Norway’s new crime fiction team
There’s a new Norwegian crime fighting duo on the scene from a new Norwegian publisher! It’s all change in Norway due to a recent article in VG newspaper. So, what’s the story?
Information adapted and translated from Norwegian newspaper VG
(c) VG and Mattis Sandblad
John Lier Horst is a popular writer in Norway – second best selling crime writer after Jo Nesbo no less!
Recently he’s left his publisher Gyldendal to start his own publisher, Capitana. He told VG newspaper in Norway that he’s been doing his own publishing for years now anyway behind the scenes, releasing some seven titles in the crime fiction and childrens genres. It’s always been his dream to have his own publishing house.
And how he has! Not only that he’s just written his first novel with another popular Norwegian author, Thomas Enger and this will be his first joint novel from his own publishing house.
Thomas Enger is published in English through Orenda Books and his crime series about Henning Juul has already been sold to 30 countries and is far more popular in countries such as Denmark and Germany than in Norway.
The new partners in crime first met up during crime trials and literature festivals. It was in Ottawa, Canada where the seeds of the new idea began to form. Jørn has a police background and Thomas comes from the world of journalism so it’s a match made in literary crime fiction heaven!
Apparently it was decided at first that Thomas would write the journalist role and Jørn, the police officer. But, well, “They soon lost control”.
So, a new crime fiction duo and a new publishing house in Norway. Sadly that means Gyldendal now loses its biggest Norwegian author and source of income. It will retain the rights to Horst’s backlist which is common when a writer leaves a publisher although Horst hopes that he might be able to publish his own books in the future.
But Capitana, and a new crime fiction team are set to make new ground and their new title, “Zero Point”. It apparently has more of a serial thriller vibe with lots more blood than Horst’s used to.
Get ready for a new direction in Norwegian crime fiction in more ways than one!
