His best-selling books are violent, terrifying, brilliantly written and have sold millions of copies around the world, but Stieg Larsson was not there to witness any of their international success. That he died in 2004 and his fame as an author is entirely posthumous demonstrates the dizzying speed with which his star has risen. But when one looks a little deeper at the man behind these phenomenal novels, it is clear that his life would be remembered as truly extraordinary, even if his Millennium trilogy had never been published.
Larsson was a workaholic: a keen political activist, photographer, graphic designer, a respected journalist and editor of numerous science fiction magazines...and at night, to relax after work, he wrote crime novels. As the world now knows, by the time of his death at just 50 years of age he had completed The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest, the third book featuring his hypnotic character, Lisbeth Salander. But his relentless personality and political convictions did not make his life easy.
He famously reported about some dangerous neo-Nazi organisations in Sweden, which led to numerous death threats. In fact, since his death, officially caused by a massive heart attack, there had been much speculation that his enemies had a hand in his premature demise. This difficult man, brilliant and multifaceted, here receives a penetrating biography - and celebration of his remarkable life and books - from top crime fiction journalist Barry Forshaw.