Maj Sjowall & Per Wahloo of Sweden
I first discovered the Swedish detective Martin Beck on television, in BBC 4’s foreign detective slot at 9pm on Saturdays. This had previously featured Montalbano, from Italy, and The Killing, from Denmark. I had not, though, worked out that there were books and this was not clear to me until I came across references to them in the first part of yet another French detective (book) series, Pierre Lemaitre’s Verhœeven trilogy, Irène. The murderer is basing his crimes on different detective books, one of which is Sjöwall and Wahlöo’s Roseanna.
Following this up – I always do – I found that this married couple of Swedish journalist/writers are the godparents of Nordic Noir, and the possible originators of the use of the detective/police procedural novel to point out social ills and political issues!
Fancy that!
