Nordic noir
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Nordic noir, also known as Scandinavian noir or Scandi noir, is a
genre Genre () is any form or type of communication in any mode (written, spoken, digital, artistic, etc.) with socially-agreed-upon conventions developed over time. In popular usage, it normally describes a category of literature, music, or other for ...
of
crime fiction Crime fiction, detective story, murder mystery, mystery novel, and police novel are terms used to describe narratives that centre on criminal acts and especially on the investigation, either by an amateur or a professional detective, of a crime, ...
usually written from a police point of view and set in
Scandinavia Scandinavia; Sámi languages: /. ( ) is a subregion#Europe, subregion in Northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. In English usage, ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, ...
or
Nordic countries The Nordic countries (also known as the Nordics or ''Norden''; literal translation, lit. 'the North') are a geographical and cultural region in Northern Europe and the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic. It includes the sovereign states of Denmar ...
. Plain language avoiding
metaphor A metaphor is a figure of speech that, for rhetorical effect, directly refers to one thing by mentioning another. It may provide (or obscure) clarity or identify hidden similarities between two different ideas. Metaphors are often compared wit ...
and set in bleak landscapes results in a dark and morally complex mood, depicting a tension between the apparently still and bland social surface and the murder, misogyny, misandry, rape, and racism it depicts as lying underneath. It contrasts with the
whodunit A ''whodunit'' or ''whodunnit'' (a colloquial elision of "Who asdone it?") is a complex plot-driven variety of detective fiction in which the puzzle regarding who committed the crime is the main focus. The reader or viewer is provided with the cl ...
style such as the
English country house An English country house is a large house or mansion in the English countryside. Such houses were often owned by individuals who also owned a town house. This allowed them to spend time in the country and in the city—hence, for these peopl ...
murder mystery. Some of the best known Nordic noir authors include
Jo Nesbø Jo Nesbø (; born Jon Nesbø; 29 March 1960) is a Norwegian writer, musician, economist, and former football player and reporter. More than 3 million copies of his novels had been sold in Norway as of March 2014; his work has been translated ...
from
Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...
,
Henning Mankell Henning Georg Mankell (; 3February 19485October 2015) was a Swedish crime writer, children's author, and dramatist, best known for a series of mystery novels starring his most noted creation, Inspector Kurt Wallander. He also wrote a number of ...
,
Stieg Larsson Karl Stig-Erland "Stieg" Larsson (, ; 15 August 1954 – 9 November 2004) was a Swedish writer, journalist, and activist. He is best known for writing the ''Millennium'' trilogy of crime novels, which were published posthumously, starting in 2 ...
and
Camilla Läckberg Jean Edith Camilla Läckberg Eriksson (; born August 30, 1974) is a Swedish crime writer. As of the early-2010s, her work has been translated into more than 40 languages in 60 countries. She has been called "the rock star of Nordic noir." Writ ...
from
Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...
,
Jussi Adler-Olsen Carl Valdemar Jussi Henry Adler-Olsen (born 2 August 1950) is a Danish crime fiction writer, a publisher, editor, and entrepreneur, best known for his '' Department Q'' series. He made his debut as a nonfiction writer in 1984, and as a fiction ...
from
Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark ...
and
Arnaldur Indriðason Arnaldur Indriðason (pronounced ; born 28 January 1961) is an Icelandic writer of crime fiction; his most popular series features the protagonist Detective Erlendur. Biography Arnaldur was born in Reykjavík on 28 January 1961, the son of ...
from
Iceland Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its s ...
. The popularity of Nordic noir has extended to the screen, with TV-series such as '' The Killing'', '' The Bridge'','' Trapped'', and '' Bordertown''.


