The Swedish author Stieg Larsson (1954-2004) knew in the summer of 2004 that a large Swedish publisher wanted to publish the Millennium crime series. He did not live to see how successful the global bestsellers would become, as he died of a heart attack on November 9, 2004 at the age of 50. In 2009, “Die Welt” compared his posthumous fame with that of Hollywood star Heath Ledger (1979-2008, “The Dark Knight”) and global star Michael Jackson (1958-2009).
As “Swiss Radio and Television” (SRF) wrote, Larsson had a long-term partner, Eva Gabrielsson (70, memoir “There are things I want to tell you” about Stieg Larsson and me), but no children at the time of his death. Therefore, the unexpected success of the stories about the tenacious investigative journalist Mikael Blomkvist and the brilliant hacker Lisbeth Salander made Larsson’s brother Joakim and father Erland multimillionaires.
Today, Thursday (15 August), the journalist and writer Stieg Larsson would have turned 70.
The Millennium series – three trilogies and several adaptations
The Millennium trilogy – “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” (2006), “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” (2007) and “The Girl Who Played the Dragon” (2008) – was originally planned for ten volumes, but was published posthumously and was a huge success in book form. The crime novels were also made into films in 2009. Michael Nyqvist (1960-2017, “John Wick”) played Blomkvist and Noomi Rapace (44, “Sherlock Holmes”) played Salander. “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” was remade in 2011 by American director David Fincher (61, “House of Cards”), this time with Daniel Craig (56, “James Bond”) and Rooney Mara (39, “Her”) in the leading roles.
As “Nordic Crime Novel” summarizes, Stieg Larsson left behind “outlines of further novels in the series and an almost finished fourth novel.” His heirs did not want others to complete the works, but gave the green light for a “continuation of the Millennium series as a single novel without using the existing material.” In addition to the first trilogy, two more were created. “The Woman in the Spider” (2015), “The Woman Who Plays with Fire” (2017) and “The Woman Who Lived Twice” (2019) are by the Swedish author David Lagercrantz (61). The first novel in this series was published in 2018 with Claire Foy (40, “The Crown”) as Lisbeth Salander.
The first volume of the third cycle, “The Woman in the Forest” (2023), was published by the award-winning Swedish author Karin Smirnoff (59).
Born in the northern Swedish town of Skelleftehamn as Karl Stig-Erland Larsson to teenage parents (both 19), Larsson was also very politically active. From 1995, the future thriller author was the editor of an anti-fascist magazine and was considered an expert on right-wing extremist movements. In 2018, the Austrian newspaper “Standard” reported on his “sensational research” into the murder of the Swedish Social Democratic Prime Minister Olof Palme (1927-1986).
Travel tips for “Millennium” fans
Not only the main character, the investigative journalist Mikael Blomkvist, is said to have autobiographical traits of his creator. Fans of the crime series can now visit many of the places in Sweden described in the books. In spring 2024, the “Frankfurter Rundschau” compiled “Eight places you know from the books”.
Among other things, the address “Bellmansgatan 1” in Stockholm is mentioned, where the main character Carl Mikael Blomkvist lives in a penthouse apartment. This address actually exists. Also, the restaurant “Kvarnen” (“The Mill”) on “Tjärhovsgatan 4”, which Salander and Blomkvist often visit, exists. In addition, the “Kaffebar” on Hornsgatan 78 / Bysistorget 6 is real and is said to have been Stieg Larsson’s favorite café.
Stieg Larsson’s long-time partner Eva Gabrielsson recently celebrated her 70th birthday and recalled Larsson’s unfulfilled dream of seeing the Millennium series achieve international success. Despite Larsson’s early death at the age of 50, his posthumously published works such as The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and the subsequent films made his family multimillionaires.
In nine years, if “Swiss Radio and Television” (SRF) is correct, Stieg Larsson would celebrate his 70th birthday, a milestone he did not reach. The Millennium series, including “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo”, active politics and remarkable relationships fascinate fans all over the world.
