Nordic noir, also known asScandinavian noir, is agenre ofcrime fiction usually written from a police point of view and set inScandinavia or theNordic countries. Nordic noir often employs plain language, avoidingmetaphor, and is typically set in bleak landscapes. This results in a dark and morally complexmood, in which a tension is depicted between the apparently still and bland social surface and the patterns of murder,misogyny, rape, and racism the genre depicts as lying underneath. It contrasts with thewhodunit style such as theEnglish country house murder mystery.[clarification needed]
Some of the best known Nordic noir authors areJo Nesbø from Norway;Henning Mankell,Stieg Larsson andCamilla Läckberg from Sweden;Jussi Adler-Olsen from Denmark; andArnaldur Indriðason from Iceland. The popularity of Nordic noir has extended to the screen, with TV-series such asThe Killing,The Bridge,[1][2]Trapped,[3][4] andBordertown.[5] The styling of these series is also cited in several other non-scandinavian TV shows, such asWasteland (TV series).
There are differing views on the origins but most commentators agree that the genre had become well established as a literary genre by the 1990s; Swedish writerHenning Mankell, who has sometimes been referred to as "the father of Nordic noir",[6] notes that theMartin Beck series of novels byMaj Sjöwall andPer Wahlöö "broke with the previous trends in crime fiction" and pioneered a new style: "They were influenced and inspired by the American writerEd McBain. They realized that there was a huge unexplored territory in which crime novels could form the framework for stories containing social criticism."[7] Kerstin Bergman notes that "what made Sjöwall and Wahlöö's novels stand out from previous crime fiction – and what made it so influential in the following decades – was, above all, the conscious inclusion of a critical perspective on Swedish society."[8]
Henning Mankell's books on "Kurt Wallander" made the genre a mass phenomenon in the 1990s. Norwegian authorKarin Fossum's books on "Inspector Sejer" were also highly influential and widely translated.[9] British authorBarry Forshaw suggested thatPeter Høeg's atmospheric novelMiss Smilla's Feeling for Snow was "massively influential" as the true progenitor of the "Scandinavian New Wave" and, by setting its counter-intuitive heroine in Copenhagen and Greenland, that it inaugurated the current Scandinavian crime writing wave.[10]
One critic opines, "Nordic crime fiction carries a more respectable cachet... than similargenre fiction produced in Britain or the US".[11] Language, heroes and settings are three commonalities in the genre, which features plain, direct writing style withoutmetaphor.[12] The novels are oftenpolice procedural, focusing on the monotonous, day-to-day work of police, often involving the simultaneous investigation of several crimes.[13] Examples especially includeHenning Mankell'sKurt Wallander detective series, andMaj Sjöwall andPer Wahlöö'sMartin Beck novels.[14]
Until the 2010s, the genre had no particular name, but was sometimes referred to descriptively as "Nordic crime fiction" or "Scandinavian crime fiction". Within the Nordic countries themselves, this is still the case. The terms "Nordic noir" and "Scandinavian noir" are used largely interchangeably in English. In theEnglish-speaking world, the term "Nordic noir" was coined by the Scandinavian Department at theUniversity College of London and gained further usage in the British media in the 2010s beginning with the airing of theBBC documentary called theNordic Noir: The Story of Scandinavian Crime Fiction.[15] It is said thatStieg Larsson’sMillennium Trilogy contributed to the popularity of “Nordic noir” among readers outside Scandinavian countries.[16]The Guardian also referred toThe Killing as Nordic noir.[15][17] These factors underscore that the term is considered typical of a phenomenon seen as uniting the viewpoint of foreign eye towards recognizable Nordic context.[15] Nordic noir remains a foreign term, as it is not normally used in the Nordic countries and has no equally established equivalent in the Scandinavian or other languages of the Nordic countries.
Some critics attribute the genre's success to a distinctive and appealing style, "realistic, simple and precise... and stripped of unnecessary words".[12] Their protagonists are typically morose detectives[18] or ones worn down by cares and far from simply heroic.[12] In this way, the protagonists' lives cast a light on the flaws of society, which are beyond the crime itself.[19] This is associated with how this genre often tackles a murder mystery that is linked with several storylines and themes such as the investigation of the dark underbelly of modern society.[20] This is demonstrated in the case of theInsomnia films, which featured crime-solving linked to the decline of the Nordic welfare state.[21]
A description of Nordic noir cited that it is typified by a dimly lit aesthetic, matched by a slow and melancholic pace, as well as multi-layered storylines.[20] It often features a mix of bleak naturalism and disconsolate locations, with a focus on the sense of place where bad things can happen.[18] These were the distinguishing emotions of the seriesBordertown, which were further combined with an atmosphere arising from thefear of Russia.[18]
The works also owe something to Scandinavia's political system where the apparent equality, social justice, and liberalism of theNordic model is seen to cover up dark secrets and hidden hatreds. Stieg Larsson'sMillennium trilogy, for example, deals with misogyny and rape, while Henning Mankell'sFaceless Killers focuses on Sweden's failure to integrate its immigrant population.[12][22]
The term "nordic noir" is also applied to films and television series in this genre, both adaptations of novels and original screenplays. Notable examples areThe Killing,The Bridge,[23]Trapped,Bordertown,[1]Deadwind[24] andLakeside Murders.[25]
CriticBoyd Tonkin has suggested that the Scottish but heavily Scandinavian-influencedShetland Isles andOuter Hebrides have produced authors in an allied, if not precisely identical tradition.[26] Exponents includeAnn Cleeves, whoseShetland books have beenadapted for television, andPeter May'sLewis Trilogy. The relatively slower narrative pace of UK crime dramasBroadchurch,The Missing andRiver is also credited to a "Scandinavian noir" influence.[27]
Subtitled original programmes have proven more popular with British audiences.[citation needed] International adaptations such as Sky Television's French/BritishThe Tunnel (adapted from the Swedish/DanishThe Bridge) have their own identity whilst retaining a stylistic and thematic affinity with the original series. While American cinema brought the English language movie version ofThe Girl With the Dragon Tattoo to a worldwide audience, receiving plaudits and was a box-office success, the American adaptations such asThe Killing have fared less well critically[28] and have proven less popular in terms of audience reaction than original productions, an example being the enduring interest inArne Dahl'sIntercrime series, originally titledThe A Team, and its TV adaptations.
In February and March 2021 UK'sBBC Four broadcast theFinnish psychological thrillerMan in Room 301 (Finnish: "Huone 301").[29][30][31][32]
Authors who have contributed to the creation and establishment of this genre include:[10]
Nordic noir travel guide from Wikivoyage