Origins

There are differing views on the origins but most commentators agree that the genre had become well established as a literary genre by the 1990s; Swedish writer
Henning Mankell Henning Georg Mankell (; 3February 19485October 2015) was a Swedish crime writer, children's author, and dramatist, best known for a series of mystery novels starring his most noted creation, Inspector Kurt Wallander. He also wrote a number of ...
, who has sometimes been referred to as "the father of Nordic noir", notes that the
Martin Beck Martin Beck is a fictional Swedish police detective and the main character in the ten novels by Maj Sjöwall and Per Wahlöö, collectively titled ''The Story of a Crime''. Frequently referred to as the Martin Beck stories, all have been adapt ...
series of novels by
Maj Sjöwall Maj Sjöwall (; 25 September 1935 – 29 April 2020) was a Swedish author and translator. She is best known for her books about police detective Martin Beck. She wrote the books in collaborative work with her partner Per Wahlöö. Biograph ...
and
Per Wahlöö Per Fredrik Wahlöö (5 August 1926 – 22 June 1975) – in English translations often identified as Peter Wahloo – was a Swedish author. He is perhaps best known for the collaborative work with his partner Maj Sjöwall on a series of ten nove ...
"broke with the previous trends in crime fiction" and pioneered a new style: "They were influenced and inspired by the American writer
Ed McBain Evan Hunter, born Salvatore Albert Lombino,(October 15, 1926 – July 6, 2005) was an American author and screenwriter best known for his 87th Precinct novels, written under his Ed McBain pen name, and the novel upon which the film ''Blackbo ...
. They realized that there was a huge unexplored territory in which crime novels could form the framework for stories containing social criticism." Kerstin Bergman notes that "what made Sjöwall and Wahlöö's novels stand out from previous crime fiction – and what made it so influential in the following decades – was, above all, the conscious inclusion of a critical perspective on Swedish society." Henning Mankell's books on "
Kurt Wallander Kurt Wallander () is a fictional Swedish police inspector created by Swedish crime writer Henning Mankell (1948 – 2015). He is the protagonist of many thriller/mystery novels set in and around the town of Ystad, south-east of the city of Malm ...
" made the genre a mass phenomenon in the 1990s. Norwegian author
Karin Fossum Karin Fossum (born 6 November 1954) is a Norwegian author of crime fiction, often referred to as the "Norwegian queen of crime". Early life Karin Mathisen was born on 6 November 1954 in Sandefjord, in Vestfold county, Norway. She currently lives ...
's books on "Inspector Sejer" were also highly influential and widely translated. British author
Barry Forshaw Barry Forshaw is a writer, broadcaster and journalist whose books include '' British Crime Writing: An Encyclopedia'', '' The Rough Guide to Crime Fiction'', '' Brit Noir'', '' British Gothic Cinema'', ''Nordic Noir'', '' Sex and Film'', '' Euro N ...
suggested that Peter Høeg's atmospheric novel ''
Miss Smilla's Feeling for Snow ''Miss Smilla's Feeling for Snow'' (published in America as ''Smilla's Sense of Snow'') (Danish: ''Frøken Smillas fornemmelse for sne'') is a 1992 novel by Danish author Peter Høeg tracing the investigation into the suspicious death of a Greenl ...
'' was "massively influential" as the true progenitor of the "Scandinavian New Wave" and, by setting its counter-intuitive heroine in Copenhagen and Greenland, that it inaugurated the current Scandinavian crime writing wave. One critic opines, "Nordic crime fiction carries a more respectable cachet... than similar
genre fiction Genre fiction, also known as popular fiction, is a term used in the book-trade for fictional works written with the intent of fitting into a specific literary genre, in order to appeal to readers and fans already familiar with that genre. A num ...
produced in Britain or the US". Language, heroes and settings are three commonalities in the genre, which features plain, direct writing style without
metaphor A metaphor is a figure of speech that, for rhetorical effect, directly refers to one thing by mentioning another. It may provide (or obscure) clarity or identify hidden similarities between two different ideas. Metaphors are often compared wit ...
. The novels are often
police procedural The police show, or police crime drama, is a subgenre of procedural drama and detective fiction that emphasizes the investigative procedure of a police officer or department as the protagonist(s), as contrasted with other genres that focus on eith ...
, focusing on the monotonous, day-to-day work of police, often involving the simultaneous investigation of several crimes. Examples especially include
Henning Mankell Henning Georg Mankell (; 3February 19485October 2015) was a Swedish crime writer, children's author, and dramatist, best known for a series of mystery novels starring his most noted creation, Inspector Kurt Wallander. He also wrote a number of ...
's
Kurt Wallander Kurt Wallander () is a fictional Swedish police inspector created by Swedish crime writer Henning Mankell (1948 – 2015). He is the protagonist of many thriller/mystery novels set in and around the town of Ystad, south-east of the city of Malm ...
detective series, and
Maj Sjöwall Maj Sjöwall (; 25 September 1935 – 29 April 2020) was a Swedish author and translator. She is best known for her books about police detective Martin Beck. She wrote the books in collaborative work with her partner Per Wahlöö. Biograph ...
and
Per Wahlöö Per Fredrik Wahlöö (5 August 1926 – 22 June 1975) – in English translations often identified as Peter Wahloo – was a Swedish author. He is perhaps best known for the collaborative work with his partner Maj Sjöwall on a series of ten nove ...
's
Martin Beck Martin Beck is a fictional Swedish police detective and the main character in the ten novels by Maj Sjöwall and Per Wahlöö, collectively titled ''The Story of a Crime''. Frequently referred to as the Martin Beck stories, all have been adapt ...
novels. Until the 2010s, the genre had no particular name, but was sometimes referred to descriptively as "Nordic crime fiction" or "Scandinavian crime fiction". Within the Nordic countries themselves, this is still the case. The terms "Nordic noir" and "Scandinavian noir" are used largely interchangeably in English. In the
English-speaking Speakers of English are also known as Anglophones, and the countries where English is natively spoken by the majority of the population are termed the '' Anglosphere''. Over two billion people speak English , making English the largest langua ...
world, the term "Nordic noir" was coined by the Scandinavian Department at the
University College of London , mottoeng = Let all come who by merit deserve the most reward , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £143 million (2020) , budget = ...
and gained further usage in the British media in the 2010s beginning with the airing of the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
documentary called the ''Nordic Noir: The Story of Scandinavian Crime Fiction''. ''The Guardian'' also referred to ''The Killing'' as Nordic noir. These factors underscore that the term is considered typical of a phenomenon seen as uniting the viewpoint of foreign eye towards recognizable Nordic context. Nordic noir remains a foreign term, as it is not normally used in the Nordic countries and has no equally established equivalent in the Scandinavian or other languages of the Nordic countries.


