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

Barry Forshaw, the UK's principal crime fiction expert, presents a celebration and analysis ofthe 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.

Review'Death in a Cold Climate is both intelligent and perceptive. Humble it is not. It is, to my knowledge, the most complete guide to Scandinavian crime fiction yet written in any language, an invaluable companion for anyone interested in the genre.' - Mons Kallentoft, Financial Times 'Extensive, penetrating and intelligently written, Barry Forshaw's book is the most fulfilling work on the strange genre of Nordic Noir I have ever encountered.' - Hakan Nesser, author of The Inspector and Silence 'Death in a Cold Climate is a comprehensive and authoritative guide to the fictional underbelly of the Nordic psyche, whose popularity has become the publishing sensation of the century. Perceptive, witty and awesomely well-researched.' - Andrew Taylor, author of The American Boy 'Far more than a checklist, this is the essential guide through the snowdrifts of Nordic Noir.' Val McDermid, author of The Wire in the Blood '...Surely this is the Guide to Scandinavian Crime Fiction, as the UK's foremost crime fiction expert Barry Forshaw has gone definitive here with a triumphant volume that should sit proudly on every crime fiction fan's bookshelf. If you wanted a guide to take you down the dark and deadly streets of crime fiction, Mr Forshaw's your man [...] Entertaining and informative in equal measures, it provides insightful background to the books most crime fans will be familiar with and love, plus bang up to date information on new and upcoming authors and titles to watch out for, all through great essays and interview pieces. With sections from authors, translators publishers, UK release dates and original dates of publication this is a tombe overflowing with reference and deep research and, above all else, an undying passion for the genre[...]The book closes with a fantastic bibliography and index to enable the volume to be put to use for years to come every time you pick up a new Scandinavian crime fiction title or wish to seek out a new read.' - Keith B Walters, We Love this Book 'With customary depth and precision, Forshaw gets under the skin of this celebrated genre, uncovering many of its secrets and riches. Like its subjects, this book is hard to put down, and will undoubtedly be returned to time and again.' - Dr Steven Peacock, University of Hertfordshire, UK 'In his excellent new book, Death in a Cold Climate: A Guide to Scandinavian Crime Fiction, Barry Forshaw throws a revealing light on the phenomenon of the Nordic policier (interestingly, the French slang term for the crime films and the detective novel is "le polar"). He distinguishes between the different countries, between male and female writers, and sees a clear line reaching down from the shared background of bloody, painful Icelandic sagas and Nordic mythology, through the dark social and psychological explorations of Ibsen and Strindberg and on into the 20th-century experience of war, occupation, resistance, collaboration and neutrality guilt.' - Philip French, the Observer 'A fascinating, comprehensive and very enjoyable overview of the publishing phenomenon that is Nordic noir, placing it in a cultural and historical context, with insightful contributions from writers, translators and editors - an essential reading guide for lovers of the crime genre.' - Laura Wilson, crime fiction critic, The Guardian 'Essential reading for anyone seeking clues to the next Jo Nesbo.' - PD Smith, The Guardian 'Barry Forshaw's forensic feeling for snow is coloured by the quantity and quality of blood spilled on it in recent years by Nordic crime writers. The dash of publishers to find "the next Stieg Larsson" and their hyping of Jo Nesbo as "the next Henning Mankell" indicates the strength of cold climate killing as a subgenre of crime fiction... This overview of a literary phenomenon is as definitive as any aficionado could hope for.' - Iain Finlayson, The Times 'The sudden triumphant rise of Nordic mystery stories is a fascinating puzzle of modern literature. With forensic intelligence, captivating characters, riveting clues and sub-plots, Barry Forshaw investigates and satisfyingly explains what happened.' - Mark Lawson 'Not a stone is left unturned in Barry Forshaw's witty, encyclopedic investigation into the fictional crimes that have made Scandinavia the most talked about region in the world of books. Death in a Cold Climate is a unique and admirable personal testament to the writers, translators and publishers who have dedicated themselves to introducing Scandinavian crime fiction, its many languages and cultures, to the English speaking world. If upon turning the last page of Forshaw's book you are not immediately heading for the nearest bookstore to buy up every Scandinavian crime novel on its shelves, you were probably not meant to read this book in the first place.' - Jakob Stougaard-Nielsen, University College London, UK 'What Barry Forshaw doesn't know about crime fiction, to borrow an old phrase, isn't worth knowing. A journalist, chronicler of the genre, and talking head for the CWA Awards, with Death in a Cold Climate he covers in depth the extraordinarily popular sub-genre that is Nordic noir...Through interviews with authors and translators, Forshaw offers in-depth takes on the cream of the Nordic crop...an informative and educational effort from perhaps the nation's leading expert in the field.' - Dennis O'Donnell, bookgeeks.co.uk '...a comprehensive guide to the Nordic noir mystery genre.' - Christopher Silvester, Daily Express 'For those of you who take your crime fiction seriously, Barry Forshaw has produced Death in a Cold Climate, an excellent new guide to Scandinavian crime fiction.' - Jessica Mann, The Literary Review 'Through an exploration of culture, politics and history, and in fascinating interviews with writers, editors and translators, Forshaw unravels the mystery of the snowbound murder's huge appeal in this enjoyable guide; an essential companion to any collection of Nordic crime novels.' - The Good Book Guide 'Forshaw writes with enthusiasm, knowledge and attention to detail...Death in a Cold Climate can be read cover to cover or dipped into using the comprehensive index. This is a work you will want to finish, though: Forshaw's descriptions whet the reader's appetite to read more Scandinavian crime fiction...' - Swedish Book Review

About the AuthorBARRY FORSHAW is a writer and journalist specialising 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 the forthcoming British Crime Film (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 Time magazine. 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.

Introduction

  1  Crime and the Left

  2  The Cracks Appear: Henning Mankell

  3  Sweden: The Dream Darkens

  4  Sweden: Foreign Policy and Unreliable Narratives

  5  Last Orders: The Larsson Phenomenon

  6  The Fight Back: Anti-Larsson Writers

  7  Criminals and Criminologists

  8  Norway: Crime and Context

  9  Norway and Nesbø

10  Iceland: Crime and Context

11  Fringe Benefits: Icelandic Woes

12  Finland: Crime and Context

13  Death in Denmark

14  Danish Uncertainties

15  Film and TV Adaptations