What's so funny about Scandinavian crime fiction?

My article about humor in Nordic crime fiction, "Dry Humor in a Cold Climate," appears in the Fall 2007 issue Mystery Readers Journal, now available from Mystery Readers International. The issue is devoted to Scandinavian mysteries, and it includes Håkan Nesser's thoughts about writing, contributions from several other top Swedish authors, a roundup of contemporary Finnish crime fiction, and quite a bit more in addition to my piece.

You'll also find articles about Danish crime fiction, Maj Sjöwall and Per Wahlöö, Karin Fossum, and the Scandinavian touch in American crime writing and one by Yrsa Sigurðardóttir that bears the intriguing title "A Depressing Lack of Crime." See a complete table of contents, full versions of selected articles, and information about the print version of the magazine at the Mystery Readers Journal link in the above paragraph.

© Peter Rozovsky 2007

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Nordic Crime Fiction
Swedish Crime Fiction
Denmark Crime Fiction
Norway Crime Fiction
Finland Crime Fiction
Iceland Crime Fiction
Scandinavian Crime Fiction

New Mystery Readers Journal

The summer 2007 issue is out, full table of contents and selected articles here. This is the second of two issues about ethnic detectives, with articles from Henry Chang, Nick Stone, Ken Kuhlken and more. Articles include "The African American Sleuth in Genre Fiction," "H.R.F. Keating's Inspector Ghote as an Ethnic Sleuth," and a personal favorite, "Writing Toronto—As Ethnic As It Gets!"

Editor Janet Rudolph always offers a wide-ranging package of articles and reviews on pertinent, provocative themes, and each issue's list of more than thirty articles is apt to contain a surprise or two. Unlike "The Ethnic Detective, Part I," this issue contains nothing by me, but I'll be baa-ack.

© Peter Rozovsky 2007

The international side of Mystery Readers Journal

I have now received the print version of Mystery Readers Journal's Ethnic Detectives, Part I issue, the online version of which I wrote about recently. Much of the issue focuses on "ethnic" detectives in the United States, including several articles that wonder what terms such as ethnic and outsider really mean.

Two of the articles relate more directly to international crime fiction: Adrian Hyland's, on how the Central Australian Outback drew him in, and Matt Beynon Rees's, on his novel The Collaborator of Bethlehem. I've written about Hyland's novel Diamond Dove before, and I'd read about his affection for the people of the Outback. Here he expands on this matter and talks also of his love for the land.

I haven't read Rees yet, but he has some interesting things to say about his setting and his novel, the first of a series. Here's my favorite:

By learning the language, I was able to give my characters some of the formalized greetings and blessings that are an important part of Palestinian speech. I translated them, rather than just putting the original Arabic phrase in italics, because I wanted readers to get the poetry of everyday speech. For example, to wish someone good morning my characters say `Morning of joy,' and the response is `Morning of light.' When someone gives them a cup of coffee, they tell them `May Allah bless your hands' Isn't that beautiful?

© Peter Rozovsky 2007

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Adrian Hyland
Matt Beynon Rees
Crime fiction in translation

Meet, greet and eat with Swedish crime writers

Janet Rudolph of Mystery Readers Journal and Mystery Readers International will host an evening with Helene Tursten and Inger Frimansson, and "other surprises" possible at her home in Berkeley, California:

When: May 1, 2007
Time: 7 p.m.
Where: Janet Rudolph's home, Berkeley, California.
Directions: E-mail whodunit@murderonthemenu.com.
What to Bring: Swedish hors d'oeuvres/food/drink -pickup type food, if possible
RSVP: Space is limited for this event.
Books: MRI will not have books available at this event, so please order your books in advance from M is for Mystery, the San Francisco Mystery Bookstore or your local store or online. Tursten and Frimansson will talk as well as sign at this intimate evening of mystery.

Helene Tursten is the author of the award-winning series featuring Detective Inspector Huss. The latest is "The Glass Devil" (Soho). Inger Frimansson is another of Sweden's most celebrated writers. "Good Night, My Darling" and "The Shadow in the Water" were named Best Mystery Novel of the Year in 1998 and 2005. "Good Night, My Darling" is coming out in translation this month (Pleasure Boat Studio). There may be some other surprises. RSVP early.

New issue of Mystery Readers Journal

The Spring 2007 issue of Mystery Readers Journal is online and off the presses. It includes essays and reviews by Reed Farrel Coleman, Adrian Hyland, S.J. Rozan, Barbara Nadel, the Friends of Chester Himes, and many more, including a review by yours truly of Hyland's Diamond Dove (to be titled Moonlight Downs in its U.S. release from Soho Press).

Each issue of Mystery Readers Journal is devoted to a theme, often of special interest to readers of international crime fiction. Recent issues discussed mysteries set in Italy and mysteries set in the Far East, for example.

The new issue is the first of two on ethnic detectives, with articles on "The Post-Charlie Chan Era", "Who Is Ethnic?", "The Outsiders" and other interesting, even provocative topics. The Mystery Readers Journal link gives you the table of contents for the print magazine, with links to selected articles available online and to information about Mystery Readers International.

© Peter Rozovsky 2007

Technorati tags:
Adrian Hyland