Features

Some critics attribute the genre's success to a distinctive and appealing style, "realistic, simple and precise... and stripped of unnecessary words". Their protagonists are typically morose detectives or ones worn down by cares and far from simply heroic. In this way, the protagonists' lives cast a light on the flaws of society, which are beyond the crime itself. This is associated with how this genre often tackles a murder mystery that is linked with several storylines and themes such as the investigation of the dark underbelly of modern society. This is demonstrated in the case of the ''Insomnia'' films, which featured crime-solving linked to the decline of the Nordic welfare state. A description of Nordic noir cited that it is typified by a dimly lit aesthetic, matched by a slow and melancholic pace, as well as multi-layered storylines. It often features a mix of bleak naturalism and disconsolate locations, with a focus on the sense of place where bad things can happen. These were the distinguishing emotions of the series '' Bordertown'', which were further combined with an atmosphere arising from the fear of Russia. The works also owe something to Scandinavia's political system where the apparent equality, social justice, and liberalism of the
Nordic model The Nordic model comprises the economic and social policies as well as typical cultural practices common to the Nordic countries (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden). This includes a comprehensive welfare state and multi-level coll ...
is seen to cover up dark secrets and hidden hatreds. Stieg Larsson's ''Millennium'' trilogy, for example, deals with misogyny and rape, while Henning Mankell's ''
Faceless Killers ''Faceless Killers'' (Swedish language, Swedish: ''Mördare utan ansikte'') is a 1991 in literature, 1991 crime novel by the Sweden, Swedish writer Henning Mankell, and the first in his acclaimed Kurt Wallander, Wallander series. The English transl ...
'' focuses on Sweden's failure to integrate its immigrant population.


