''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 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 (novel series), ''Millennium'' trilogy of crime novels, which were published p ...

(1954–2004). It was published posthumously in 2005, translated into English in 2008, and became an international bestseller. ''The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo'' is the first book of the ''Millennium'' series. Originally a trilogy by Larsson, the series was expanded to another three books by David Lagercrantz, and as of 2021 rights had been sold for

Karin Smirnoff Karin Smirnov or Smirnoff (née Strindberg; 26 February 1880 – 10 May 1973) was a Finno-Swedish writer. She was the daughter of August Strindberg and Siri von Essen. Smirnov was a socialist; she married Russian Bolshevik The Bolsheviks ( ...

to pen three more.

Background

Larsson spoke of an incident which he said occurred when he was 15: he stood by as three men

gang rape Gang rape, also called serial gang rape, group rape, or multiple perpetrator rape in scholarly literature,Ullman, S. E. (2013). 11 Multiple perpetrator rape victimization. Handbook on the Study of Multiple Perpetrator Rape: A Multidisciplinary Re ...

d an acquaintance of his named Lisbeth. Days later, racked with guilt for having done nothing to help her, he begged her forgiveness—which she refused to grant. The incident, he said, haunted him for years afterward and in part inspired him to create a character named Lisbeth who was also a rape victim. The veracity of this story has been questioned since Larsson's death, after a colleague from ''Expo'' magazine reported to ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...

'' that Larsson had told him he had heard the story secondhand and retold it as his own. The murder of Catrine da Costa was also an inspiration when he wrote the book. With the exception of the fictional Hedestad, the novel takes place in actual Swedish towns. The magazine ''Millennium'' in the books has characteristics similar to that of Larsson's magazine, ''

Expo An expo is a trade exposition. It may also refer to: Events and venues * World's fair, a large international public exposition * Singapore Expo, convention and exposition venue ** Expo Axis, one of the world's largest membrane roofs, construct ...

'', such as its leftist socio-political leanings, its exposés on Swedish Nazism and financial corruption and its financial difficulties. Both Larsson's longtime partner Eva Gabrielsson and English translator

Steven T. Murray Steven T. Murray (1943–2018) was an American translator from Swedish, German, Danish, and Norwegian. He worked under the pseudonyms Reg Keeland and McKinley Burnett when edited into UK English. He translated the bestselling ''Millennium' ...

have said that Christopher MacLehose (who works for British publisher

Quercus An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' (; Latin "oak tree") of the beech family, Fagaceae. There are approximately 500 extant species of oaks. The common name "oak" also appears in the names of species in related genera, notably ...

) "needlessly prettified" the English translation; as such, Murray requested he be credited under the pseudonym "Reg Keeland". The English release also changed the title, even though Larsson specifically refused to allow the Swedish publisher to do so, and the size of Salander's dragon tattoo; from a large piece covering her entire back, to a small shoulder tattoo.

Plot

Middle-aged journalist Mikael Blomkvist, who publishes the magazine ''Millennium'' 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 ...

, has lost a

libel Defamation is the act of communicating to a third party false statements about a person, place or thing that results in damage to its reputation. It can be spoken (slander) or written (libel). It constitutes a tort or a crime. The legal defi ...

case involving damaging allegations about billionaire Swedish industrialist Hans-Erik Wennerström, and is sentenced to three months in prison. Facing jail time and professional disgrace, Blomkvist steps down from his position on the magazine's board of directors, despite strong objections from Erika Berger, Blomkvist's longtime friend, occasional lover, and business partner. At the same time, he is offered an unlikely freelance assignment by Henrik Vanger, the elderly former CEO of Vanger Enterprises. Blomkvist accepts the assignment — unaware that Vanger commissioned a comprehensive investigation into Blomkvist's personal and professional history, carried out by gifted

private investigator A private investigator (often abbreviated to PI and informally called a private eye), a private detective, or inquiry agent is a person who can be hired by individuals or groups to undertake investigatory law services. Private investigators of ...

Lisbeth Salander Lisbeth Salander is a fictional character created by Swedish author and journalist Stieg Larsson in his award-winning ''Millennium'' series. She first appeared in the 2005 novel '' The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo'', as an asocial computer hacke ...

. Blomkvist visits Vanger at his estate on the tiny island of Hedeby, several hours from Stockholm. The old man draws Blomkvist in by promising not only financial reward for the assignment, but also solid evidence that Wennerström is truly the scoundrel Blomkvist suspects him to be. On this basis, Blomkvist agrees to spend a year writing the Vanger family history as a cover for the real assignment: solving the "

cold case A cold case is a crime, or a suspected crime, that has not yet been fully resolved and is not the subject of a current criminal investigation, but for which new information could emerge from new witness testimony, re-examined archives, new or r ...

