Until thy wrath be past by Åsa Larsson
11 Aug 2011 6 Comments
in NORDIC FICTION, Sweden, TRANSLATIONS Tags: 2011, ÅSA larsson, crime fiction, NORDIC CRIME, prize winners, sweden
Until thy wrath be past by Åsa Larsson
Åsa Larsson is a swedish crime writer ,she worked as a tax lawyer before becoming a full-time writer .This is her fourth book to be translated into english .Her grandfather was a famous Swedish skier and she has host radio shows in her native Sweden this book features Rebecka Martinsson as have some of her earlier books .She won the best Swedish crime book in 2004 for Blood spilled another from this series ,also the first book in the series Solstorm was made into a film in Sweden .
So Rebecka Martinsson is a Prosecutor in the far north of Sweden ,this job is a cross between our C.I.D and the crown prosecution service they direct the police how to investigate criminal cases deciding when arrests need to be made in the case her police officer is another women Anna-Maria Mella .They are investigating the murder of a young women called Wilma Peterson her body appeared in the river as the spring thaw began .Their investigation draws them to a plane that went missing in the 1940′s people working with the germans during the second world wae ,a pair of brothers that made a lot of money at the time ,these brothers were very intimating to the locals and still via the sons have an influence in the area the crime happen ,a weird local that knows more than he is saying ,the attitude of the male colleagues towards them and also the friction in the own relationship all add to this book being a real page turner.Why were Wilma and her boyfriend where they were is there a missing crashed german plane from the war all these are questions you find the answer to in the book .
On sunday someone phoned the police station in Kiruna to say that he had information about the two kids who had featured in the late night news bulletin the day before .He said his was Goran Sillfors .
“I don’t know if what I have to tell you is all that significant” ,he said , “But you said yourselves ,rather a call too many tan one too few ,so i thought..”
A lead on the case maybe ?
So what did I make of until thy wrath be past the title being a quote from the bible well ,I ve read other nordic crime books over the last few years and this one needs to sit near the top of the pile in the leads Rebecka and Anna Maria she has two different female characters one smart that has worked to be were she is ,the other has a family both have men in their lives ,she makes them leap of the page into flesh and blood .I also loved the way she brought the north of Sweden to life describing the scenery so beautifully .
Frozen puddles and frostbitten moss crackled beneath our feet alanen Vittangivaara loomed to our left
or
frost had nipped at every blade of grass,every twig ,making them brittle and crispy white .Sprays of lingonberry and stunted juniper bushes were a dull shade of wintry green .
lingonberry
She catches the interaction between characters so well the slight tension between the women .The way they can be dismissed by their male counter parts in the police .The fear the brothers cause then and now .The crime is realistic which is more than I can say of some of the other nordic crime novels I ve read .I enjoyed reading female leads that I could get on with as a male reader I sometimes struggle with female leads but these two were wonderful ,also as a coffee drinker I must note they like their lot of coffee . So better tha Harry hole for me ,yes she is the other Larsson but Rebecka is not another Lisbeth Salander she is a new face for Nordic crime .and this is part of a series but makes great reading by itself .
Have you read this or any in the series ?
What is your favourite Nordic crime novel ?
THREE SECONDS BY ROSLUND AND HELLSTORM
25 Oct 2010 5 Comments
in EUROPEAN FICTION, NORDIC FICTION, Sweden Tags: crime fiction, prize winners, TRANSLATIONS
Source – review copy from Quercus .
Three seconds is the fifth novel by the Swedish crime writing partnership of Anders Roslund ,a tv journalist who set up a well-known Swedish art show (culture news ) .His partner is Borge Hellstrom work with the Swedish drug rehabilitation services and found an organisation to help criminal back in to society .
