In the spring of 2013, a new award called the "Petrona" was announced for the best yearly Scandinavian crime novel. The award was named after the blog of the late Maxine Clarke, who was a champion of Scandinavian crime fiction. The short list for this year's award was based on reviews and recommendations in her blog. The winner of the 2013 Petrona Award was announced at this year's Crimefest in Bristol. If you missed the news, the award went to Lisa Marklund for her novel Last Will, which is the sixth novel in her series featuring protagonist Annika Bengtzon, an investigative journalist. For Maxine Clarke's review of the novel, please see http://petronatwo.wordpress.com/2012/05/11/book-review-last-will-by-liza-marklund/.
According to Maxine Clarke, the appeal of Marklund's writing--and Scandinavian crime novels in general--is the tackling of contemporary social issues. I find this observation interesting because I regard this social realism as a hallmark (and legacy) of "hard-boiled" detective fiction in general: the protagonist reflects on the corruption and injustices he encounters (think Hammett, Chandler, or Ross Macdonald, for example).
If you're interested in reading my Open Investigations blog on the popularity of Scandinavian crime fiction, please click here.
Showing posts with label Scandinavian crime fiction. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Scandinavian crime fiction. Show all posts
Monday, 15 July 2013
Friday, 27 July 2012
Crime Fiction Grab Bag, No. 2
The weekend's coming, which means it's time for another crime fiction grab bag here on The Overnight Bestseller, where we share links to the latest tidbits from our favorite genre.
Crime fiction author Michael Connelly has won the 2012 Harper Lee Prize for legal fiction with The Fifth Witness, which features Lincoln lawyer Mickey Haller. The selection committee included Linda Fairstein, Condoleezza Rice, and Lisa Scottoline. Read about it here.
The Sabotage Times (whose motto is "We Can't Concentrate So Why Should You?") provides an interview with J.J. Connolly, who riffs on his latest novel, Viva La Madness, the long-awaited sequel to the black comedy gangster novel Layer Cake, the film version of which stars Daniel Craig.
Crime Time informs us that Harvill Secker has acquired the UK and Commonwealth rights for A Treacherous Paradise, the new novel by Henning Mankell. Translated by Laurie Thompson, it will be published in June 2013.
Still on a Scandinavian theme, since that region continues to be a hotspot for crime fiction, Wired UK offers six tips on how to write your own Nordic thriller, as suggested by Barry Forshaw, author of Death in a Cold Climate: A Guide to Scandinavian Crime Fiction. Delightfully tongue-in-cheek, they cover characterization, amount of bloodshed, and of course, an appropriately cold setting. (Where's the Canadian equivalent, folks? Who's up for that one?)
Finally, at the bottom of the bag this week, we pull out from CNN an amusing article suggesting travel destinations for crime fiction lovers wanting to check out the settings of their favorite crime fiction novels. Locales include: Baltimore; Brattleboro, Vermont; Edinburgh, Scotland; Gaborone, Botswana; and, inevitably, Sweden.
Enjoy, and see you next time!
Crime fiction author Michael Connelly has won the 2012 Harper Lee Prize for legal fiction with The Fifth Witness, which features Lincoln lawyer Mickey Haller. The selection committee included Linda Fairstein, Condoleezza Rice, and Lisa Scottoline. Read about it here.
The Sabotage Times (whose motto is "We Can't Concentrate So Why Should You?") provides an interview with J.J. Connolly, who riffs on his latest novel, Viva La Madness, the long-awaited sequel to the black comedy gangster novel Layer Cake, the film version of which stars Daniel Craig.
Crime Time informs us that Harvill Secker has acquired the UK and Commonwealth rights for A Treacherous Paradise, the new novel by Henning Mankell. Translated by Laurie Thompson, it will be published in June 2013.
Still on a Scandinavian theme, since that region continues to be a hotspot for crime fiction, Wired UK offers six tips on how to write your own Nordic thriller, as suggested by Barry Forshaw, author of Death in a Cold Climate: A Guide to Scandinavian Crime Fiction. Delightfully tongue-in-cheek, they cover characterization, amount of bloodshed, and of course, an appropriately cold setting. (Where's the Canadian equivalent, folks? Who's up for that one?)
Finally, at the bottom of the bag this week, we pull out from CNN an amusing article suggesting travel destinations for crime fiction lovers wanting to check out the settings of their favorite crime fiction novels. Locales include: Baltimore; Brattleboro, Vermont; Edinburgh, Scotland; Gaborone, Botswana; and, inevitably, Sweden.
Enjoy, and see you next time!
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