Television

The term "nordic noir" is also applied to films and television series in this genre, both adaptations of novels and original screenplays. Notable examples are '' The Killing,'' '' The Bridge'', '' Trapped'', '' Bordertown'', ''
Deadwind ''Deadwind'' ( fi, Karppi) is a Finnish crime drama and Nordic noir television series directed and created by Rike Jokela, starring Pihla Viitala, Lauri Tilkanen, Jani Volanen, and Tommi Korpela. It premiered in Finland in March 2018 on Yle TV2 ...
'' and ''
Lakeside Murders ''Lakeside Murders'' ( fi, Koskinen) is a Finnish crime drama and Nordic noir television series created by and starring Eero Aho. The series is based on the ''Koskinen'' book series by Seppo Jokinen and follows Inspector Sakari Koskinen and hi ...
''. Critic
Boyd Tonkin Boyd Tonkin Hon. FRSL is an English writer, journalist and literary critic. He was the literary editor of ''The Independent'' newspaper from 1996 to 2013. A long-time proponent of foreign-language literature, he is the author of ''The 100 Best Nov ...
has suggested that the British but heavily Scandinavian-influenced
Shetland Isles Shetland, also called the Shetland Islands and formerly Zetland, is a subarctic archipelago in Scotland lying between Orkney, the Faroe Islands and Norway. It is the northernmost region of the United Kingdom. The islands lie about to the ...
and
Outer Hebrides The Outer Hebrides () or Western Isles ( gd, Na h-Eileanan Siar or or ("islands of the strangers"); sco, Waster Isles), sometimes known as the Long Isle/Long Island ( gd, An t-Eilean Fada, links=no), is an island chain off the west coast ...
have produced authors in an allied, if not precisely identical tradition. Exponents include
Ann Cleeves Ann Cleeves (born 1954) is a British mystery crime writer. She wrote the Vera Stanhope, Jimmy Perez, and Matthew Venn series, all three of which have been adapted into TV shows. In 2006 she won the Duncan Lawrie Dagger for her novel ''Rav ...
, whose ''Shetland'' books have been adapted for television, and Peter May's '' Lewis Trilogy''. The relatively slower narrative pace of UK crime dramas ''
Broadchurch ''Broadchurch'' is a British crime drama television series broadcast on ITV for three series between 2013 and 2017. It was created by Chris Chibnall, who acted as an executive producer and wrote all 24 episodes and produced by Kudos in assoc ...
'', '' The Missing'' and ''
River A river is a natural flowing watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, sea, lake or another river. In some cases, a river flows into the ground and becomes dry at the end of its course without reaching another body of wate ...
'' is also credited to a "Scandinavian noir" influence. Subtitled original programmes have proven more popular with British audiences. International adaptations such as Sky Television's French/British '' The Tunnel'' (adapted from the Swedish/Danish '' The Bridge'') have their own identity whilst retaining a stylistic and thematic affinity with the original series. While American cinema brought the English language movie version of ''
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo ''The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo'' (original title in sv, Män som hatar kvinnor , lit=''Men Who Hate Women'') is a psychological thriller novel by Swedish author and journalist Stieg Larsson (1954–2004). It was published posthumously in 2 ...
'' to a worldwide audience, receiving plaudits and was a box-office success, the American adaptations such as '' The Killing'' have fared less well critically and have proven less popular in terms of audience reaction than original productions, an example being the enduring interest in Arne Dahl's ''Intercrime'' series, originally titled ''The A Team'', and its TV adaptations. In February and March 2021 UK's
BBC Four BBC Four is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It was launched on 2 March 2002
broadcast the
Finnish Finnish may refer to: * Something or someone from, or related to Finland * Culture of Finland * Finnish people or Finns, the primary ethnic group in Finland * Finnish language, the national language of the Finnish people * Finnish cuisine See also ...
psychological thriller ''Man in Room 301'' (
Finnish Finnish may refer to: * Something or someone from, or related to Finland * Culture of Finland * Finnish people or Finns, the primary ethnic group in Finland * Finnish language, the national language of the Finnish people * Finnish cuisine See also ...
: "Huone 301").


