Stockholm Noir (Akashic Noir) - Softcover

Larson, Nathan

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1617752975 ISBN 13: 9781617752971

Publisher: Akashic Books, Ltd., 2016

Synopsis

Named a Pick of the Week for the week of February 29th by Publishers Weekly

"Grouped under three headings, the 13 stories in this outstanding entry in Akashic's noir series capture the gloomy underside of Sweden's capital, portraying the hopelessness of those trapped in what Larson and Edenborg in their introduction call the city that devours your soul."
--Publishers Weekly, Starred review

"Coedited by local authors Larson and Edenborg, this superb sampling of Swedish crime writing talent, some of whose work has been translated into English for the first time here, will be appreciated by fans of Stieg Larsson's 'Millennium' trilogy and Jens Lapidus's Easy Money; they will enjoy getting to know these authors, who write about Stockholm's dark side."
--Library Journal

"Akashic's multivolume Noir series returns to Scandinavia, focusing this time on the capital city of Sweden, a country that is famously neutral in time of war but is also a large-scale dealer in arms....Another worthy entry in this globe-trotting mystery series."
--Booklist

"Larson and Edenborg manage to unearth a dark side to a city that is verdant, clean, and surrounded by crystalline water....Stockholm may not be Marseille, but Larson and Edenborg's contributors show that even a verdant place with socialized medicine can have its seamy side."
--Kirkus Reviews

"The series offers the best of bite-sized crime stories from all over the world--you can't go wrong!"
--Book Riot

"On the heels of editions set in Copenhagen and Helsinki comes Stockholm Noir, edited by Nathan Larson and Carl-Michael Edenborg with a predictably discerning eye for stories that wring suspense, violence, and worry from social and political issues percolating in a given milieu."
--Village Voice

Akashic Books continues its award-winning series of original noir anthologies, launched in 2004 with Brooklyn Noir. Each book comprises all new stories, each one set in a distinct neighborhood or location within the respective city.

Brand-new stories by: Unni Drougge, Inger Edelfeldt, Carl-Michael Edenborg, Åke Edwardson, Torbjörn Elensky, Inger Frimansson, Carl Johan De Geer, Martin Holmén, Nathan Larson, Malte Persson, Anna-Karin Selberg, Johan Theorin, and Lina Wolff.

From the introduction by Nathan Larson & Carl-Michael Edenborg:

"To the tourist, the city of Stockholm appears a shimmering dream. Laid out on a series of islands, it is verdant, clean, and surrounded by crystalline water. On paper, Stockholm is paradise. And in some respects, it truly is. But in most respects, it is anything but...

In Stockholm Noir, the city is presented as a gaping maw ready to devour your soul should you wander down the wrong alley...Everywhere is noir. Even, and especially, in a paradise like Sweden, where the citizen is given every tool to go out and become a great success but is paradoxically held to an almost subliminal expectation to fall in line...and never shine so brightly that you disturb your neighbor...

In this anthology it's our aim to showcase the darker, grittier, more intense world of Swedish noir fiction. Here the dangers lurking beneath the IKEA lifestyle are given free rein, and words are given to the ambivalence and despair of a model society."

About this title

About the Author

Nathan Larson is an award-winning film composer, musician, producer, the author of the novels The Dewey Decimal System, The Nervous System, and The Immune System. He has made music for many films, including Boys Don't Cry, Margin Call, and the Swedish movies Stockholm Stories and Lilya 4-Ever. He and his wife, singer Nina Persson, divide their time between New York City and Sweden.

Carl-Michael Edenborg is a publisher, writer, and critic with a PhD in intellectual history. He has written several short stories and novels. His independent Vertigo publishing company has brought out many nonconformist classics, from Marquis de Sade to Samuel Delany. His latest novel, The Alchemist's Daughter, was nominated for the prestigious Swedish August Prize in 2014.

Review

"This book is part of the award-winning Akashic Books noir anthologies, each of which highlight one location. In Stockholm Noir, the beautiful and pure city of Stockholm that tourists know is juxtaposed against the dark and gritty noir side of the city. Fans of popular Swedish mystery authors like Henning Mankell and Stieg Larsson may be interested in branching out into a different genre with this book."
--Hibbing Daily Tribune

"This one shows you the dark corners of Sweden. My mind pictures white blondes in ski clothes. That's not who you read about in these stories..."
--Journey of a Bookseller

"This high-class anthology set in Sweden's capital city exposes the queasy realities of social inequality, soul-diminishing isolation, bigotry and brutality in thirteen separate stories that offer an unflinchingly grim picture of the Scandinavian urban environment. This is midnight noir indeed--but the editors skilfully balance this collection of previously unpublished, contemporary tales with slices of satire, sardonic observations and even a sprinkling of supernatural whimsy."
--Murder, Mayhem & More


"This book is part of the award-winning Akashic Books noir anthologies, each of which highlight one location. In Stockholm Noir, the beautiful and pure city of Stockholm that tourists know is juxtaposed against the dark and gritty noir side of the city. Fans of popular Swedish mystery authors like Henning Mankell and Stieg Larsson may be interested in branching out into a different genre with this book."
--Hibbing Daily Tribune

"This one shows you the dark corners of Sweden. My mind pictures white blondes in ski clothes. That's not who you read about in these stories..."
--Journey of a Bookseller

"This high-class anthology set in Sweden's capital city exposes the queasy realities of social inequality, soul-diminishing isolation, bigotry and brutality in thirteen separate stories that offer an unflinchingly grim picture of the Scandinavian urban environment. This is midnight noir indeed--but the editors skilfully balance this collection of previously unpublished, contemporary tales with slices of satire, sardonic observations and even a sprinkling of supernatural whimsy."
--Murder, Mayhem & More

About this edition

• Publisher: Akashic Books, Ltd.
• Publication date: 2016
• ISBN 10: 1617752975
• ISBN 13: 9781617752971
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 256