Leaping to Conclusions about Swedish Detective Novels

swedishbooks_190.jpgI've read books by two different Swedish authors. Three books by Henning Mankell, whose protagonist is police detective Kurt Wallander. And two books by Maj Sjorrel about detective Martin Beck. Mankell is the better and more prolific writer. His book White Lioness, in particular, was amazing, with two different investigations, and two sets of fully-developed characters, occurring simultaneously in different countries (Sweden and South Africa). It was a fascinating read, watching the two investigations intersect. But I like Martin Beck a lot, too.

The thing that strikes me as interesting is that neither detective is the maverick figure that you typically find in American detective novels. No Sam Spade, Philip Marlowe, Spencer, Mike Shayne, or Lew Archer. Of course, those are private detectives, while Wallander and Beck are police detectives, so perhaps a better analogy would be Alex Cross from the James Patterson novels, or Lucas Davenport from the John Sandford "prey" novels. In that case, the resemblance is closer. And yet, those Swedish detectives tend to be real team players, and you see the rest of the team actually advancing the case, whereas if anything happens in a Patterson novel, it comes from the initiative of Alex Cross. And Davenport, come to think of it, pushes the envelope constantly. The Swedish detectives have no trouble sharing the spotlight, and often significant things happen without their presence whatsoever.

I guess Americans like larger-than-life rogue heroes, while the Swedes are okay with non-heroic, team-playing plodders. In a country of socialism, a politically neutral country that avoids conflict, I guess that's understandable. As compared to the cowboy rugged individualism of American society. It's just something I've enjoyed musing about.

Posted on February 22, 2008 04:07 PM|

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