The book centres on two main characters Piet Hoffmann ,a complex man a company owner ,happily married yet on the flip side he is police informant and face of the polish mafia ,the other main character that appears mainly in second half of the book is Evert Grens a swedish police detective in his late fifties a troubled man from an incident in the past he is first introduce solving a murder in Stockholm .The men collide in a complex plan that involves Hoffman getting caught and sent to a maximum security prison the most dangerous in Sweden ,there is a killing and Gren is sent to find the killer unaware of Hoffmann’s really purpose he is a there is a lot twists and turns to you reach the climax of the book .
He left Vasagatan and then got caught in a traffic Jam by Slussen .It was nearly five o’clock and he should have been at the kindergarten an hour ago .
Piet Hoffmann sat in the car and desperately tried to fend off the stress and heat and irritation caused by the afternoon traffic ,which he could do nothing about .Three lanes at a standstill as far down the tunnel as he could see .To combat this battle with the city ,he often though about the soft skin on Zofia’s face when he stroked it or Hugo eyes when he managed to cycle on his own ,or Ramus’s hair splashed with carrot soup .
Hoffmann in his normal life as a married man fetching his kids .
Now this won the Swedish crime novel of the year and is bound to be compared to Steig Larsson ,with the fact it is published by the same Publisher Quercus and one of its writers is a Journalist like Larsson ,But to compare them is doing this a disservice .Three seconds is a complex well researched novel it is like a snowman being built very slow it starts to roll out of control as it grows .The detail in the first few hundred pages serve well for the climax of the book .Grens and Hoffmann are well penned as characters .This novel is highly original I ve never read such a intriguing thriller .the translation is spot on by Kari Dickson A tutor in scandinvian language at Edinburgh university .
other book prizes other than the booker !
03 Apr 2010 1 Comment
in book awards, NORDIC FICTION Tags: around the world 52, book awards, prize winners
i ve spoken a lot about the booker ,but thought I d point out some other prizes that are out there -
PRIX GONCOURT-
START IN 1903 ,named after the successful french writer /editor Edmund de Goncourt .it is award annually ,and never tends to be awarded to the same writer twice ,notable previous winner in recent years have been Jonathan Littell’s the kindly ones and Atiq Rahimi’s the patience stone .the 2009 winner is Marie Ndiaye with her book trois femmes puissantes.
atiq rahimi 2008 winner
DEUTSHER BUCHPREIS -GERMAN BOOK PRIZE -
This is germany’s premier book prize it is closely modeled on the booker prize it is also awarded annually ,with first a longlist ,then short list and winner .the prize started in 2005 .last years winner was Kathrin Schmidt. du stirbst nicht a novel that follows some one awaking from a coma .
Kathrin Schmidt winner 2009
best translated book award -
This award is present by three percent the organization based in america to promote translated books as in america only three percent of books are translated from other fiction .the prize is awarded annually ,this prize also highlights the wonderful people who translate and bring alive these books in english the last winner was Gail Harevens the confession of Noa Weber translated from hebrew it follows Noa Weber a well-known writer .
the 2009 winner
NORDIC COUNCIL LITERATURE PRIZE -
Is an award given by the nordic council annually ,the nominees come from all the nordic countries ,and has been awarded since 1962 ,notable winners include Per Petterson,Sjon .this years winner was finnish Estonia writer Sofi Oksanen with her Puhdistus /purge tells of a families experience follow tragedy .
winner 2010 sofi oksanen
There are some other book awards .
the year of the hare by Arto Paasilinna
02 Apr 2010 7 Comments
in EUROPEAN FICTION, Finland, NORDIC FICTION Tags: FINNISH
notes-
this book was originally written in 1975 ,and may be describe as new age in a way ,Arto Passilinna is Finnish a journalist poet and novelist .The year of the hare is his most successful book being named a U.N.E.S.C.O BOOK IN 1994 .The book has twice been made into a film in 1977 and 2006 .Arto has published over twenty novel his last published in finland last year Elävänä omissa hautajaisissa (“Alive at His Own Funeral”) .
