Nordic noir

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Nordic Noir in a Helsinki library Nordic-Noir.jpg
Nordic Noir in a Helsinki library

Nordic noir, also known as Scandinavian noir, is a genre of crime fiction usually written from a police point of view and set in Scandinavia or the Nordic countries. Nordic noir often employs plain language, avoiding metaphor, and is typically set in bleak landscapes. This results in a dark and morally complex mood, in which a tension is depicted between the apparently still and bland social surface and the patterns of murder, misogyny, rape, and racism the genre depicts as lying underneath. It contrasts with the whodunit style such as the English country house murder mystery.

Contents

Some of the best known Nordic noir authors include Jo Nesbø from Norway, Henning Mankell, Stieg Larsson and Camilla Läckberg from Sweden, Jussi Adler-Olsen from Denmark and Arnaldur Indriðason from Iceland. The popularity of Nordic noir has extended to the screen, with TV-series such as The Killing , The Bridge , [1] [2] Trapped , [3] [4] and Bordertown . [5]

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, who has sometimes been referred to as "the father of Nordic noir", [6] notes that the Martin Beck series of novels by Maj Sjöwall and Per Wahlöö "broke with the previous trends in crime fiction" and pioneered a new style: "They were influenced and inspired by the American writer Ed McBain. They realized that there was a huge unexplored territory in which crime novels could form the framework for stories containing social criticism." [7] 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." [8]

Henning Mankell's books on "Kurt Wallander" made the genre a mass phenomenon in the 1990s. Norwegian author Karin Fossum's books on "Inspector Sejer" were also highly influential and widely translated. [9] British author Barry Forshaw suggested that Peter Høeg's atmospheric novel Miss Smilla's Feeling for Snow 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. [10]

One critic opines, "Nordic crime fiction carries a more respectable cachet... than similar genre fiction produced in Britain or the US". [11] Language, heroes and settings are three commonalities in the genre, which features plain, direct writing style without metaphor. [12] The novels are often police procedural, focusing on the monotonous, day-to-day work of police, often involving the simultaneous investigation of several crimes. [13] Examples especially include Henning Mankell's Kurt Wallander detective series, and Maj Sjöwall and Per Wahlöö's Martin Beck novels. [14]

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 world, the term "Nordic noir" was coined by the Scandinavian Department at the University College of London and gained further usage in the British media in the 2010s beginning with the airing of the BBC documentary called the Nordic Noir: The Story of Scandinavian Crime Fiction. [15] The Guardian also referred to The Killing as Nordic noir. [15] [16] These factors underscore that the term is considered typical of a phenomenon seen as uniting the viewpoint of foreign eye towards recognizable Nordic context. [15] 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". [12] Their protagonists are typically morose detectives [17] or ones worn down by cares and far from simply heroic. [12] In this way, the protagonists' lives cast a light on the flaws of society, which are beyond the crime itself. [18] 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. [19] This is demonstrated in the case of the Insomnia films, which featured crime-solving linked to the decline of the Nordic welfare state. [20]

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. [19] It often features a mix of bleak naturalism and disconsolate locations, with a focus on the sense of place where bad things can happen. [17] These were the distinguishing emotions of the series Bordertown , which were further combined with an atmosphere arising from the fear of Russia. [17]

The works also owe something to Scandinavia's political system where the apparent equality, social justice, and liberalism of the Nordic model 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 focuses on Sweden's failure to integrate its immigrant population. [12] [21]

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 , [22] Trapped , Bordertown , [1] Deadwind [23] and Lakeside Murders . [24]

Critic Boyd Tonkin has suggested that the British but heavily Scandinavian-influenced Shetland Isles and Outer Hebrides have produced authors in an allied, if not precisely identical tradition. [25] Exponents include Ann Cleeves, whose Shetland books have been adapted for television, and Peter May's Lewis Trilogy . The relatively slower narrative pace of UK crime dramas Broadchurch , The Missing and River is also credited to a "Scandinavian noir" influence. [26]

