Scandinavia House, home of the The American-Scandinavian Foundation, has an author panel tonight in New York on the topic “Where Fiction and Reality Collide: Norwegian Crime Fiction Panel”. Norway is apparently one of the most peaceful countries in the world. Read any Scandinavian crime novels lately?
In completely unrelated news from Norway, the amount of heroin seized this year is already almost twice that of last year. “In 2008, 738 kilograms of drugs were seized at Norwegian borders, while the customs this year have already discovered 1500 kilograms of narcotics,” reports The Norway Post.
I believe crime fiction is actually thriving in Norway. The Norwegians have an odd Easter custom. Instead of staying home and going to church, most Norwegians go on vacation in the mountains. During these vacations they a) ski, and b) read crime fiction. a) is obvious, but nobody has adequately explained b).
Maybe Norwegians treat crime in crime fiction the same way we treat magic in fantasy – something exotic.