Swedish Crime Fiction: Novel, Film, Television

Description

Swedish crime fiction became an international phenomenon in the first decade of the twenty-first century, starting first with novels but then percolating through Swedish-language television serials and films and onto English-language BBC productions and Hollywood remakes. This book looks at the rich history of 'Scandinavian noir', examines the appeal of this particular genre and attempts to reveal why it is distinct from the plethora of other crime fictions. Examining the popularity of Steig Larsson's international success with his Millennium trilogy, as well as Henning Mankell's Wallander across the various media, Peacock also tracks some lesser-known novels and television programmes. He illustrates how the bleakness of the country's 'noirs' reflects particular events and cultural and political changes, with the clash of national characteristics becoming a key feature. It will appeal to students and researchers of crime fiction and of film and television studies, as well as the many fans of the novels and dramatic representations. -- .

Steven Peacock is Reader in Film and Television Aesthetics at the University of Hertfordshire -- .

In the growing field of Scandinavian crime fiction studies, Steven Peacock has written something both innovative and insightful which functions as both literary criticism and sociopolitical observation, while communicating an enthusiasm for the genre. Swedish crime fiction is one of the most erudite yet accessible entries to the genre for the intelligent reader. No consideration of the subject - whether on the page or screen - can now be said to be truly balanced without taking into account Peacock's provocative study. Barry Forshaw, author of 'Death in a Cold Climate: A Guide to Scandinavian Crime Fiction' -- .