Håkan Nesser
Encyclopedia
Håkan Nesser is a Swedish
author
and teacher
who has written a number of successful novel
s, mostly crime fiction
. He has won Best Swedish Crime Novel Award
three times, and his novel Carambole won the Glass Key award
in 2000. His books have been translated from Swedish into numerous languages.
, Örebro County
; he has lived most of his adult life in Uppsala
. His first novel was published in 1988, but he worked as a teacher until 1998 when he became a full-time author. In August 2006, Håkan Nesser and his wife Elke (a psychiatrist) moved to Greenwich Village
in New York
. A few years later the couple packed their bags and moved to London
since it was easier for his wife to find work there.
, a detective in the early novels and later the owner of an antique books shop. These books play out in a fictitious city called Maardam, said to be located in northern Europe
in a country which is never named but resembles Sweden
, the Netherlands
, Poland
and Germany
. The names however are mostly Dutch
.
With his 2006 crime novel Människa utan hund (Human without Dog) Nesser introduced a new main character, Inspector Gunnar Barbarotti, a Swedish police inspector of Italian descent. He has remained the main protagonist in Nesser’s crime books since then. Barbarotti is a more upbeat character than Van Veeteren and the books are firmly set in Sweden, although the town of Kymlinge
is fictitious and named after an "abandoned tube station" in Stockholm.
Nesser explained in an 2009 interview that he has two books left in him with Inspector Barbarotti, a novel set in London and a final masterpiece.
In August
2011 he hinted on his own site that a future book would take place in the "county of Somerset
".
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
and teacher
Teacher
A teacher or schoolteacher is a person who provides education for pupils and students . The role of teacher is often formal and ongoing, carried out at a school or other place of formal education. In many countries, a person who wishes to become a teacher must first obtain specified professional...
who has written a number of successful novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
s, mostly crime fiction
Crime fiction
Crime fiction is the literary genre that fictionalizes crimes, their detection, criminals and their motives. It is usually distinguished from mainstream fiction and other genres such as science fiction or historical fiction, but boundaries can be, and indeed are, blurred...
. He has won Best Swedish Crime Novel Award
Best Swedish Crime Novel Award
The Best Swedish Crime Novel Award is a literary prize awarded annually since 1982 by the Swedish Crime Writers' Academy.The winners of the award are:* 1982 - Leif GW Persson for Samhällsbärarna...
three times, and his novel Carambole won the Glass Key award
Glass key award
The Glass Key award is a literature award given annually to a crime novel by an author from the Nordic countries.The award, named after the novel The Glass Key by American crime writer Dashiell Hammett, is a real glass key given every year by the members of the Crime Writers of Scandinavia to a...
in 2000. His books have been translated from Swedish into numerous languages.
Early life
Håkan Nesser was born on 21 February 1950, and grew up in KumlaKumla
Kumla is a locality and the seat of Kumla Municipality, Örebro County, Sweden with 20 456 inhabitants in 2010.-History:Traditionally Kumla was known as a shoemaker town with a history back to the first half of the 19th century....
, Örebro County
Örebro County
Örebro County is a county or län in central Sweden. It borders the counties of Västra Götaland, Värmland, Dalarna, Västmanland, Södermanland and Östergötland.- Province :...
; he has lived most of his adult life in Uppsala
Uppsala
- Economy :Today Uppsala is well established in medical research and recognized for its leading position in biotechnology.*Abbott Medical Optics *GE Healthcare*Pfizer *Phadia, an offshoot of Pharmacia*Fresenius*Q-Med...
. His first novel was published in 1988, but he worked as a teacher until 1998 when he became a full-time author. In August 2006, Håkan Nesser and his wife Elke (a psychiatrist) moved to Greenwich Village
Greenwich Village
Greenwich Village, , , , .in New York often simply called "the Village", is a largely residential neighborhood on the west side of Lower Manhattan in New York City. A large majority of the district is home to upper middle class families...
in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. A few years later the couple packed their bags and moved to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
since it was easier for his wife to find work there.
Characters and themes
A recurring main character is called Van VeeterenVan Veeteren
Van Veeteren is a fictional retired Detective Chief Inspector and the main character in a series of ten novels by Håkan Nesser, of which nine have been filmed...
, a detective in the early novels and later the owner of an antique books shop. These books play out in a fictitious city called Maardam, said to be located in northern Europe
Northern Europe
Northern Europe is the northern part or region of Europe. Northern Europe typically refers to the seven countries in the northern part of the European subcontinent which includes Denmark, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Finland and Sweden...
in a country which is never named but resembles Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
, the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
, Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
and Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. The names however are mostly Dutch
Dutch language
Dutch is a West Germanic language and the native language of the majority of the population of the Netherlands, Belgium, and Suriname, the three member states of the Dutch Language Union. Most speakers live in the European Union, where it is a first language for about 23 million and a second...
.
With his 2006 crime novel Människa utan hund (Human without Dog) Nesser introduced a new main character, Inspector Gunnar Barbarotti, a Swedish police inspector of Italian descent. He has remained the main protagonist in Nesser’s crime books since then. Barbarotti is a more upbeat character than Van Veeteren and the books are firmly set in Sweden, although the town of Kymlinge
Kymlinge
Kymlinge is an area of Sundbyberg Municipality, Stockholm County, Sweden. It is mostly a recreational park, part of which is a nature reserve .-History:...
is fictitious and named after an "abandoned tube station" in Stockholm.
Nesser explained in an 2009 interview that he has two books left in him with Inspector Barbarotti, a novel set in London and a final masterpiece.
In August
August
August is the eighth month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian Calendars and one of seven months with a length of 31 days.This month was originally named Sextilis in Latin, because it was the sixth month in the original ten-month Roman calendar under Romulus in 753 BC, when March was the first...
2011 he hinted on his own site that a future book would take place in the "county of Somerset
Somerset
The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...
".
Filmography
- Kim Novak Never Swam in Genesaret's Lake (Kim Novak badade aldrig i Genesarets sjö) 2005
- Van Veeteren series
- Det grovmaskiga nätet (2000, TV)
- Återkomsten (2001)
- Kvinna med födelsemärke (2001, TV)
- Münsters fall (2005)
- Carambole (2005)
- Borkmanns punkt (2005)
- Moreno och tystnaden (2006)
- Svalan, katten, rosen, döden (2006)
- Fallet G (2006)
Awards
- 1994 - Best Swedish Crime Novel AwardBest Swedish Crime Novel AwardThe Best Swedish Crime Novel Award is a literary prize awarded annually since 1982 by the Swedish Crime Writers' Academy.The winners of the award are:* 1982 - Leif GW Persson for Samhällsbärarna...
for Borkmanns punkt - 1996 - Best Swedish Crime Novel AwardBest Swedish Crime Novel AwardThe Best Swedish Crime Novel Award is a literary prize awarded annually since 1982 by the Swedish Crime Writers' Academy.The winners of the award are:* 1982 - Leif GW Persson for Samhällsbärarna...
for Kvinna med födelsemärke - 2000 - Glass Key awardGlass key awardThe Glass Key award is a literature award given annually to a crime novel by an author from the Nordic countries.The award, named after the novel The Glass Key by American crime writer Dashiell Hammett, is a real glass key given every year by the members of the Crime Writers of Scandinavia to a...
for Carambole - 2007 - Best Swedish Crime Novel AwardBest Swedish Crime Novel AwardThe Best Swedish Crime Novel Award is a literary prize awarded annually since 1982 by the Swedish Crime Writers' Academy.The winners of the award are:* 1982 - Leif GW Persson for Samhällsbärarna...
for En helt annan historia