Authors

Authors who have contributed to the creation and establishment of this genre include:


Finnish

*
Leena Lehtolainen Leena Katriina Lehtolainen (born 11 March 1964) is a Finnish crime novelist, best known for her series of novels about the policewoman Maria Kallio. Lehtolainen was born in Vesanto, Northern Savonia. Her first novel was released when she was o ...
* Reijo Mäki * Mikko Porvali *
Matti Rönkä Matti Rönkä (born 9 September 1959) is a Finnish TV journalist and novelist. He received the Glass Key award in 2007 for the crime novel ''Ystävät kaukana'' and the ''Deutscher Krimi Preis'' third prize in 2008 for the German translation of h ...
* Christian Rönnbacka *
Max Seeck Max or MAX may refer to: Animals * Max (dog) (1983–2013), at one time purported to be the world's oldest living dog * Max (English Springer Spaniel), the first pet dog to win the PDSA Order of Merit (animal equivalent of OBE) * Max (gorilla) ...


Icelandic

*
Arnaldur Indriðason Arnaldur Indriðason (pronounced ; born 28 January 1961) is an Icelandic writer of crime fiction; his most popular series features the protagonist Detective Erlendur. Biography Arnaldur was born in Reykjavík on 28 January 1961, the son of ...
*
Yrsa Sigurðardóttir Vilborg Yrsa Sigurðardóttir (born in 1963) is an Icelandic people, Icelandic writer of both Crime fiction, crime novels and Children's literature, children's fiction. She has been writing since 1998. Her début crime novel was translated into ...
*
Ragnar Jónasson Ragnar Jónasson (born 1976) is an Icelandic author of crime fiction. He is the author of the bestselling ''Dark Iceland'' series, set in and around Siglufjörður Siglufjörður () is a small fishing town in a narrow fjord with the same name o ...


Danish

*
Jussi Adler-Olsen Carl Valdemar Jussi Henry Adler-Olsen (born 2 August 1950) is a Danish crime fiction writer, a publisher, editor, and entrepreneur, best known for his '' Department Q'' series. He made his debut as a nonfiction writer in 1984, and as a fiction ...
*
Leif Davidsen Leif Davidsen (born 25 July 1950 in Otterup) is a Danish author and journalist. Career Educated as a journalist, in 1977 he started working in Spain as a freelance journalist for Danmarks Radio. In 1980 he began covering Soviet news with freq ...
*
Peter Høeg Peter Høeg (born 17 May 1957) is a Danish writer of fiction. He is best known for his novel '' Miss Smilla's Feeling for Snow'' (1992). Early life Høeg was born in Copenhagen, Denmark. Before becoming a writer, he worked variously as a sailor, ...


Norwegian

* Alex Dahl * Kjell Ola Dahl *
Thomas Enger Thomas Enger (born November 21, 1973 in Oslo) is a Norwegian writer and journalist. He grew up in Jessheim, but is now living in Oslo with his cohabitant and two children. He is a trained journalist and worked for Nettavisen ''Nettavisen'' is ...
*
Karin Fossum Karin Fossum (born 6 November 1954) is a Norwegian author of crime fiction, often referred to as the "Norwegian queen of crime". Early life Karin Mathisen was born on 6 November 1954 in Sandefjord, in Vestfold county, Norway. She currently lives ...
*
Anne Holt Anne Holt (born 16 November 1958) is a Norwegian author, lawyer and former Minister of Justice. Early life She was born in Larvik, grew up in Lillestrøm and Tromsø, and moved to Oslo in 1978. Holt graduated with a law degree from the Universit ...
* Jørn Lier Horst *
Hans Olav Lahlum Hans Olav Lahlum (born 12 September 1973) is a Norwegian historian, crime author, chess player and organizer, and politician. He has written biographies on Oscar Torp and Haakon Lie, and a history book about all the Presidents of the United States ...
* Christer Mjåset *
Jo Nesbø Jo Nesbø (; born Jon Nesbø; 29 March 1960) is a Norwegian writer, musician, economist, and former football player and reporter. More than 3 million copies of his novels had been sold in Norway as of March 2014; his work has been translated ...
* Pernille Rygg *
Gunnar Staalesen Gunnar Staalesen (born 19 October 1947) is a Norwegian writer. He is a major figure in the Nordic noir crime fiction genre through his 19 novels featuring Varg Veum, a private detective in Bergen on the rainy west coast of Norway. The Varg Veum ...
* Frode Sander Øien (Samuel Bjørk)