Subtitled original programmes have proven more popular with British audiences.[ citation needed ] 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 to a worldwide audience, receiving plaudits and was a box-office success, the American adaptations such as The Killing have fared less well critically [27] 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 broadcast the Finnish psychological thriller Man in Room 301 (Finnish: "Huone 301"). [28] [29] [30] [31]

Authors

Authors who have contributed to the creation and establishment of this genre include: [10]

Finnish

Icelandic

Danish

Norwegian

Swedish

Faroese

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maj Sjöwall</span> Swedish author and translator (1935–2020)

Maj Sjöwall 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Per Wahlöö</span> Swedish writer

Per Fredrik Wahlöö – 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 novels about the exploits of Martin Beck, a police detective in Stockholm, published between 1965 and 1975. In 1971, The Laughing Policeman won an Edgar Award from the Mystery Writers of America for Best Novel. Wahlöö and Sjöwall also wrote novels separately.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Martin Beck</span> Fictional Swedish police detective

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 adapted into films between 1967 and 1994, six of which were included in a series featuring Gösta Ekman as Martin Beck. Between 1997 and 2018 there have also been 38 films based on the characters, with Peter Haber as Martin Beck. Apart from the core duo of Beck and his right-hand man Gunvald Larsson, the latter have little resemblance to the original series, and feature a widely different and evolving cast of characters, though roughly similar themes and settings around Stockholm.

<i>Faceless Killers</i>

Faceless Killers is a 1991 crime novel by the Swedish writer Henning Mankell, and the first in his acclaimed Wallander series. The English translation by Steven T. Murray was published in 1997.

Swedish literature refers to literature written in the Swedish language or by writers from Sweden.

Kurt Wallander is a fictional Swedish police inspector created by Swedish crime writer Henning Mankell. He is the protagonist of many thriller/mystery novels set in and around the town of Ystad, 56 km (35 mi) south-east of the city of Malmö, in the southern province of Scania. Wallander has been portrayed on screen by the actors Rolf Lassgård, Krister Henriksson, Sir Kenneth Branagh and Adam Pålsson.

<i>The Man on the Balcony</i>

The Man on the Balcony is a mystery novel by Swedish writers Maj Sjöwall and Per Wahlöö, originally published as Mannen på balkongen in 1967. It is the third novel in the detective series revolving around Swedish police detective Martin Beck.

<i>Sidetracked</i> (novel) 1995 novel by Henning Mankell

Sidetracked is a crime novel by Swedish author Henning Mankell, the fifth in his Kurt Wallander series. Translated into English, it won the UK Crime Writers' Association annual Gold Dagger award for "best crime novel" in 2001.

<i>The Terrorists</i> Novel by Sjöwall and Wahlöö

The Terrorists is a crime novel by Swedish writers Maj Sjöwall and Per Wahlöö; it is the final book in their 10-part detective series revolving around Martin Beck and his team. The Terrorists was unfinished at the time of Per Wahlöö's death in June 1975; the last few chapters were completed by Maj Sjöwall alone.

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 series by Stieg Larsson, three crime novels and two African novels by Henning Mankell, three psychological suspense novels by Karin Alvtegen, and works by many other authors. In 2001 he won the Gold Dagger Award in the UK for his translation of Sidetracked by Henning Mankell.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stieg Larsson</span> Swedish writer, journalist, and activist (1954-2004)

Karl Stig-Erland "Stieg" Larsson 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 2005, after he died of a sudden heart attack. The trilogy was adapted as three motion pictures in Sweden, and one in the U.S.. The publisher commissioned David Lagercrantz to expand the trilogy into a longer series, which has six novels as of September 2019. For much of his life, Larsson lived and worked in Stockholm. His journalistic work covered socialist politics and he acted as an independent researcher of right-wing extremism.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gunnar Staalesen</span> Norwegian writer (born 1947)

Gunnar Staalesen 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 series has been praised as one of the best in modern crime fiction, and Staalesen has sold more than 5 million books in 26 countries. Staalesen is also a screenwriter and a playwright who has worked extensively with Den Nationale Scene, the largest theatre in Bergen.

