Acclaimed author on why his sleuth will be light relief in Malmo
Volvos, Abba and the blackest, bleakest crime stories, Sweden is known for many things.
But if bestselling author Alexander Mccall Smith has his way, the dark detective genre known as Scandi Noir is about to get a little bit sunnier.
His new novel, The Department Of Sensitive Crimes, is intended as the first in a series the popular novelist is calling Scandi Blanc.
The Edinburgh-based writer says his latest offering, out next month, is not only an antidote to the visceral, violent crime novels Scandinavia has become known for but also the sometimes terrifying realities of modern life. The former professor of medical law – whose phenomenal writing career took off with the No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series, which is now being turned into a musical with Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark’s Graham Weir – said: “I thought it would be rather fun to have the total opposite of Scandi Noir, with no bodies and nothing too nasty happening.
“Why not Scandi Blanc where the problems are relatively minor and things work out?”
“So I invented this Swedish detective, Ulf Varg –
Ulf meaning ‘wolf’ in Danish and Varg meaning ‘wolf’ in Swedish. I found that I really enjoyed his company and that of his rather eccentric colleagues. He has a dog who is deaf who can lip read in Swedish – ridiculous but great fun!
“We should always be aware that there are two sides to the picture.
“There is a bleak, sad, depressing and sometimes a downright frightening side to life. But we needn’t think that is the whole story. It is possible to be more optimistic about life and it’s Idoan hour on the excercise bike every day... watching Peaky Blinders also possible to believe in goodness.
“If we don’t have a positive outlook, what’s the alternative?
“We worry ourselves into an early grave. There is no point in worrying. Worrying excessively doesn’t make anything any better.
“That’s not to say one should run away from problems. One mustn’t bury one’s head in the sand, but at the same time one must realise that if you just surround yourself with gloom and doom that becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy; you will get gloom and doom.” Despite the author’s new Malmo-based detective bringing a little light relief, dark dramas still abound in the far north.
Last night, saw the launch of another bleak Icelandic crime thriller Trapped – dubbed Nordic Noir – with a double bill on BBC4. It features brooding Reykjavic cop Andri Olafsson, played by Olafur Darri Olafsson.
And Netflix have released a trailer of their next original series, Quicksand.
Adapted by The Bridge’s Camilla Ahlgren, the Scandi Noir tale tells the story of an ordinary Stockholm
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