That's a Novel Idea

Recently I was reading this piece in the Books & Culture section of The Economist and it got me thinking about the Nordic writers and the novels they have written. My question to the blog community is: have taken to reading these authors and their books? If so, what have you liked or disliked about their literary styles? I'll be honest, I have not read much detective fiction, but I am considering reading some in the near future. Is there one of these writers that stands out head and shoulders above the rest?

Stieg Larsson's series is popular in the Hong Kong bookstores. Maybe that is a good place for me to start?

 

Comments

[caite]

I am reading a Nordic mystery as we speak...The Water's Edge by Karin Fossum...and I have read many.
Why do I like them?

Well, first, I do not really consider Larsson's books typical of the sub-genre, as much as I love his books. Most Nordic mysteries seem to book at crime almost as if it were an insult against the order of their culture.
Personally, I think the rather bleak, often cold, gray setting is perfect backdrop for a crime.

[caite]

hey..that is sort of what the article says...maybe I should have read it first. lol

[Andrew McIntyre]

I read that article. And recently I saw a kiosk in Barnes and Noble with the Stieg Larsson series on it...so they have officially arrived in NY.
I have not had a chance to pick up any of them yet.

I actually read detective fiction quite a bit. My favorite detective Author is/was Robert B. Parker.....wrote Specer, Jesse Stone and Sunny Randall books. Plus I like that all his detectives work in the Boston area and I recognize many of the places where the detecting takes place.

[morganne]

I don't know much about Nordic writers, except that dark and cold places where there's nothing else to do but escape from the harsh realities of life with the help of a bottle, has produced some of the best literature in the past (Russia and England in the 18th & 19th centuries). But I do know that Sweden and Iceland (the Netherlands in general) has produced some of the best contemporary music (mesmerizing, otherworldly), so their fiction can't be too far behind.

[Mae]

I've only recently begun reading Nordic fiction. I loved the Millennium trilogy and, while it's fiction, it's really opened my eyes to Scandinavia and the idea of it's clean cut image. I've also been reading John Ajvide Lindqvist who writes the 'horror' novels including 'Let the Right One In' which was excellent and not the typical horror fiction. I'm on the look out for more Nordic fiction.

[Watch Movies]

I haven't read it but after reading the review and above comment I am excited to read it. I have read so many horror fiction and detective fiction, and hope this would be as good as others.