culture | copenhagen
ordic Noir is everywhere these days. Dark, moody and atmospheric, it also dares to be intelligent and to reflect real societal concerns. In a market bloated with slick, shallow thrillers, this cool blast from Scandinavia has reawakened the zest for crime fiction in many readers. The Swedes led the way when Steig Larsson’s phenomenally successful Millennium series kicked things off. The resurgence of interest in all things Scandinavian then brought Henning Mankell’s Wallander novels to a wider
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readership. Subsequent TV adaptations in Swedish and English confirmed the appetite for a more mature take on crime fiction. But the Swedes were not alone. Norway gave us the grittier Jo NesbØ’s Harry Hole series. And from Denmark came The Killing, in which the incomparable Detective Inspector Sarah Lund patrols the mean streets of Copenhagen. In truth, Copenhagen has fewer mean streets than most cities. It’s a safe, orderly, civilised place. An air of tolerance and social responsibility prevails. There’s a pleasant sense
Top, The ghostly outline of Øresund Bridge; above, crime writer Mark O'Sullivan in an attempt to "out-jumper" Sarah Lund.
Serial offeNderS – THe readiNG liST Per wahlÖÖ Martin Beck series by Maj sjÖwall and kell kurt Wallander series by henning Man uM inspector sejer series by karin Foss Harry Hole series by jo nesbØ berg patrik HedstroM series by CaMilla laCk 86 |
december 2013/January 2014
of reticence, style and decency about its people. From ticketed queues in bakeries to urban transport, things run smoothly and unfussily here. The city is architecturally fascinating, has arguably the world’s best restaurant, Noma (Strandgade 93, +45 32 96 32 97; noma.dk), and a passion for design without equal. In short, Copenhagen has got so many things right that it might easily be smug about itself. It isn’t. It’s a city in a country that constantly questions its own values and direction. In the public forum, in art, literature and film this self-examination is a constant. In The Killing we get not only a complex mystery with real depth of character, but also a critical reflection on the society itself. There’s no better way to get a feel for the series and its setting than to take The Killing tour organised by Peter and Ping (Krusemyntegade 25; peter-og-ping.dk), a company owned by Lise Lotte Frederiksen. It