Yellow Bird is a Swedish film and television production company. In 2003 Danish producer Ole Søndberg and Swedish author Henning Mankell started a collaboration on a series of television films based on Mankell’s famous fictional detective Kurt Wallander and Yellow Bird was born. The success of the initial Wallander films was followed by Stieg Larsson’s Millennium trilogy, Jo Nesbø’s Headhunters, Liza Marklund’s Annika Bengtzon series as well as the British version of Wallander starring Kenneth Branagh.

Barry Forshaw is a writer, broadcaster and journalist. His books include British Crime Writing: An Encyclopedia, The Rough Guide to Crime Fiction, Brit Noir, British Gothic Cinema, Nordic Noir, Sex and Film, Euro Noir, Death in a Cold Climate: Scandinavian Crime Fiction and BFI Classics: War of the Worlds along with books on Italian cinema, film noir and the first UK biography of Stieg Larsson, The Man Who Left Too Soon. He has written on books and films for many newspapers and magazines; he also edits Crime Time, and is one of the talking heads for the ITV Crime Thriller author profiles. He records documentaries on crime fiction and film for a variety of BBC producers for both TV and radio, along with much work for foreign broadcasters. He has been vice chair of the Crime Writers' Association. As well as his specialist area of books, he writes on film and all aspects of the arts. He is the winner of the Keating Award for Non-Fiction for British Crime Writing: An Encyclopedia (Greenwood)

Roseanna is a 1967 Swedish detective film directed by Hans Abramson. It is based on the 1965 novel Roseanna by Swedish writers Maj Sjöwall and Per Wahlöö about fictional Swedish police detective Martin Beck.

<i>Bordertown</i> (Finnish TV series) Finnish crime drama television series

Bordertown is a Finnish crime drama and Nordic noir television series created by Miikko Oikkonen and starring Ville Virtanen as detective inspector Kari Sorjonen. The first season, which consisted of eleven episodes, premiered in Finland on 16 October 2016 on Yle TV1. Season two, containing ten episodes, premiered on 7 October 2018, and season three, containing another ten episodes, premiered in December 2019.

<i>Between Summers Longing and Winters End</i> 2002 novel by Leif G. W. Persson

Between Summer's Longing and Winter's End is a novel by Leif G. W. Persson, published in 2002.

<i>She Thought It Was Him</i> 1943 film

She Thought It Was Him is a 1943 Swedish comedy crime film directed by Per-Axel Branner and starring Edvin Adolphson, Anne-Margrethe Björlin and Naemi Briese. It was shot at the Centrumateljéerna Studios in Stockholm. The film's sets wered designed by the art director Bertil Duroj.

