Varg Veum
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Varg Veum is the central character in a series of
crime novels Crime fiction, detective story, murder mystery, crime novel, mystery novel, and police novel are terms used to describe narratives or fiction that centre on criminal acts and especially on the investigation, either by an amateur or a profession ...
, written by the Norwegian author
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 20 novels featuring Varg Veum, a private detective in Bergen on the rainy west coast of Norway. The Varg Veu ...
, about a
private detective A private investigator (often abbreviated to PI; also known as a private detective, an inquiry agent or informally a private eye) is a person who can be hired by individuals or groups to undertake investigatory law services. Private investigat ...
who lives in
Bergen Bergen (, ) is a city and municipalities of Norway, municipality in Vestland county on the Western Norway, west coast of Norway. Bergen is the list of towns and cities in Norway, second-largest city in Norway after the capital Oslo. By May 20 ...
, on the west coast of
Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...
. The books have been translated into several languages, including English,
Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...
,
German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...
, and Swedish. In the series there are 20 novels, two short story compilations and an additional short story, a collaboration (1993) with writer
Fredrik Skagen Fredrik Skagen (30 December 1936 – 20 June 2017) was a Norwegian writer. He was born in Trondheim. He is best known for his crime fiction, but is also the author of some children's books and several radio plays. His first book was publish ...
, in which Veum meets a hero of Skagen's books, Morten Martens.


List of novels

* Bukken til havresekken (The Buck to the Sack of Oats) (1977) * Din, til døden (Yours Until Death) (1979) * * Tornerose sov i hundre år (Sleeping Beauty Slept for One Hundred Years) (1980) * Kvinnen i kjøleskapet (The Woman in the Fridge) (1981) * I mørket er alle ulver grå (At Night All Wolves Are Grey) (1983) * * Hekseringen (The Witches Circle) (includes 7 Varg Veum stories) (1985) * Svarte får (Black Sheep) (1988) * * Falne engler (Fallen Angels) (1989) * * Bitre blomster (Bitter Flowers) (1991) * Begravde hunder biter ikke (Buried Dogs Do Not Bite) (1993) * Dødelig madonna (Lethal Madonna) (collaborative story with Fredrik Skagen) (1993) * Skriften på veggen (The Writing on the Wall) (1995) * * De døde har det godt (The Dead Have It Easy) (8 stories) (1996) * Som i et speil (As If In A Mirror) (2002) * Ansikt til ansikt (Face to Face) (2004) * Dødens drabanter (The Consorts of Death) (2006) * * Kalde hjerter (Cold Hearts) (2008) * * Vi skal arve vinden (We Shall Inherit The Wind) (2010) * * Der hvor roser aldri dør (Where Roses Never Die) (2012) * * Ingen er så trygg i fare (Wolves in the Dark) (2014) * * Storesøster (Big Sister) (2016) * * Utenfor er hundene (Wolves at the Door) (2018) * * Forfulgt av død (Pursued by Death) (2023) * * Available in English.


Films


Production history

In film adaptations, private detective Varg Veum is portrayed by Norwegian actor Trond Espen Seim. In 2005 the Norwegian film production company SF Norge announced they would produce six films based on the books. The first film, '' Bitre Blomster'' (''Bitter Flowers''), opened in cinemas in Norway September 28, 2007.Varg Veum – Bitre blomster (2007).
IMDb.com. The film was directed by the Norwegian director
Ulrik Imtiaz Rolfsen Ulrik Imtiaz Rolfsen (born 4 May 1972) is a Norwegian film director, producer and writer. He is best known for his action drama ''IZZAT'' (2005), his TV series ''TAXI'' (2011) as well as documentary films ''Voluntarily Forced'' (2014) and ''Recr ...
, who was previously known for the 2005 comedy crime film '' Izzat''. The second and third films, ''Tornerose'' (''Sleeping Beauty'') and ''Din til døden'' (''Yours Until Death''), were directed by Erik Richter Strand, a director who had won awards both in Europe and in the United States for his previous films. Both went direct to DVD. The fourth film, ''Falne engler'' ('' Fallen Angels''), was directed by
Morten Tyldum Morten Tyldum (; born 19 May 1967) is a Norwegian film director. He is best known in his native Norway for directing the thriller film '' Headhunters'' (2011), based on the novel by Jo Nesbø, and internationally for directing the historical dram ...
, who later became well known after his 2011 film direction of the
Jo Nesbø Jon "Jo" Nesbø (; born 29 March 1960) is a Norwegian novelist and musician. His books had sold over 50 million copies worldwide by 2021, making him the most successful Norwegian author to date. Siegel, Lee (5 May 2014).Pure Evil: Jo Nesbø and th ...
novel '' Hodejegerne (Headhunters)''. It received a cinema release. The fifth and sixth films, ''Kvinnen i kjøleskapet'' (''The Woman in the Fridge'') and ''Begravde hunder'' (''Buried Dogs'') respectively, were directed by Alexander Eik and released direct to DVD. In 2009 it was announced that six more of the Varg Veum novels would be filmed. The second series films were released theatrically in Norway. All titles have been since then released both on DVD and on Blu-ray. The first of these was ''Skriften på veggen'' (''The Writing on the Wall''), directed by Stefan Faldbakken, a director of commercials. ''Svarte får'' (''Black Sheep'') was directed by the television director Stephan Apelgren, best known for directing many of the Swedish detective
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 Mal ...
crime films. Apelgren continued directing duties on the next film in the series, ''Dødens drabanter'' (''Consorts of Death''). The tenth film, ''I mørket er alle ulver grå'' (''At Night All Wolves Are Grey''), saw the return of director Alexander Eik. The eleventh film, ''De døde har det godt'' (''The Dead Have It Easy''), is the only one not directly based on a Varg Veum novel but rather combined elements from several short stories from the compilation of the same title. The last film, ''Kalde hjerter'' (''Cold Hearts''), was co-written and directed by lead actor Seim.


List of films


First series

* Bitre blomster ( Bitter Flowers) (September 2007) * Tornerose (Sleeping Beauty) (January 2008) * Din til døden (Yours Until Death) (March 2008) * Falne engler ( Fallen Angels) (April 2008) * Kvinnen i kjøleskapet (The Woman In The Fridge) (September 2008) * Begravde hunder (Buried Dogs) (October 2008)


Second series

* Skriften på veggen (The Writing on the Wall) (November 2010) * Svarte får (Black Sheep) (January 2011) * Dødens drabanter (Consorts of Death) (April 2011) * I mørket er alle ulver grå (At Night All Wolves Are Grey) (November 2011) * De døde har det godt (The Dead Have It Easy) (January 2012) * Kalde hjerter (Cold Hearts) (March 2012)


References


External links


Official site

Plot summaries in English of the films in the first series of ''Varg Veum''

2010 interview with Gunnar Staalsen from ''The Scotsman''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Veum, Varg Fictional private investigators Fictional Norwegian detectives Fictional Norwegian people Bergen Action film series