Stieg Larsson

Stieg Larsson (August 15 1954 - November 9 2004) was a Swedish journalist and writer. He was born in Skelleftehamn outside Skellefteå, Sweden as Karl Stig-Erland Larsson.

Stieg Larsson was initially a political activist for the "Kommunistiska Arbetareförbundet" (Communist Workers League), a photographer, and one of Sweden's leading science fiction fans. In politics, he was the editor of the Swedish Trotskite journal "Fjärde internationalen"; as a science fiction fan, he was co-editor or editor of several fanzines, including "Sfären", "Fijagh!", and others; in 1978-1979 he was President of the largest Swedish sf fan club, Skandinavisk förening för science fiction (SFSF).

In 1981, Larsson went to work for the largest Swedish news agency, TT. His political convictions as well as his journalistic experiences led him to initiate the Swedish Expo foundation, similar to the British Searchlight Foundation and set up to expose racist and totalitarian organizations and tendencies; he also became the editor of the foundation's magazine "Expo". Larsson quickly became instrumental in documenting and exposing Swedish extreme right and racist organisations; was an influential debater, lecturer and leading expert, and lived for years under more or less serious death threats from political enemies. When he died at the age of 50, Larsson left three completed but unpublished works. The first was published in the UK in January 2008 as "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" and is to be published in the US in September of 2008. It was awarded the prestigious Glass Key award as the best Nordic crime novel in 2005; his second, "Flickan som lekte med elden" ("The Girl Who Played With Fire"), received the Best Swedish Crime Novel Award 2006. Several films are in the works from Yellow Bird Films in Ystad, Sweden. At his death he left an unfinished manuscript of a fourth novel in the series, but it is not yet clear whether this will be published.

He died in Stockholm of a massive heart attack, in 2004. Rumours that his death was in some way suspicious as he had previously received death threats when editor of Expo have been denied. [http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/books/article4587806.ece] In May 2008, it was announced that the 1977 testament of Larsson had been found not long after his death in which he declares his wish to donate all his money to the Umeå branch of the Communist Workers League (today called Socialistiska Partiet). As the will was unwitnessed, it is not valid under Swedish law, with the result that all of Larsson's money and future income from book sales continues to go to his father and brother. [http://www.svd.se/kulturnoje/nyheter/artikel_1301161.svd] [http://www.aftonbladet.se/nyheter/article2556626.ab] His long term partner, Eva Gabrielsson, who found his will, has no legal right to the inheritance. This has sparked some controversy and exposed what many media have considered a flaw in Swedish inheritance legislation.

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Bibliography

Collection of articles

*Stieg Larsson, Anna-Lena Lodenius: "Extremhögern", Stockholm, 1991
*Stieg Larsson, Mikael Ekman: "Sverigedemokraterna : den nationella rörelsen", Stockholm, 2001
*Stieg Larsson, Cecilia Englund: "Debatten om hedersmord : feminism eller rasism", Stockholm, 2004
*Richard Slätt, Maria Blomquist, Stieg Larsson, David Lagerlöf m.fl.: "Sverigedemokraterna från insidan", 2004

Novels

The "Millennium series" (all titles by April, 2008, under contract in more than 25 countries):
*"Män som hatar kvinnor" ("Men who Hate Women"), 2005. English translation by Reg Keeland under the title "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo", January 2008
*"Flickan som lekte med elden" ("The Girl who Played with Fire"), 2006. English translation by Reg Keeland under the title "The Girl who Played with Fire", January 2009
*"Luftslottet som sprängdes" ("The Aircastle that Blew Up"), 2007

Periodicals

*"Svartvitt med Expo", 1999-2002
*"Expo", 2002-2004

Awards

* 2006 - "Glass Key award", Män som hatar kvinnor
* 2006 - "Best Swedish Crime Novel Award", Flickan som lekte med elden
* 2008 - "Glass Key award", Luftslottet som sprängdes
* 2008 - "ITV3 Crime Thriller Award" for International Author of the Year, "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo". [cite web|author= Allen, Katie|title= Rankin and P D James pick up ITV3 awards|url= http://www.thebookseller.com/news/68347-rankin-and-p-d-james-pick-up-itv3-awards.html|work= theBookseller.com|date= 2008-10-06|accessdate= 2008-10-06]

References

External links

* [http://book.literaryawards.info/en/stieg_larsson.html Stieg Larsson commented bibliography] (en)
* [http://www.spanningzoeker.nl/larsson/ Dutch fansite with covers and more] (du)