" of the disappearance of Vanger's great niece Harriet some 40 years earlier. Vanger expresses his suspicion that Harriet was murdered by a member of the vast Vanger family, many of whom were present in Hedeby on the day of her disappearance. Each year on his birthday Harriet gave Henrik a present of pressed flowers. On his birthday every year since Harriet's murder, Vanger explains, the murderer torments him with a present of pressed flowers. Blomkvist begins the process of analysing the more than 40 years' worth of information Henrik Vanger has obsessively compiled around the circumstances of the day Harriet disappeared. Hedeby is home to several generations of Vangers, all part owners in Vanger Enterprises. Under the pretext of researching the family history, and due to the small size of the island, Blomkvist soon becomes acquainted with the members of the extended Vanger family who are variously mad, uninterested, concerned, hostile, or aloof. Blomkvist immerses himself in the case. Eventually Lisbeth Salander is also brought in, now to assist him with research using her skills as a computer hacker. Ultimately the two discover that Harriet's brother Martin, now CEO of Vanger Industries, has been systematically abusing and killing women for years. Moreover, the behavior was indoctrinated in him by his late father Gottfried who sexually abused Martin and Harriet as well. Blomkvist attempts to confront Martin, but is captured and taken to a torture chamber hidden in Martin's house. He also reveals that he is not responsible for Harriet's disappearance and presumed murder. Moments before Martin can kill Blomkvist, Lisbeth bursts in and attacks, rescuing him. Martin escapes while Lisbeth frees Blomkvist, only to commit suicide by crashing his car into a truck on the highway. Blomkvist and Lisbeth realize that Harriet was not actually murdered, but ran away to escape from her sadistic brother. They track her to Australia where she runs a sheep farming company. Confronted, she confirms their account of the case, but also reveals that she was actually responsible for the presumed accidental death of her father. She returns to Sweden where she is happily reunited with Vanger and begins to take a leading role in the newly leaderless family company. Vanger's promises of evidence regarding Wennerström prove to have been mostly a lure for Blomkvist and are not especially substantial. However, using her investigative skills, Lisbeth breaks into Wennerström's computer and discovers that his crimes go beyond even what Blomkvist was convicted of libel for printing. Using the evidence she found, Blomkvist prints an exposé article and book which destroys Wennerström and catapults him and ''Millennium'' to national prominence.

Characters

Mikael Blomkvist Mikael Blomkvist is a fictional character created by Swedish author and journalist Stieg Larsson. He is a main character of Larsson's award-winning ''Millennium'' series, along with Lisbeth Salander. Profile Name Larsson stated in interviews ...

journalist, publisher and part-owner of the monthly political magazine, ''Millennium'' *

freelance surveillance agent and researcher specializing in investigating people on behalf of Milton Security * Erika Bergereditor-in-chief/majority owner of ''Millennium'' and Blomkvist's long-standing lover * Henrik Vangerretired industrialist and former CEO of Vanger Corporation * Harriet VangerHenrik's grandniece who disappeared without trace in 1966 * Martin VangerHarriet's brother and CEO of Vanger Corporation * Gottfried VangerHenrik's nephew, and Martin and Harriet's deceased father * Isabella VangerGottfried Vanger's widow, and Martin and Harriet's mother * Cecilia Vangerdaughter of Harald Vanger and one of Henrik's nieces * Anita Vangerdaughter of Harald Vanger and one of Henrik's nieces, currently living in London * Birger VangerHarald Vanger' son; one of Henrik's nephews * Harald VangerHenrik's elder brother, a member of the Swedish

Nazi Party The Nazi Party, officially the National Socialist German Workers' Party (german: Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei or NSDAP), was a far-right political party in Germany active between 1920 and 1945 that created and supported t ...

