Death in a Cold Climate is a celebration and analysis of Scandinavian crime fiction, one of the most successful literary genres. Barry Forshaw, the UK's principal expert on crime fiction, discusses books, films and TV adaptations, from Sjowall and Wahloo's influential Martin Beck series through Henning Mankell's Wallander to Stieg Larsson's demolition of the Swedish Social Democratic ideal in the publishing phenomenon The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. In intelligent but accessible fashion, the book examines the massive commercial appeal of the field along with Nordic cultural differences from Iceland to Denmark. Including unique interview material with writers, publishers and translators, this is the perfect reader's guide to the hottest strand of crime fiction today, examined both as a literary form and as an index to the societies it reflects. Includes Stieg Larsson, Henning Mankell, Jo Nesbo, Hakan Nesser, Karin Fossum, Camilla Lackberg, Liza Marklund, Jussi Adler-Olsen, Arnaldur Indrioason, Roslund & Hellstromand many others.
| ISBN | 0230361447 | | Pages | 224 | | ISBN13 | 9780230361447
(What's this?) | | Weight (grammes) | 289 | | Publisher | Palgrave Macmillan | | Published in | Basingstoke | | Imprint | Palgrave Macmillan | | Series title | Crime Files | | Format | Paperback | | Height (mm) | 215 | | Publication date | 13 Jan 2012 | | Width (mm) | 138 | | DEWEY | 839.53087209 | | Spine width (mm) | 13 | | DEWEY edition | DC22 | | Academic level | Professional / Scholarly |
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Acknowledgments Introduction Crime and the Left The Cracks Appear: Henning Mankell Sweden: The Dream Darkens Sweden: Foreign Policy and Unreliable Narratives Last Orders: The Larsson Phenomenon The Fight Back: Anti-Larsson Writers Criminals and Criminologists Norway: Crime and Context Norway and Nesbo Iceland: Crime and Context Fringe Benefits: Icelandic Woes Finland: Crime and Context Death in Denmark Danish Uncertainties Film and TV Adaptations Bibliography Index
'Death in a Cold Climate is both intelligent and perceptive. Humble it is not. It is, to my knowledge, the most complete guide to Scandinavian crime fiction yet written in any language, an invaluable companion for anyone interested in the genre.' - Mons Kallentoft, Financial Times 'Extensive, penetrating and intelligently written, Barry Forshaw's book is the most fulfilling work on the strange genre of Nordic Noir I have ever encountered.' - Hakan Nesser, author of The Inspector and Silence 'Death in a Cold Climate is a comprehensive and authoritative guide to the fictional underbelly of the Nordic psyche, whose popularity has become the publishing sensation of the century. Perceptive, witty and awesomely well-researched.' - Andrew Taylor, author of The American Boy 'Far more than a checklist, this is the essential guide through the snowdrifts of Nordic Noir.' Val McDermid, author of The Wire in the Blood '...Surely this is the Guide to Scandinavian Crime Fiction, as the UK's foremost crime fiction expert Barry Forshaw has gone definitive here with a triumphant volume that should sit proudly on every crime fiction fan's bookshelf. If you wanted a guide to take you down the dark and deadly streets of crime fiction, Mr Forshaw's your man [...] Entertaining and informative in equal measures, it provides insightful background to the books most crime fans will be familiar with and love, plus bang up to date information on new and upcoming authors and titles to watch out for, all through great essays and interview pieces. With sections from authors, translators & publishers, UK release dates and original dates of publication this is a tombe overflowing with reference and deep research and, above all else, an undying passion for the genre[...]The book closes with a fantastic bibliography and index to enable the volume to be put to use for years to come every time you pick up a new Scandinavian crime fiction title or wish to seek out a new read.' - Keith B Walters, We Love this Book 'With customary depth and precision, Forshaw gets under the skin of this celebrated genre, uncovering many of its secrets and riches. Like its subjects, this book is hard to put down, and will undoubtedly be returned to time and again.' - Dr Steven Peacock, University of Hertfordshire, UK 'In his excellent new book, Death in a Cold Climate: A Guide to Scandinavian Crime Fiction, Barry Forshaw throws a revealing light on the phenomenon of the Nordic policier (interestingly, the French slang term for the crime films and the detective novel is "le polar"). He distinguishes between the different countries, between male and female writers, and sees a clear line reaching down from the shared background of bloody, painful Icelandic sagas and Nordic mythology, through the dark social and psychological explorations of Ibsen and Strindberg and on into the 20th-century experience of war, occupation, resistance, collaboration and neutrality guilt.' - Philip French, the Observer 'A fascinating, comprehensive and very enjoyable overview of the publishing phenomenon that is Nordic noir, placing it in a cultural and historical context, with insightful contributions from writers, translators and editors - an essential reading guide for lovers of the crime genre.' - Laura Wilson, crime fiction critic, The Guardian 'Essential reading for anyone seeking clues to the next Jo Nesbo.' - PD Smith, The Guardian 'Barry Forshaw's forensic feeling for snow is coloured by the quantity and quality of blood spilled on it in recent years by Nordic crime writers. The dash of publishers to find "the next Stieg Larsson" and their hyping of Jo Nesbo as "the next Henning Mankell" indicates the strength of cold climate killing as a subgenre of crime fiction... This overview of a literary phenomenon is as definitive as any aficionado could hope for.' - Iain Finlayson, The Times 'The sudden triumphant rise of Nordic mystery stories is a fascinating puzzle of modern literature. With forensic inte
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