Swedish Marxist Noir: The Dark Wave of Crime Writers and the Influence of Raymond Chandler

by Per Hellgren

Overview

Marxist theories have had a profound influence on crime fiction, beginning with the works of the American writers of the 1930s. This study explores the development of a Swedish Marxist noir subgenre after the 1990s through a Marxist reading of central works, from the Marlowe novels of Raymond Chandler to the 1960s social crime fiction of Sjowall-Wahloo to modern bestselling authors such as Henning Mankell, Stieg Larsson, Roslund & Hellstrom, Jens Lapidus, Arne Dahl and others. The works of these writers show a common thread of Marxist worldview in their portrayal of a modern world gone wrong.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781476634159
Publisher:	McFarland & Company, Incorporated Publishers
Publication date:	12/31/2018
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	265
File size:	3 MB
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Journalist Per Hellgren is a contributor to Clues: A Journal of Detection. He lives in Strängnäs, Sweden.
Journalist Per Hellgren is a contributor to Clues: A Journal of Detection. He lives in Strangnas, Sweden.

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments
Preface
Introduction: Marxist Noir at the Gates
1. A World Gone Wrong: Raymond Chandler
2. The Accord: Per Wahlöö and Sjöwall-Wahlöö
3. The Fall from Grace: Henning Mankell
4. The Collapsed Dream: Stieg Larsson
5. Excavating the Swedish Underbelly: Roslund & Hellström
6. A Brave New Sweden: Jens Lapidus
7. Sleuths of the ­Post-Political Condition: Arne Dahl
8. The Age of the Manhunter: Lars Kepler
Conclusion: The Dialectics of Crime Fiction
Chapter Notes
Works Cited
Index

Editorial Reviews

This book brings valuable pieces to the captivating puzzle that Nordic Noir has become…the author pursues his thesis with considerable elegance…Hellgren delivers quite well on his dialectic ambitions, and Swedish Marxist Noir offers a convincing account of how ideology, politics, and crime fiction interacted from the 1960s until today. …a well-researched, well-written and -structured, and interestingly argued account of the origins and ideological evolution of Nordic Noir…a valuable contribution”—Scandinavian Studies; “Detailed and informed...provocative study”—Crime Time.

From the Publisher