* Hans-Erik Wennerströmcorrupt billionaire financier * Robert Lindberga banker, Blomkvist's source for the libelous story on Wennerström * William Borga former journalist and Blomkvist's nemesis * Monica AbrahamssonBlomkvist's ex-wife whom he married in 1986 and divorced in 1991 * Pernilla Abrahamssontheir daughter who was born in 1986 * Greger BeckmanErika Berger's husband * Holger PalmgrenSalander's legal guardian and lawyer who becomes disabled by a stroke * Nils BjurmanSalander's legal guardian and lawyer after Palmgren * Dirch Frodeformer lawyer for Vanger Corporation, now a lawyer with only one client: Henrik Vanger * Dragan ArmanskijCEO and COO of Milton Security, Lisbeth's employer * Plaguecomputer hacker/genius * EvaMartin Vanger's girlfriend * Christer Malmdirector, art designer and part-owner of ''Millennium'' * Janne Dahlmanmanaging editor of ''Millennium'' * Gustaf Morellretired Detective Superintendent who investigated Harriet's disappearance * Anna NygrenHenrik Vanger's housekeeper * Gunnar Nilssoncaretaker of Henrik Vanger's domain in Hedeby

Major themes

Larsson makes several literary references to the genre's classic forerunners and comments on contemporary Swedish society. Reviewer

Robert Dessaix Robert Dessaix (born 17 February 1944) is an Australian novelist, essayist and journalist. Biography Robert Dessaix was born in Sydney and adopted at an early age by Tom and Jean Jones, after which he was known as Robert Jones. Tom Jones, a ...

writes, "His favourite targets are violence against women, the incompetence and cowardice of investigative journalists, the moral bankruptcy of big capital and the virulent strain of Nazism still festering away ... in Swedish society." Cecilia Ovesdotter Alm and Anna Westerstahl Stenport write that the novel "reflects—implicitly and explicitly—gaps between rhetoric and practice in Swedish policy and public discourse about complex relations between

welfare state A welfare state is a form of government in which the state (or a well-established network of social institutions) protects and promotes the economic and social well-being of its citizens, based upon the principles of equal opportunity, equita ...

retrenchment,

neoliberal Neoliberalism (also neo-liberalism) is a term used to signify the late 20th century political reappearance of 19th-century ideas associated with free-market capitalism after it fell into decline following the Second World War. A prominent f ...

corporate and economic practices, and politicised gender construction. The novel, according to one article, endorses a pragmatic acceptance of a neoliberal world order that is delocalized, dehumanized and

misogynistic Misogyny () is hatred of, contempt for, or prejudice against women. It is a form of sexism that is used to keep women at a lower social status than men, thus maintaining the societal roles of patriarchy. Misogyny has been widely practiced f ...

." Alm and Stenport add, "What most international (and Swedish) reviewers overlook is that the financial and moral corruptibility at the heart of ''The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo'' is so profound as to indict most attributes associated with contemporary Sweden as democratic and gender-equal. The novel is in fact far from what American critic

Maureen Corrigan Maureen Corrigan is an American author, scholar, and literary critic. She is the book critic on the NPR radio program ''Fresh Air'' and writes for the "Book World" section of ''The Washington Post''. In 2014, she wrote ''So We Read On'', a book ...

calls an "unflinching ... commonsense feminist social commentary". Larsson further enters the debate as to how responsible criminals are for their crimes, and how much is blamed on upbringing or society. For instance, Salander has a strong will and assumes that everyone else does, too. She is portrayed as having suffered every kind of abuse in her young life, including an unnecessary commitment to a

psychiatric clinic Psychiatric hospitals, also known as mental health hospitals, behavioral health hospitals, are hospitals or wards specializing in the treatment of severe mental disorders, such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, eating disorders, dissociative ...

and subsequent instances of

sexual assault Sexual assault is an act in which one intentionally sexually touches another person without that person's consent, or coerces or physically forces a person to engage in a sexual act against their will. It is a form of sexual violence, which ...

suffered at the hands of her court-appointed guardian. Maria de Lurdes Sampaio, in the journal ''Cross-Cultural Communication'', asserts that, "Blomkvist, a modern

Theseus Theseus (, ; grc-gre, Θησεύς ) was the mythical king and founder-hero of Athens. The myths surrounding Theseus his journeys, exploits, and friends have provided material for fiction throughout the ages. Theseus is sometimes describ ...

, leads us to the labyrinth of the globalized world, while the series' protagonist, Lisbeth Salander, modeled on the

Amazon Amazon most often refers to: * Amazons, a tribe of female warriors in Greek mythology * Amazon rainforest, a rainforest covering most of the Amazon basin * Amazon River, in South America * Amazon (company), an American multinational technolog ...

, is an example of the empowerment of women in crime fiction by playing the role of the 'tough guy' detective, while also personifying the popular roles of the victim, the outcast and the avenger." In this context, she discusses "Dialogues with

Greek tragedy Greek tragedy is a form of theatre from Ancient Greece and Greek inhabited Anatolia. It reached its most significant form in Athens in the 5th century BC, the works of which are sometimes called Attic tragedy. Greek tragedy is widely believed t ...