THE BOOK -
The story revolves around Vatanen a finnish journalist ,he and a photographer are driving home one evening when they hit a hare . they gather the injured hare .At this point Vantanen decides to nurse the hare and follow it to the far north and wilds of finland,abandoning his previous life and his family as he does so ,but along the way taking a number of small jobs with an assortment of characters he runs along .He wants the hare as his constant companion and only real friend .in the end Vantanen ends up in prison in the old soviet union as the hare doesn’t know about borders . but not even this keeps him from freedom with his hare at his side .
my view-
this book seems to be of its time 1975 ,it is a new age novel in the vein of Jonathan Livingstone seagull about freedom and being yourself no matter what .Artos use of the hare is wonderful through history the hare has been revered as a magical and mischievous creature .The book is wonderfully paced with short snappy chapters and at 130 pages long is a two sitting or all day book . A real find of a book .
links -
QUESTION -
Have you read this book or any finnish fiction ?
the snowman by jo nesbo
08 Mar 2010 2 Comments
in around the world, books from, NORDIC FICTION, Norway Tags: crime fiction, norway, scandia crime
There is a number of reasons i choose the snow man to read ,firstly is that it fits in with my around the world challenge with the writer being from Norway ,secondly jo Nesbo story of footballer turned writer I found really interesting and wondered how good he could be and lastly is the fact it is a Scandia crime novel that seems to be a current trend in crime fiction
The first thing with a crime novel i find that if i m going to enjoy it they have to be able to stand-alone when part of a series and this is the fifth Harry Hole book and i like to be able to connect some way with the main character ,well on both counts the books excels there is very little reference to earlier book ,but i m sure if you ve read the earlier book s you’ll be able to see them if there subtle .Now in Harry hole we have a world worn casual dressing yet serious detective who likes the occasional drink and has fairly good taste in music .
The story involves wives disappearing and the sudden appearance as they do of a snowman wearing an item of their clothing ,this leads to a number of unsolved missing persons and a deadly foe for Harry .There is many a twist and turn and a few red herrings along the way .this is crime writing at it’s best a ride from start to finish with a great lead character and many interesting character that he meets .
He went into the sitting room ,slipped in the Neil Young cd gloomily took it out again after a quarter of an hour and put on Ryan Adams .the thought of a drink came from nowhere .harry closed his eyes and stared at the dancing pattern of blood and total blindness .he was reminded of the letter again .the first snow .Toowoomba.
a bit from early on as Harry seeks a way into the cake whilst listening to great music .
the book is publish by harvill this week march 6
A Winter Book by Tove Jansson
09 Feb 2010 2 Comments
in around the world, books from, Finland, NORDIC FICTION Tags: around the world 52, FINNISH, water, WINTER
A winter book is a collection of wintery themed book from the writer Tove Jansson ,perhaps best known for her moomin books for children although not a huge fan of the moomin books i did enjoy the cartoon series of the moomins .well the stories span a life time from childhood in finland to being a grown up ,letters .The writing has been wonderfully translated from Swedish ,the stories are simple and powerful .you get a real feel for Jansson as a person .Out of the stories the ones that really gripped me where -
The squirrel ,a wonderful short tale of a tame squirrel that ventures on to an island where the writer lives and brightens what is a quiet tranquil place with its liveliness and antics
correspondence ,a group of letters from a japanese person to Tove ,the beauty of these is how it shows a writer can touch people all over the world how tales wrote in a small island in finland can travel and engross a reader in japan .This showed me why my around the world project matters to me as to be touch by voices round the world is one of the greatest joys of reading
One windless day in november, near sunrise,she saw a squirrel at the landing-place .It was sitting motionless near the water, scarcely visible in the half-light , but she knew it was a real live squirrel and she hadn’t seen a living thing in a long time .You can’t count gulls:they’re always leaving:they’re like the wind over waves and grass.
a quote from start of the squirrel by Tove Jansson ,a winter book is published by sort of books
