Helvi Oosterman
Last year I was in the bookshop in Newtown wanting to buy something with my mother’s day book voucher. Being keen on Scandinavian crime writers like Henning Mankell, I was looking for something by him. Of course, I normally only buy crime stories in second hand book shops or at markets; I tend to keep my money for more serious literature…
As I was in a hurry I ended up accidently buying the second one of the Stieg Larsson’s trilogy. Only a few weeks ago I managed to get the first one of the series, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.
To my great delight the movie of the same title was showing in our neck of the woods, in Bowral. We decided the best time to see it would be 6.30 pm as people would be most likely getting ready to cook or to at least start planning their dinners. We had a nice early pub dinner and were ready at the cinema a few minutes of the movie starting.
To our horror the queue was very long and by the time it was our turn to buy the tickets the boy behind the counter announced that only ten tickets were available, and that he would return to us as soon as he had settled the masses. I of course pleaded that I could sit anywhere, on my own, no need to find a two-seater for us. The ten of us ended up sitting in the front row; it was the only way…
Now, I had not had time to finish the book, so I did not know who the killer was, anymore than how this book would end, so seeing the film was going to seriously affect my pleasure of finishing the story. The movie lasted two and half hours but it was not one minute too long for us.
The film is tighter than the book. I thought all actors were good, and of course the actress playing the girl with the tattoos, Lisbeth Salander, was excellent. I also do not agree with Margaret from the Movie Show that Michael Nyquist wasn’t well cast in the leading male role, he can bring me flowers anytime…
For me the movie was also a trip home or at least a visit in the neighbourhood; I loved the snow filled winter landscapes, the pine and birch forests, the old summer huts on the lakes, the carrying in the firewood, the endless coffee drinking, even the Swedish formality, the pressed field flowers, whose Latin names I still remember, after all, I had to do at least fifty of them during my lower high school summers.
For Gez and me it’s a must-see. Don’t take my word for it, see it yourself!
Window Dresser's Arms, Pig & Whistle 
What is it about Scandinavia that’s allowed its writers to scale the battlements of the psycho crime thriller genre and take over the castle.
A fabulous education system, home brewed vodka, high rates of suicide and nights that last six months can’t be all there is to it.
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Yes, there is a lot more to it. Not only in writers of crime but also writers of everything else.
Sweden has many authors of worldwide recognition including August Strindberg, Astrid Lindgren (Pippi Longstocking), and Nobel Prize winners Selma Lagerlöf and Harry Martinson. In total seven Nobel Prizes in Literature have been awarded to Swedes.
Throughout the 1960s and 1970s Sweden was seen as an international leader in what is now referred to as the “sexual revolution”, with gender equality having particularly been promoted.
Sweden has also never been afraid of social reform. It is also one of the highest taxation paying country in the world but amazingly, the last government was returned by promising not to lower taxation.
Since 1 May 2009, Sweden repealed its “registered partnership” laws and fully replaced them with gender-neutral marriage, Sweden also offers domestic partnerships for both same-sex and opposite-sex couples. Cohabitation (sammanboende) by couples of all ages, including teenagers as well as elderly couples, is widespread.
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No-one brews Vodka these days, it comes in beautifully designed bottles, like everything else in Scandinavia..
The nightless summers counter balance the short winter days, almost too much light then if you are inclined to do shady deals, (which we of course are not)
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Is Vanger Swedish for wanker?
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No, HOO, ‘cos there are no wankers in Sweden 🙂
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No, we’re all here.
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…yes but, no but,yes but, there are lots of very nice male nurses in Australia who can write better than Stieg Larsson…
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Thanks for the laugh you two 🙂
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Ha Ha Ha
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The actress Noomi Rapache (Salander in the movie) reminded me of Tanya Plebersek so I put my money on her being from, say, from a Slovakian background.
I found out that her mum is Swedish and her father, Spanish Flamenco singer, Rogelio Duran. The un-Swedish surname Rapache is her married name.
I lost my money and you gained some gossip… 🙂
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I am pretty sure I have met her in my village many years ago, drawing water by bucket and rope from the village well. I helped her pulling the full bucket and she looked at me with dark eyes and her pretty blouse with some crocheted daisies was a bit wet. I never forget. Now she is a famous actress and I am just old and fall asleep.
This is not gossip.
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Brkon, in Bratisalvia do they eat knakworst?
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HOO, Bratislava is Gez’ heaven , Utopia, where they only eat Manna and drink Nectar…
Coca Cola and Knackwurst are banned of course, but the girls still manage to turn out nice and rotund.. (see: Svetlana etc)
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So is that what Bratislava is all about?
Never bean a Coke fan so when GO posted at UL couldn’t agree more
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I haven’t read any of the books in the trilogy, but the First Mate and I thought the film was rivetting.
In the paper this weekend a reviewer said of the film that most western people think Sweden is all Ikea furniture, Abba and post modern minimalist architecture and advanced social engineering.
The author (sorry, misplaced his name) described a darker side of Nazi sympathies and extreme right wing people – not the least of them the richest man in Sweden who owns Ikea – and who, when interviewd could not remember whether he had been a member of Nordic Youth (the Scandinavian equivalent of the Hitler Youth) or not.
I agree with you, Helvi. A must-see movie for me. I give it three and a half stars.
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It is quite glaring how when people talk about Scandinavian prosperity, they always follow the Basil Fawlty rule, but with considerably more success than him. “Don’t mention the War.”
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Perhaps because the Swedes are such well behaved and rather reserved people, they let their darker side out when plotting and reading these horrible crime stories …
Henning Mankell, Stieg Larsson, Asa Larsson, Lisa Marklund and many more are making the tiny Sweden the ‘hornet’s nest’ of crime fiction; better to write about crime than to do it 🙂
Now I can return to the wonderful book by a young Australian author, Markus Zusac : The Book Thief. Love his way of writing !
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I suppose the same goes for Australia ‘Don’t mention the war’, let alone recognizing, the genocide of one and a half million Armenians by the Turks.
This started one day before the Gallipoli landing. You would not want to disturb the Anzac ceremony at Gallipoli.
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I was pleased that Gerard liked the movie, sometimes if he doesn’t like the story he goes to sleep. A bit embarassing when you are sitting in the front row for all to see.
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Mrs M loves this trilogy. None of us are allowed to see the film, until we’ve all read the first book. Unfortunately I’m bogged down in another intricate ‘Biggles’ plot!
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It’s good have order in the house; read the first book first, before seeing the movie, and no one needs to explain the plot.
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The dinner was lovely, I had a rump steak done rare with chips and salad. An excellent shiraz. Helvi had chicken fillet with the same but with semillon blanc. Each had gravy, just a little bit, a mere ‘soupcon’ (accent please) in its own white porcelain container.
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Then the film, front row, but from the first shot you knew this was going to be something special. Ah, those Nordic forests and lakes and then the music, heavy with anticipated drama, murder and unforeseen events, very much Sibelius. Unforgettable.
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Sibelius and gravy !
You can have my share of anything looking like that brown stuff any time, dear. Are’t chips already on your list of banned foods?
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What happened, my picture is gone, I’d like it back !
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