References

  1. 1 2 Hale, Mike (24 October 2017). "In Three Nordic Noir Streaming Series, Women Investigators Fight the Chill". The New York Times. Retrieved 2 April 2018.
  2. ↑ "Netflix goes Nordic Noir with new Swedish thriller". 8 September 2017. Retrieved 2 April 2018.
  3. ↑ Hale, Mike (2017-02-17). "Review: Like Nordic Noir? 'Trapped' Is Chilly, and Pulls You In". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2023-05-12.
  4. ↑ "Breaking News - Acclaimed Icelandic Series "Trapped" Gets a Sequel Season and Goes to Netflix | TheFutonCritic.com". www.thefutoncritic.com. Retrieved 2023-05-12.
  5. ↑ "More Nordic noir: Finland's series "Bordertown" | The Spokesman-Review". www.spokesman.com. Retrieved 2023-05-12.
  6. ↑ "Nordic noir author Henning Mankell loses battle with cancer".
  7. ↑ Mankell, Henning (2006). Introduction to Roseanna. HarperCollins. ISBN   0-00-743911-3.
  8. ↑ Bergman, Kerstin (2014). Swedish Crime Fiction: The Making of Nordic Noir. Mimesis International. ISBN   978-88-575-1983-8.
  9. ↑ Barry Forshaw, Nordic Noir: The Pocket Essential Guide to Scandinavian Crime Fiction, Film & TV, Oldcastle Books, 2013.
  10. 1 2 Forshaw, Barry (2013). Nordic Noir. Pocket Essentials. ISBN   978-1-84243-987-6.
  11. ↑ Forshaw, Barry (July 8, 2011). "New stars of Nordic noir: Norway's authors discuss their country's crime wave" . The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 2022-06-21. Retrieved 5 September 2011.
  12. 1 2 3 4 "Scandinavian crime fiction – Inspector Norse – Why are Nordic detective novels so successful?". The Economist . March 11, 2010. Retrieved 5 September 2011.
  13. ↑ Miller, Laura (January 15, 2010). "The Strange Case of the Nordic Detectives". The Wall Street Journal . Retrieved 5 September 2011.
  14. ↑ "Nordic Noir and the Welfare State". Ideas (blog). The New York Times . March 19, 2010. Retrieved 5 September 2011.
  15. 1 2 3 Garcia, Alberto (2016). Emotions in Contemporary TV Series. New York: Palgrave Macmillan. p. 138. ISBN   9781349849369.
  16. ↑ Frost, Vicky (2011-11-03). "The Return of The Killing". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 2019-01-18.
  17. 1 2 3 Mrozewicz, Anna Estera (2018). Beyond Eastern Noir: Reimagining Russia and Eastern Europe in Nordic Cinemas. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press. p. 17. ISBN   9781474418102.
  18. ↑ Hansen, Kim Toft; Peacock, Steven; Turnbull, Sue (2018). European Television Crime Drama and Beyond. Palgrave Macmillan. p. 27. ISBN   9783319968865.
  19. 1 2 Hansen, Kim; Waade, Anne (2017). Locating Nordic Noir: From Beck to The Bridge. Cham: Palgrave Macmillan. p. 17. ISBN   9783319598147.
  20. ↑ Hjort, Mette; Lindqvist, Ursula (2016). A Companion to Nordic Cinema. Malden, MA: John Wiley & Sons. p. 444. ISBN   9781118475256.
  21. ↑ Marc Sidwell, "Sweden turns the page and Scandinavian noir explains why" Archived 2014-01-07 at the Wayback Machine , City AM, August 28, 2012
  22. ↑ "Nordic Noir & Beyond". NordicNoirTV. Retrieved 2016-04-15.
  23. ↑ Patton, Rebecca (August 23, 2018). "Don't Worry, There's Definitely More 'Deadwind' On The Way — But It Could Be A While". Bustle.
  24. ↑ Lehtinen, Nina (November 26, 2021). "Rikosdraama Koskinen saa paljasjalkaisen tamperelaisen punastumaan mielihyvästä – Katsoimme ennakkoon Tampereen seudulla kuvatun uutuussarjan, näitä paikkoja siitä voi bongata" [Crime drama Koskinen makes a barefoot Tampereer blush with pleasure - We looked in advance at the new series filmed in the Tampere region, these places can be spotted]. Aamulehti.
  25. ↑ Tonkin, Boyd (29 December 2012). "The new wave of 'Nordic' noir comes from within the UK" . The Independent. Independent Newspapers. Archived from the original on 2022-06-21. Retrieved 28 April 2016.
  26. ↑ Lawson, Mark (15 March 2017). "Scandi noir is dead". The Guardian. Retrieved 31 December 2017.
  27. ↑ Hale, Mike (28 March 2012). "The Danes Do Murder Differently". New York Times - Television. Retrieved 30 April 2016.
  28. ↑ "NORDIC NOIR BBC Four acquires new Finnish series Huone 301". 2 January 2021.
  29. ↑ "BBC Four - Man in Room 301, Series 1, Episode 1". BBC.
  30. ↑ Croll, Ben (October 14, 2020). "'Man in Room 301' Writer Kate Ashfield Breaks Borders With Family Thriller".
  31. ↑ "TV tonight: Finnish thriller Man in Room 301 begins". the Guardian. February 27, 2021.

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