughgoingly self-serving. :-)
It's no coincidence that with the rise of IKEA stores in europe, Swedish crime fiction has taken off! After all they've been ripping me off for years. Never underestimate the Swedes - with Abba and now crime fiction, they are slowly tightening their grip!
On a more serious note, I think the books are popular because they are good. Simple as that.
It may just be that Scandinavian thrillers offered something 'new' to a new group of readers, but I agree with earlier commenters who mentioned the books' dark appeal. I really enjoy Jo Nesbo's novels--they're dark and intense. And the cold, Norwegian landscape only heightens the desperate feeling of them.
Carrie wrote: "It may just be that Scandinavian thrillers offered something 'new' to a new group of readers, but I agree with earlier commenters who mentioned the books' dark appeal. I really enjoy Jo Nesbo's nov..."I wouldn't put it down to the landscape, as such a claim could be made about Scottish crime novels. But They are good, no question of that.
Oh, certainly, it's not the landscape alone. But for me, the stark, cold setting of some of these novels enhances my reading experience.