Swedish

*
Jan Arnald Jan Arnald (born 11 January 1963) is a Swedish novelist and literary critic, whose pen name is Arne Dahl. He has become famous with crime fiction, and he is also a regular writer in Swedish newspaper ''Dagens Nyheter''. He published ''Barbarer ...
(Arne Dahl) *
Karin Alvtegen Karin Alvtegen (born 8 June 1965, Huskvarna, Sweden) is a Swedish author of crime fiction. Alvtegen's psychological thrillers are generally set in Sweden. Four of her books have been translated into English: '' Missing'', ''Betrayal'', ''Shadow'' ...
*
Majgull Axelsson Majgull Axelsson (born 1947 in Landskrona) is a Swedish journalist and writer. She grew up in Nässjö and completed her education in journalism. Life and career Her first book was non-fiction, and focused on the problems of child prostituti ...
* Annika Bryn * LiseLotte Divelli *
Åke Edwardson Åke Edwardson (born 10 March 1953 in Eksjö, Småland) is a Swedish author of detective fiction, and was previously a lecturer in journalism at Gothenburg University, the city where many of his ''Inspector Winter'' novels are set. Edwardson h ...
*
Kerstin Ekman Kerstin Lillemor Ekman, née Hjorth, (born 27 August 1933) is a Swedish novelist. Life and career Kerstin Ekman wrote a string of successful detective novels (among others ''De tre små mästarna'' and ''Dödsklockan'') but later went on to ps ...
*
Kjell Eriksson 'Kjell Sylve Eriksson (born 1953 in Uppsala) is a Swedish writer, author of the detective chief inspector Ann Lindell crime novels. ''Den upplysta stigen'' (“Shining path”), the first of the Lindell series, was named Best First Novel of 1999 ...
* Börge Hellström * Anna Jansson * P. C. Jersild * Mari Jungstedt *
Mons Kallentoft Mons Kallentoft (born 15 April 1968), is a Swedish author and journalist. Kallentoft grew up in Ljungsbro outside Linköping and lives in Stockholm. He has written twelve books about Police Inspector Malin Fors. The series is translated in 28 ...
* Robert Karjel *
Camilla Läckberg Jean Edith Camilla Läckberg Eriksson (; born August 30, 1974) is a Swedish crime writer. As of the early-2010s, her work has been translated into more than 40 languages in 60 countries. She has been called "the rock star of Nordic noir." Writ ...
*
Jens Lapidus Jens Jacob Lapidus (; born 24 May 1974) is a Swedish criminal defense lawyer and author known for his books about the Stockholm underworld. Life and career Lapidus was born into a middle class family in the Stockholm suburb Gröndal, with a mothe ...
*
Stieg Larsson Karl Stig-Erland "Stieg" Larsson (, ; 15 August 1954 – 9 November 2004) was a Swedish writer, journalist, and activist. He is best known for writing the ''Millennium'' trilogy of crime novels, which were published posthumously, starting in 2 ...
*
Åsa Larsson Åsa Larsson (born 28 June 1966) is a Swedish crime-fiction writer. Although born in Uppsala, she was raised in Kiruna in the far north. Prior to becoming a full-time writer, Larsson was a tax lawyer, a profession she shares with the heroine of h ...
* Göran Lundin *
Henning Mankell Henning Georg Mankell (; 3February 19485October 2015) was a Swedish crime writer, children's author, and dramatist, best known for a series of mystery novels starring his most noted creation, Inspector Kurt Wallander. He also wrote a number of ...
*
Liza Marklund Eva Elisabeth "Liza" Marklund (born 9 September 1962) is a Swedish journalist and crime writer. Her novels, of which most feature the fictional newspaper journalist Annika Bengtzon, have been published in forty languages. Marklund is the co-owne ...
*
