This week´s theme: write about a political or social issue that matters to you.Classical crime fiction, often called whodunnits, were usually mere entertainment, an intellectual puzzle meant to kill a few hours. Noteworthy crime writers who have changed the genre are the Swedish couple Maj Sjöwall and Per Wahlöö who wrote ten very famous crime novels in the period from 1965 to 1975 with the clear agenda of exposing inequality and abuse of power in the Swedish society. Since then several crime writers have voiced social indignation on behalf of children, women, immigrants, minorities etc.
The theme I have chosen to focus on today is abuse of women (a theme which should be relevant to any woman - and fortunately many men also feel obliged to join in the important fight against it).
British & American crime fiction about abuse of women:
Ruth
Rendell, Simisola (1994). A novel about exploitation and abuse of illegal immigrants who for obvious reasons dare not go to the police.Elizabeth George, A Great Deliverance (1988). Here I find it difficult to write about the theme without spoiling the plot.
Scandinavian novels:
The most famous Scandinavian (crime fiction) writer right now may be Swedish Stieg Larsson and his millennium trilogy. His debut, "The Girl with The Dragon Tattoo" (2008), deals with a mass murderer exposing young women to horrible sexual maltreatment before killing them.
Other Scandinavian crime novels in which abuse of women is a central theme:
Camilla Läckberg, The Preacher (2009) Prædikanten (2006) - Swedish
Liza Marklund, Paradise (2000) Paradiset (2001) - Swedish
The last three are not translated into English (at least not for the time being)
Kim Småge, Containerkvinden (1999) - Norwegian
Elsebeth Egholm, Personskade (2005) - Danish
Jo Nesbø, Snemanden (2007) - Norwegian
NB: the list is certainly not conclusive. Please send me a comment if you would like to add any of your ´favourite´ crime novels on this serious subject.
Readers´ additions:
Helene Tursten, The Glass Devil (Swedish)
Stieg Larsson, The Girl who Played with Fire (Swedish)
Sophie Hannah, The Other Half Lives (British)
Australian crime fiction:
Michael Robotham, The Night Ferry
Kathryn Fox, Without Consent (forensic thriller)
American crime fiction:
James Patterson, 1st to Die
Tess Gerritsen, Vanish
Christa Faust, Money Shot
John D. MacDonald & the protagonist Travis McGee - several novels about abuse of women
Andrew Vachss - has also written a number of novels on the theme.
Krimi med et budskab - Weekly Geeks # 8. Denne uges ´weekly geek´ opgave går ud på at skrive om et politisk eller socialt emne, som betyder noget for mig.
Den klassiske krimi blev normalt skrevet udelukkende for at underholde, et intellektuelt puslespil, som skulle slå nogle timer ihjel. Et par krimiforfattere, som har været med til at ændre genren er det svenske ægtepar Maj Sjöwall og Per Wahlöö, som skrev ti berømte krimier i perioden 1965-1975, med den klare hensigt at udlevere manglende lighed og magtmisbrug i det svenske samfund. Siden da har utallige krimiforfattere brugt deres bøger som talerør for udsatte børn, kvinder, immigranter, minoriteter osv.
Det tema, jeg har valgt at fokusere på i dag er misbrug af kvinder (det burde være relevant for enhver kvinde, og heldigvis er der også mange mænd, som har sluttet sig til kampen imod det).
Britisk og amerikansk krimilitteratur om misbrug af kvinder:
Ruth Rendell, Simisola (1995). En roman om udnyttelse og misbrug af illegale immigranter, som af åbenlyse årsager ikke tør henvende sig til politiet.
Elizabeth George, En fars begær (1988).
Skandinaviske krimier:
Den mest berømte netop nu må være Stieg Larssons debut, "Mænd der hader kvinder" (2005).
Kim Småge, Containerkvinden (1999) - norsk
Liza Marklund, Paradiset (2001) - svensk
Elsebeth Egholm, Personskade (2005) - dansk
Camilla Läckberg, Prædikanten (2006) - svensk
Jo Nesbø, Snemanden (2007) - norsk
Læsernes tilføjelser:
Helene Tursten, Glasdjævlen (svensk)
Stieg Larsson, Pigen som legede med ilden (svensk)
NB: listen er på ingen måde fuldstændig. Send gerne en kommentar med flere eksempler.
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