... namely Salander's struggles with strong father figures." Sampaio also argues,

Reception and awards

The novel was released to great acclaim in Sweden and later, on its publication in many other European countries. In the original language, it won Sweden's

Glass Key Award The Glass Key award ( sv, Glasnyckeln, da, Glasnøglen, no, Glassnøkkelen, fi, Lasiavain-palkinto, is, Glerlykillinn) is a literature award given annually to a crime novel by an author from the Nordic countries. The award, named after the nov ...

in 2006 for best crime novel of the year. It also won the 2008 Boeke Prize, and in 2009 the Galaxy

British Book Awards The British Book Awards or Nibbies are literary awards for the best UK writers and their works, administered by '' The Bookseller''. The awards have had several previous names, owners and sponsors since being launched in 1990, including the Nationa ...

for Books Direct Crime Thriller of the Year, and the prestigious Anthony Award for Best First Novel.

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers '' The Observer'' and '' The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the ...

ranked ''The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo'' #98 in its list of 100 Best Books of the 21st Century. Larsson was awarded the

ITV3 ITV3 is a British free-to-air television channel owned by ITV Digital Channels, a division of ITV plc. The channel was first launched on Monday 1 November 2004 at 9pm, replacing Plus (Granada). ITV3 is the sixth-largest UK television channel ...

Crime Thriller Award for International Author of the Year in 2008. ''The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo'' received mixed reviews from American critics. It debuted at number four on ''The New York Times'' Best Seller list.

Alex Berenson Alexander Norman Berenson (born January 6, 1973) is an American writer who was a reporter for ''The New York Times'', and has authored several thriller novels as well a book on corporate financial filings. His 2019 book '' Tell Your Children: The ...

wrote in ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'', "The novel offers a thoroughly ugly view of human nature"; while it "opens with an intriguing mystery" and the "middle section of ''Girl'' is a treat, the rest of the novel doesn't quite measure up. The book's original Swedish title was ''Men Who Hate Women'', a label that just about captures the subtlety of the novel's sexual politics." The ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the ...

'' said "the book takes off, in the fourth chapter: From there, it becomes classic parlor crime fiction with many modern twists....The writing is not beautiful, clipped at times (though that could be the translation by Reg Keeland) and with a few too many falsely dramatic endings to sections or chapters. But it is a compelling, well-woven tale that succeeds in transporting the reader to rural Sweden for a good crime story." Several months later, Matt Selman said the book "rings false with piles of easy super-victories and far-fetched one-in-a-million clue-findings." Richard Alleva, in the Catholic journal,''

Commonweal Commonweal or common weal may refer to: * Common good, what is shared and beneficial for members of a given community * Common Weal, a Scottish think tank and advocacy group * ''Commonweal'' (magazine), an American lay-Catholic-oriented magazin ...

'', wrote that the novel is marred by "its inept backstory, banal characterizations, flavorless prose, surfeit of themes (Swedish Nazism, uncaring bureaucracy, corporate malfeasance, abuse of women, etc.), and—worst of all—author Larsson's penchant for always telling us exactly what we should be feeling." On the other hand, Dr. Abdallah Daar, writing for ''

Nature Nature, in the broadest sense, is the physical world or universe. "Nature" can refer to the phenomena of the physical world, and also to life in general. The study of nature is a large, if not the only, part of science. Although humans are ...

'', said, "The events surrounding the great-niece's disappearance are meticulously and ingeniously pieced together, with plenty of scientific insight." The ''

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette The ''Pittsburgh Post-Gazette'', also known simply as the PG, is the largest newspaper serving metropolitan Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Descended from the ''Pittsburgh Gazette'', established in 1786 as the first newspaper published west of the Alle ...

'' wrote, "It's a big, intricately plotted, darkly humorous work, rich with ironies, quirky but believable characters and a literary playfulness that only a master of the genre and its history could bring off." ''The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo'' sold more than 30 million copies by 2010. In the United States, it sold more than 3.4 million copies in hardcover or ebook formats, and 15 million total by June 2011.

Book of essays

Wiley published a collection of essays, edited by Eric Bronson, titled ''The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and Philosophy'' (2011).

Film adaptations

*The Swedish film production company Yellow Bird created film versions of the first three ''Millennium'' books, all three films released in 2009, beginning with '' The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo'', directed by Danish filmmaker

Niels Arden Oplev Niels Arden Oplev (; born 26 March 1961) is a Danish film director and screenwriter. Life and career Oplev was born in Oue, Denmark. His 1996 film '' Portland'' was entered into the 46th Berlin International Film Festival. He directed ''The Gi ...

