- Today he would have turned 70 years old: the sad success story of Stieg Larsson
That a major Swedish publisher wanted to publish the Millennium crime series, Swedish writer Stieg Larsson (1954-2004) was still aware of in the summer of 2004. He never got to see how successful the global bestsellers would become, as he died on November 9, 2004, at the age of 50 from a heart attack. In 2009, "The World" compared his posthumous fame to that of Hollywood star Heath Ledger (1979-2008, The Joker in "The Dark Knight") and world 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 You to Know" About Stieg Larsson and Me"), but no children at the time of his death. Thus, 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 his father Erland "multimillionaires".
Today, Thursday (15 August), 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 Who Played with Fire" (2007), and "The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest" (2008) - was originally planned for ten volumes but was posthumously published and was a great success in book form. The crime novels were also adapted into films in 2009. Michael Nyqvist (1960-2017, "John Wick") played Blomkvist, and Noomi Rapace (44, "Sherlock Holmes") portrayed 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 lead roles.
As "Nordic Crime" summarizes, Stieg Larsson left "exposés of further novels in the series and a nearly completed fourth novel". His heirs did not want others to complete the works, but they gave the go-ahead for a "continuation of the Millennium series as a standalone novel without using the existing material". Apart from the first trilogy, two more have since been created. "The Girl in the Spider's Web" (2015), "The Girl Who Takes an Eye for an Eye" (2017), and "The Girl Who Lived Twice" (2019) are by Swedish author David Lagercrantz (61). The first novel in this series was released in 2018 with Claire Foy (40, "The Crown") as Lisbeth Salander.
The first book of the third cycle, "The Girl in the Woods" (2023), has been published by the award-winning Swedish author Karin Smirnoff (59).
Stieg Larsson was politically active
Born in the northern Swedish town of Skelleftehamn as Karl Stig-Erland Larsson to two teenage parents (both 19), Larsson was also politically very 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 "Standard" reported on his "sensational research" into the murder of Swedish social democratic Prime Minister Olof Palme (1927-1986).
Travel Tips for "Millennium" Fans
Not only the main character, investigative journalist Mikael Blomkvist, is said to have autobiographical traits of their creator. Fans of the crime series can also visit many of the places described in the books today in Sweden. In the spring of 2024, the "Frankfurter Rundschau" compiled "Eight places you know from the books".
Among other locations mentioned is the address "Bellmansgatan 1" in Stockholm, where the main character Carl Mikael Blomkvist resides in a penthouse. This address is indeed real. Similarly, the restaurant "Kvarnen" ("The Mill") at "Tjärhovsgatan 4", which Salander and Blomkvist frequently visit, also exists. Additionally, the "Kaffebar" at Hornsgatan 78 / Bysistorget 6 is real and was reportedly Stieg Larsson's favorite café.
Stieg Larsson's long-term partner, Eva Gabrielsson, celebrated her 70th birthday recently, reminiscing about Larsson's unfulfilled dreams of seeing his Millennium series' international success. Despite Larsson's untimely death at the age of 50, his posthumous works like "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" and subsequent films led his family to amass substantial wealth.
In nine years, if "Swiss Radio and Television" (SRF)'s calculations are correct, Thursdays would have marked Stieg Larsson's 70th birthday, a milestone he never reached. The Millennium series, including "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo," active politics, and notable relationships continue to captivate fans worldwide.
