| Camilla Läckberg | |
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Camilla Läckberg at the 2011 Göteborg Book Fair. |
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| Born | August 30, 1974 Fjällbacka, Västra Götaland County, Sweden |
| Occupation | Novelist |
| Nationality | Swedish |
| Genres | Crime fiction |
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www.camillalackberg.com |
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Jean Edith Camilla Läckberg Eriksson (August 30, 1974 in Fjällbacka, Bohuslän) is a Swedish crime writer. A common theme in Läckberg's books is that all are traditionally set in or around her birthplace, the small Swedish west coast town of Fjällbacka. Fjällbacka means 'mountain hill' because the village is situated near the huge stone cliff of Vetteberget which is fractured by a fissure known as Kungsklyftan (King's Chasm/Cleft).[1] T Nearby are the Weather Islands, (or to give them their correct title, Väderöarna which are accessed by boat from Fjallbacka, totalling 365 in all, one for each day of the year) only one is inhabited- Ramna, but all are rugged, bleak, and truly beautiful.[2] The novels have all been # 1 bestsellers in Sweden and Camilla has the distinction of being the most profitable native author in Swedish history, beating even Stieg Larsson & his Millennium trilogy .[3]
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Läckberg considers herself a crime dilettante-since discovering such literature on her fathers bookshelf at a tender age this has remained her reading fascination.[4] Läckberg's books have received special praise for detail and "in-depth characterization".[5] Those around are observed for behaviour, then the protagonist is hidden in a plethora of characters-although the readers are never deceived per se.[6] What interests is primarily psychology:-just how 'horrible' people are capable of being![7] Camilla-sometimes called the Swedish Agatha Christie- became a writer after her husband and parents enrolled her in a creative writing course as a Christmas present: 'For me actually, specific images – snapshots – come first, and then the story starts to come together from those bits and pieces. I am very visual when I write, I "see" the story in pictures and writing a book is like having a movie running in my head 24/7.'[8] The scenes are described in a few words which gives the reader a simple pattern to work from-they have to provide the rest:- "I read about furniture makers I’ve never heard about, designers I cannot pronounce, and magazines which seem interesting enough to look through. Needless to say Google's search-engine works overtime during my research!"[9] Although her actual creative process is shrouded in mystery some suggest Läckberg first looks for a motive then works from there; these-as her plots-she terms 'finite'attributions: money, jealousy, revenge, loss etc.[10] 'Understanding why someone does something terrible like a murder is interesting.'[11] The characters are definitely the strong point: they are complicated people who are far from perfect, their innermost workings are interesting, often amusing, having a patina of realism.[12] At the end of each book is a 'imaginary peripeteia' as in ancient Greek drama, a reversal showing everything from a new perspective.[13] Camilla often uses a familiar narrative ploy of running two stories alongside one another,(In the Stone Cutter the current murder investigation and the story of Anders Andersson, a stone cutter from Stromstad in 1923. In the Hidden Child the assassination of a retired history teacher juxtaposed against Erika's mothers wartime diaries).[14] Along with Denise Rudberg, Camilla is now program manager for the literature program Läckberg & Rudberg.[15] The Angel-Maker's Wife "is Sweden's most purchased book in the past month" (Nov 2011).[16]
The author started writing at an early age- her earliest work being called "Tomten" (The Goblin) then having graduated from the Gothenburg University of Economics, the would-be crime-writer moved to Stockholm, (the Läckberg family still owns property in Enskede, southern Stockholm) where she worked as an economist before beginning writing fiction seriously.[17]Camilla describes her worst quality as: "being exceptionally good at procrastination!" & being a fan of the disco-classic “I Will Survive”; as well as being a 'cry-baby' who laughs at: "romantic comedies and the crazy utterances of children!" [18] Entrepreneurial talents have found expression in a jewellery company Sahara inspired by the natural objects we readily find around us.[19][20][21] Hong Kong maternity fashion company Sono Vaso recently launched in Europe with (the then) pregnant bestselling author endorsing.[22] Camilla was married for the second time in 2010 to Martin Melin,[23] winner of Expedition Robinson. The two had met at a 2005 release party for one of her books, then began a working relationship. Martin proposed to Läckberg in August 2009.[24] The wedding occurred at Häringe Slott south of Stockholm.[25] She has three children. Wille and Meja are from her first marriage. The Ice Princess was accepted by her publishers in the same week as Camilla gave birth to her son Wille.[26] Charlie is from her relationship with Melin.[27] He is also the subject of her first childrens book:Super-Charlie.[28] Camilla Läckberg is the best selling author in Sweden as of Nov 2011: Änglamakerskan, was published in the middle of September and is breaking all records having sold more than 300 000 copies, a 40 % increase insales compared to the last novel Fyrvaktaren.[29] Under Swedish law, Camilla's ex-husband Micke Eriksson was entitled to 50% revenue from the contracts signed during their marriage. Eventually it was agreed that a lump sum should be paid to him.[30] Erica wasn’t supposed to be based on Camilla but turned out that way, even though they're not always similar-Patrik is based on Micke her ex-husband-the father of Will & Meja; since this was disseminated in Sweden the author got a lot of mail from readers when her separation became known, because they were anxious that Erica and Patrik might become divorced similarly.[31]
| Published | Swedish title | English title | Translation | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Isprinsessan | Ice Princess | Steven T. Murray (2008) | |
| 2004 | Predikanten | The Preacher | Steven T. Murray (2009) | |
| 2005 | Stenhuggaren | The Stonecutter | Steven T. Murray (2010) | |
| 2006 | Olycksfågeln | The Gallows Bird | Steven T. Murray (2011) | |
| 2007 | Tyskungen | The Hidden Child | Tiina Nunnally (2011) | |
| 2008 | Sjöjungfrun | The Drowning | ||
| 2009 | Fyrvaktaren | The Lighthouse Guardian | ||
| Snöstorm och mandeldoft | The Scent of Almonds | |||
| Smaker från Fjällbacka | Flavours from Fjällbacka | |||
| 2011 | Änglamakerskan | The Angel Maker's Wife | ||
| Fest, mat och kärlek | Feast, Food & Love | |||
| 2011 | Super Charlie | Super Charlie | ||
| 2012 | The Stranger | The Stranger |
Filming of the new TV-series "Fjällbacka murders" began in August 2011 based on the characters from Camilla's novels, but the stories will be new, with actors Claudia Galli and Richard Ulfsäter playing Erica and Patrik.[32] 'My books are my children & I want to hand them over to somebody who will look after them,' Camilla is quoted as saying.[33]Swedish director Daniel Lind Lagerlof is missing/presumed dead; he was scouting locations for The Fjallbacka Murders, the film and TV-series adaptation of Camilla Lackberg’s best-selling crime franchise, when he disappeared.[34]
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