The enigma of Stieg

Despite having been dead for six years, bestselling Swedish author of the Millennium Trilogy, Stieg Larsson, receives several interview requests per week. Those seeking answers, however, may find fewer than they hoped for in a recently released volume entitled Stieg Larsson, My Friend (Quercus). Written by one of Larsson’s closest friends, Kurdo Baksi, the book boasts a commendable lack of speculation.

On the connection between Larsson and his creation, Mikael Blomkvist, for instance, Baksi notes that “They are both journalists and work on magazines critical of contemporary society… Apart from that I don’t think there are many similarities.” The observations on geography follow similar lines: “the Stockholm locations are pretty much accurate…the fact that ‘Millennium Walks’ through the Söder district have been a big hit confirm this.” Better stick to the interview requests.