Anders de la Motte Lars ''Anders'' Thomas de la Motte, born June 19, 1971 in Billesholm in Skåne County, is a Swedish crime writer. Biography Anders de la Motte grew up in the town of Billesholm in Skåne County in southern Sweden, where his mother was lib ...
*
Håkan Nesser Håkan Nesser (born 21 February 1950) is a Swedish author and teacher who has written a number of successful novels, mostly but not only crime fiction. He has won Best Swedish Crime Novel Award three times, and his novel ''Carambole'' won the pre ...
*
Jussi Adler-Olsen Carl Valdemar Jussi Henry Adler-Olsen (born 2 August 1950) is a Danish crime fiction writer, a publisher, editor, and entrepreneur, best known for his '' Department Q'' series. He made his debut as a nonfiction writer in 1984, and as a fiction ...
*
Leif G. W. Persson Leif Gustav Willy Persson (born 12 March 1945) is a Swedish criminologist and novelist. Persson has four children, one of whom, Malin Persson Giolito, is also a crime writer. Early life Leif Gustav Willy Persson was born on 12 March 1945 in Stoc ...
*
Anders Roslund Anders is a male name in Scandinavian languages and Fering North Frisian, an equivalent of the Greek Andreas ("manly") and the English Andrew. It originated from Andres via metathesis. In Sweden, Anders has been one of the most common names fo ...
* Carl-Johan Vallgren *
Maj Sjöwall Maj Sjöwall (; 25 September 1935 – 29 April 2020) was a Swedish author and translator. She is best known for her books about police detective Martin Beck. She wrote the books in collaborative work with her partner Per Wahlöö. Biograph ...
and
Per Wahlöö Per Fredrik Wahlöö (5 August 1926 – 22 June 1975) – in English translations often identified as Peter Wahloo – was a Swedish author. He is perhaps best known for the collaborative work with his partner Maj Sjöwall on a series of ten nove ...
*
Johan Theorin Johan Theorin (born in 1963 Gothenburg) is a Swedish journalist and author. Throughout his life, Johan Theorin has been a regular visitor to the island of Öland in the Baltic sea. His mother’s family—sailors, fishermen and stone cutters—h ...
*
Helene Tursten Helene Tursten (born in Gothenburg on February 17, 1954) is a Swedish writer of crime fiction. Work The main character in her stories is Detective Inspector Irene Huss. Before becoming an author, Tursten worked as a nurse and then a dentist, bu ...
*
Lars Kepler Lars Kepler is the pseudonym of husband and wife team Alexandra Coelho Ahndoril (b. 1966) and Alexander Ahndoril (b. 1967), authors of the Joona Linna series. With eight installments to date, the series has sold 15 million copies in 40 languages. ...


Faroese

*
Jógvan Isaksen Jógvan Isaksen (born 25 August 1950 in Tórshavn) is a Faroese writer and literary historian. He is best known for his crime novels and for his book about Faroese literature (1993, in Danish). He is leader of the Faroese publication house whi ...


Lithuanian

*
Emilis Vėlyvis Emilis Vėlyvis (born 30 May 1979) is a famous Lithuanian film director, screenwriter, and artist. He graduated with a master's degree from the Vilnius Academy of Arts in 2002 and studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw. He is the directo ...


See also

* ''Detective Varg'' series, lighthearted stories set in Sweden and described as "Scandi blanc"


References


Further reading

* Bergman, Kerstin (2014). ''Swedish Crime Fiction: The Making of Nordic Noir''. Mimesis International. * * Lesser, Wendy (2020). ''Scandinavian Noir: In Pursuit of a Mystery''. Farrar, Straus and Giroux. * Nestingen, Andrew & Arvas, Paula, eds. (2011). ''Scandinavian Crime Fiction''. University of Wales Press.


External links

{{Wikivoyage, Nordic noir Literary genres Scandinavian culture Crime fiction Nordic literature Noir fiction