2014:1

There is an interesting article by Kalle Laxgård in the digest of spring book catalogues published by Svensk bokhandel (the Swedish equivalent of The Bookseller). He looks at the hype with which some Swedish titles are sold to foreign territories these days and, by tracking the subsequent fates of the those titles, predictably discovers that not all of them go on to perform well in new markets. On the subject of past hype, there seem to be slightly fewer Scandinavian crime fiction titles in the reviews columns and bestseller lists these days. The crime wave may have peaked, but waves are powerful forces and can rearrange the scenery when they come crashing to shore. The landscape for translated fiction has undoubtedly opened up; English-language readers are now getting the chance to see a broader selection of work from Sweden and Swedish-speaking Finland. Recent years have brought everything from humorous novels to supernatural teen/crossover titles, from autobiography to investigative journalism and reportage. We can also detect a shift towards classic epic storytelling.

Hype is an overrated and overused tool, but the power of compelling narrative endures, hence the sprouting of new Swedish literary agencies with names like Partners in Stories and Storytellers. They have an eye to lucrative film rights, of course, but few would deny the seductiveness of a good plot. This issue of SBR, too, offers a selection of great stories: a visit from none other than the Devil takes Maria Ernestam’s protagonist by surprise; Jenny Åkervall’s political thriller is a must for those who enjoyed BBC4’s successful Danish acquisition Borgen; family relationship malfunction overlaps with social and political tensions in Åsa Foster’s story set in contemporary South Africa; and a melancholy and mysterious London mansion plays a starring role in Gabriella Håkansson’s new historical novel. Our Bookshelf is bulging at the seams with exciting, readable new titles in the fields of fiction, non-fiction and books for young adults.

Will Swedish crime fiction’s next trick be to tap into the current retro vogue? BBC4 has, for example, bought the series Crimes Of Passion, based on the popular 1950s crime novels of Maria Lang. Not to be outdone, SBR combines homage to arguably the greatest fictional detective of all time with a crime story set in early-twentieth century Helsinki. The charming amateur investigations of a thoughtful Finland-Swedish librarian and would-be Holmes deserve to be more widely known.