Wednesday, April 29, 2020

Maj Sjöwall: R.I.P.

Another sad day: Maj Sjöwall passed away today at the age of 84 after a prolonged illness. She was known as the Queen of Crime in Sweden. Sjöwall was an author and translator, best known for the collaborative work with her partner Per Wahlöö on a series of ten novels about the exploits of Martin Beck, a police detective in Stockholm. They also wrote novels separately.

In 1971, the fourth of the Beck books, The Laughing Policeman (a translation of Den skrattande polisen, originally published in 1968) won an Edgar Award from the Mystery Writers of America for Best Novel and was adapted into the film The Laughing Policeman starring Walter Matthau.

Maj Swowall in conversation with Lee Child at Crimefest

Article about Maj Sjowall in The Observer. 

Roseanna (1965) [1967] 
The Man Who Went Up in Smoke [1969] 
The Man on the Balcony [1968] 
The Laughing Policeman [1970] 
    1971 Edgar Award for Best Mystery 
    Finalist 1971 Gold Dagger Award 
The Fire Engine That Disappeared [1970] 
Murder at the Savoy [1971] 
The Abominable Man [1972] 
The Locked Room [1973] 
Cop Killer [1975] 
The Terrorists [1976]

1 comment:

Priscilla said...

I loved the work she and her partner wrote. One thing they said has always kept me focused. Paraphrased, it was that a series is simply a series of chapters that make up one very large book.