. The protagonists were played by Michael Nyqvist and

Noomi Rapace Noomi Rapace (; ; born 28 December 1979) is a Swedish actress.Karen Olsson, ''The New York Times Magazine'', 27 May 2012, p. 26. She achieved international fame with her portrayal of Lisbeth Salander in the Swedish film adaptations of the ''Mil ...

. *A Hollywood film adaptation of the book, directed by

David Fincher David Andrew Leo Fincher (born August 28, 1962) is an American film director. His films, mostly psychological thrillers and biographical dramas, have received 40 nominations at the Academy Awards, including three for him as Best Director. F ...

, was released in December 2011. The main characters were portrayed by

Daniel Craig Daniel Wroughton Craig (born 2 March 1968) is an English-American actor who gained international fame playing the secret agent James Bond in the film series, beginning with '' Casino Royale'' (2006) and in four further instalments, up to '' ...

and

Rooney Mara Patricia Rooney Mara ( ; born April 17, 1985) is an American actress. She has received various accolades, including a Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actress, in addition to nominations for two Academy Awards, a British Academy Film Award, ...

. * ''

Millennium A millennium (plural millennia or millenniums) is a period of one thousand years, sometimes called a kiloannus, kiloannum (ka), or kiloyear (ky). Normally, the word is used specifically for periods of a thousand years that begin at the starting ...

'', a Swedish six-part television miniseries based on the film adaptations of Stieg Larsson's series of the same name, was broadcast on SVT1 from 20 March 2010 to 24 April 2010. The series was produced by Yellow Bird in cooperation with several production companies, including SVT, Nordisk Film, Film i Västm, and ZDF Enterprises. * ''Dragon Tattoo Trilogy: Extended Edition'' is the title of the TV miniseries release on DVD, Blu-ray, and video on demand in the US. This version of the miniseries comprises nine hours of story content, including more than two hours of additional footage not seen in the theatrical versions of the original Swedish films. The four-disc set includes: ''The Girl with the Dragon TattooExtended Edition'', ''The Girl Who Played with FireExtended Edition'', ''The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets' NestExtended Edition'', and a bonus disc including two hours of special features.

Parodies

* ''The Dragon with the Girl Tattoo'' (2010) – Adam Roberts * ''The Girl with the Sturgeon Tattoo'' (2011) – Lars Arffssen * ''The Girl who Fixed the Umlaut'' (2010) –

Nora Ephron Nora Ephron ( ; May 19, 1941 – June 26, 2012) was an American journalist, writer, and filmmaker. She is best known for her romantic comedy films and was nominated three times for the Writers Guild of America Award and the Academy Award for ...

* ''The Girl with the Sandwich Tattoo: A cruel parody'' (2013) – Dragon Stiegsson * "

The Coach with the Dragon Tattoo "The Coach with the Dragon Tattoo" is the second episode of the British science fiction television series ''Class''. It was released online by BBC Three on 22 October 2016. ''Class'' follows four students of Coal Hill Academy and their alien te ...

", an episode of ''

Class Class or The Class may refer to: Common uses not otherwise categorized * Class (biology), a taxonomic rank * Class (knowledge representation), a collection of individuals or objects * Class (philosophy), an analytical concept used differently ...

'' by

Patrick Ness Patrick Ness (born 17 October 1971) is an American-British author, journalist, lecturer, and screenwriter. Born in the United States, Ness moved to London and holds dual citizenship. He is best known for his books for young adults, including t ...

References

Publication details

* August 2005, Swedish: Norstedts (), paperback (poss 1st edition) * 10 January 2008, UK: MacLehose Press/Quercus Imprint (), hardback (translated as ''The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo'' by Reg Keeland) * 16 September 2008, US: Alfred A. Knopf (), hardback {{DEFAULTSORT:Girl With The Dragon Tattoo 2005 novels Anthony Award-winning works Barry Award-winning works Incest in fiction Macavity Award-winning works Millennium (novel series) Norstedts förlag books Novels about journalists Novels about missing people Novels about rape Novels about serial killers Novels adapted into comics Novels published posthumously Novels set in Sweden Patricide in fiction Swedish crime novels Swedish mystery novels Swedish novels adapted into films Novels about misogyny Novels with bisexual themes sv:Millennium-serien#Män som hatar kvinnor