Shelf Awareness reports that “the late Stieg Larsson is the first member of the Kindle Million Club, according to Amazon, which announced that the Millennium Trilogy author has become the first writer to sell more than one million Kindle books.” Say what you like about Larsson and all the attendant hype, this makes me happy.
In the CS Monitor, Sarah Seltzer considers Salander’s (and Larsson’s) feminism.
Salander is a controversial figure; feminists and other observers are divided over the message she sends to women today. That debate, while valid, misses a key point: We should all celebrate the emergence of an utterly original female literary character. In an action-story landscape where women are too often relegated to girlfriend, sidekick or prey in need of defending, Salander grabs the spotlight and refuses to let it go. . . .
Larsson’s novels achieve something perhaps more difficult than advancing a social-justice cause: introducing an utterly original female character to the world, one who avoids the tired archetypes of helpless victim, lovelorn and needy single female, karate-kicking babe, ferocious tiger mother, or deranged scorned mistress. Lisbeth Salander is a fascinating mess, a real piece of work, but she’s active and human, more than one can say for than insipid Twilight heroine Bella Swan.
The Sipilas are in the Strib’s spotlight. Jarkko Sipila’s Finnish procedurals are being published in English translation by his brother in Minnesota. He has told me he is planning to publish at least one other Finnish writer, too. I reviewed Against the Wall and Vengeance here.
Maxine is now leading summer tours, and very entertaining they are, too. Denmark is one of her destinations.
Karen at Euro Crime reports the happy news that Norwegian writer Thomas Enger now has an English language publication deal with Faber. I have happily updated my “wanted” page. Since I don’t have a picture of him, I thought I’d include one of Oslo’s mean streets (courtesy of jamtea).