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Håkan Nesser

ホーカン・ネッセル

Hokan Nesser

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1950 （Sweden）
Nationality
Sweden
Languages
Swedish

Career

Occupations
novelist, crime writer
Active Years
1988-

Awards

Swedish Crime Writers' Academy Award (Best Newcomer)
1993
Work: Det grovmaskiga nätet (The Mind's Eye)
Category: 最優秀新人賞
Organization: Swedish Crime Writers' Academy
Result: 受賞
Swedish Crime Writers' Academy Award (Best Crime Novel)
1994
Work: Borkmanns punkt (Borkmann's Point)
Category: 最優秀長編賞
Organization: Swedish Crime Writers' Academy
Result: 受賞
Swedish Crime Writers' Academy Award
1996
Work: Kvinna med födelsemärke (Woman with Birthmark)
Category: 最優秀長編賞
Organization: Swedish Crime Writers' Academy
Result: 受賞
Swedish Crime Writers' Academy Award
2007
Work: En helt annan historia (The Root of Evil)
Category: 最優秀長編賞
Organization: Swedish Crime Writers' Academy
Result: 受賞
The Glass Key
2000
Work: Carambole (Hour of the Wolf)
Organization: Crime Writers of the Nordic Countries (Glass Key award)
Result: 受賞
Finnish Mystery Society — Foreign Crime Writer Award
2002
Organization: Finnish Mystery Society
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Det grovmaskiga nätet (The Mind's Eye)

1993 crime fiction

A Van Veeteren (Van Veeteren / Kommissarien) series novel combining psychological depth with a layered investigation into past crimes.

past vs presentmoral ambiguitymemory and truth
Adaptations
  • [film/TV] Det grovmaskiga nätet (2000)
Translations
  • The Mind's Eye

Borkmanns punkt (Borkmann's Point)

1994 crime fiction

One of the signature Van Veeteren novels; a small-town investigation that explores both procedural detail and inner lives of characters.

justice and ethicssmall-town claustrophobia
Adaptations
  • [film/TV] Borkmann's Point (2005)
Translations
  • Borkmann's Point

Kvinna med födelsemärke (Woman with Birthmark)

1996 crime fiction

A suspenseful novel weaving together a woman's birthmark and an unfolding investigation, with emphasis on psychological characterization.

identitysecrets
Adaptations
  • [film/TV] Woman with Birthmark (2001)

Carambole (Hour of the Wolf)

1999 crime fiction

A cleverly plotted novel with interlocking characters; recipient of the Glass Key award.

interconnected relationshipschain of mysteries
Adaptations
  • [film/TV] Carambole (2005)
Translations
  • Hour of the Wolf

En helt annan historia (The Root of Evil)

2007 crime fiction

A long-form novel probing the psyche of criminals and investigators; awarded the Swedish Crime Writers' Academy's best novel prize.

crime and atonementcriminal psychology
Translations
  • The Root of Evil

Kim Novak badade aldrig i Genesarets sjö (A Summer with Kim Novak)

1998 literary novel with crime elements

A nostalgic tale about vanished pasts and memory; adapted into a film.

nostalgiamemory
Adaptations
  • [film] Kim Novak Never Swam in Genesaret's Lake (2005)

Bibliography

  • Koreografen (1988)
  • Det grovmaskiga nätet (1993) — The Mind's Eye
  • Borkmanns punkt (1994) — Borkmann's Point
  • Carambole (1999) — Hour of the Wolf
  • En helt annan historia (2007) — The Root of Evil

Adaptations

  • Multiple novels adapted for Swedish film and television (e.g., Det grovmaskiga nätet, Borkmanns punkt, Carambole, Kim Novak)

Translations of Works

  • Borkmann's Point — Japanese translation by Tomoko Nakamura (Kodansha Bunko, 2003)
  • The Root of Evil — Japanese translation by Yoko Hisayama (Sogen Mystery Bunko, 2021)
  • Intrigo / Selected short fiction — Japanese translation (Tokyo Sogen, 2019)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
calm, observant prosepsychological character focusmeticulous plotting
Recurring Motifs
lonelinessmemories of the pastsmall-town claustrophobia

Legacy

Håkan Nesser is one of Sweden's prominent contemporary crime writers, best known for his Van Veeteren series. He is noted for meticulous plots and psychological depth, with numerous translations and screen adaptations.

Quotes

  • At the center of a story is always the complexity of human beings.
    Source: Interview (source unspecified)

Trivia

  • Debuted with Koreografen in 1988 (reported).
  • Several novels have been adapted for Swedish film/TV.
  • Awards include the Swedish Crime Writers' Academy prizes and the Glass Key.