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 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 ada ...

. She wrote the books in collaborative work with her partner

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 nov ...

Biography

Maj Sjöwall was the daughter of Margit Trobäck and CEO Will Sjöwall. After completing school Sjöwall was employed at Åhlén & Åkerlunds publishers between 1954 and 1959, Wahlström & Widstrands publishers between 1959 and 1961 and then Esselte publishers between 1961 and 1963. Sjöwall was best known for the collaborative work with her partner

on a series of ten novels about the exploits of

, a police detective in

Stockholm Stockholm () is the capital and largest city of Sweden as well as the largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people live in the municipality, with 1.6 million in the urban area, and 2.4 million in the metropo ...

. They also wrote several novels separately. In 1971, the fourth of the Beck books, '' The Laughing Policeman'' (a translation of ''Den skrattande polisen'', originally published in 1968) won an

Edgar Award The Edgar Allan Poe Awards, popularly called the Edgars, are presented every year by the Mystery Writers of America, based in New York City. Named after American writer Edgar Allan Poe (1809–1849), a pioneer in the genre, the awards honor the bes ...

from the

Mystery Writers of America Mystery Writers of America (MWA) is an organization of mystery and crime writers, based in New York City. The organization was founded in 1945 by Clayton Rawson, Anthony Boucher, Lawrence Treat, and Brett Halliday. It presents the Edgar Award ...

for Best Novel; the book was also adapted into the film '' The Laughing Policeman'' starring

Walter Matthau Walter Matthau (; born Walter John Matthow; October 1, 1920 – July 1, 2000) was an American actor, comedian and film director. He is best known for his film roles in '' A Face in the Crowd'' (1957), '' King Creole'' (1958) and as a coach of a ...

. In 2013, Sjöwall received the fifth Lenin Award. After the death of Wahlöö, she continued working as a translator, writing columns for magazines and as an author. With Danish author Bjarne Nielsen she in 1989 published the book ''Dansk Intermezzo''. In 1990, she and author

Tomas Ross Tomas Ross (Den Bommel, 16 September 1944) is a Dutch writer who is famous for his historical criminal thrillers. He was born as Willem Pieter Hogendoorn in Den Bommel (Goeree-Overflakkee). He has used the pseudonym Tomas Ross since 1980. His fa ...

published the thriller ''Kvinnan som liknade Greta Garbo''.

Personal life

Sjöwall married her first husband, magazine editor Gunnar Isaksson, in 1955, and they divorced in 1958. She married again in 1959 to photographer Hans J. Flodquist; they divorced in 1962. Sjöwall had a 13-year relationship with Wahlöö, which lasted until his death in 1975. Sjöwall died on 29 April 2020, at the age of 84 after a prolonged illness.

Bibliography

Martin Beck novels written with Per Wahlöö

* '' Roseanna'' (1965) * '' Mannen som gick upp i rök'' (1966) * '' Mannen på balkongen'' (1967) * '' Den skrattande polisen'' (1968) * '' Brandbilen som försvann'' (1969) * '' Polis, polis, potatismos'' (1970) * '' Den vedervärdige mannen från Säffle'' (1971) * '' Det slutna rummet'' (1972) * '' Polismördaren'' (1974) * '' Terroristerna'' (1975)

Other books

* ''Dansk Intermezzo'' (1989). Martin Beck novel written with Bjarne Nielsen. * ''Kvinnan som liknade Greta Garbo'' (1990). Written jointly with

. * ''Sista resan och andra berättelser'' (2007). Collection of short stories written by Sjöwall and Wahlöö.

Adaptations

The books about Martin Beck were adapted into several successful films, and Beck has been portrayed by several of Sweden's best-known actors. The best-known portrayal of Beck is by actor

Peter Haber Peter Alexander Haber (born 12 December 1952) is a Swedish actor. His father was German, his mother Swedish. He grew up in Skåne, Sweden, and in Remscheid, Germany. In 1987 he was hired by the Stockholm City Theatre where he was active until ...

, who has appeared in 42 films/episodes in the role.

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Sjowall, Maj 1935 births 2020 deaths Writers from Stockholm Edgar Award winners Swedish-language writers Swedish crime fiction writers Swedish women writers Marxist writers Women mystery writers Nordic Noir writers Swedish mystery writers