Wallander--Nordic Noir

[Andrew666]

The second UK series of Wallander - the Kenneth Branagh triumph based on Henning Mankell's books - is an absolute must-see. It's even better than the first series. The noir feel of the series, though set in modern times, perfectly reflects the nordic temperament. "There's something about coming from those northern lands, you know," says Branagh, "It's a big country, small population, the seasons and the weather are extreme, and the possibility for looking inward into the interior life is great."

Nordic noir is where it's at in British bookshops at the moment. My own personal favourite is Arnaldur Indridason, featuring Inspector Erlendur of the Rekjavik police in Iceland - that's about as nordic as you can get. The late Stieg Larsson's Girl With the Dragon Tattoo series is also pretty good, though possibly a bit long-winded.

Others worth a look at are Jo Nesbo, Karin Fossum, Hakan Nesser, Johan Theorin, the fascinating Sofi Oksanen (Estonian soviet noir!) and the much underated Yrsa Sigurdardottir.

Purists might also want to look out for the Swedish Wallander series - now available on DVD - also excellent:



Happy reading!

[Steve-O]

I'm watching the Swedish Wallanger right now (it's subtitled and on Netflix streaming). Wow. Great show. I wonder if the UK one does really top it?

[Night Editor]

The second UK series of Wallander - the Kenneth Branagh triumph based on Henning Mankell's books - is an absolute must-see. It's even better than the first series. The noir feel of the series, though set in modern times, perfectly reflects the nordic temperament. "There's something about coming from those northern lands, you know," says Branagh, "It's a big country, small population, the seasons and the weather are extreme, and the possibility for looking inward into the interior life is great."

Nordic noir is where it's at in British bookshops at the moment. My own personal favourite is Arnaldur Indridason, featuring Inspector Erlendur of the Rekjavik police in Iceland - that's about as nordic as you can get. The late Stieg Larsson's Girl With the Dragon Tattoo series is also pretty good, though possibly a bit long-winded.

Others worth a look at are Jo Nesbo, Karin Fossum, Hakan Nesser, Johan Theorin, the fascinating Sofi Oksanen (Estonian soviet noir!) and the much underated Yrsa Sigurdardottir.

Purists might also want to look out for the Swedish Wallander series - now available on DVD - also excellent:

Happy reading!

To add the reading list: Sweden's Kjell Eriksson, 'The Princess of Burundi', 'The Cruel Stars of the Night', 'The Demon of Dakar'. Superb crime fiction and among the best English translations I've ever come across . Also, K.O. Dahl (Norway), 'The Fourth Man', other titles.

I prefer the original Swedish-produced Wallander over the UK series, only I think because I've seen Kenneth Branagh in so much else and I've always found his performances best suited to the stage.

[Steve-O]

thanks... more for my reading pile!