Writer Karin Smirnoff talks at the seminar on Swedish literature in Hanoi on October 9, 2024 (Photo: Embassy of Sweden in Hanoi)

Bao Tram: Welcome, Ms. Karin Smirnoff, to VOV24/7’s “Cultural Rendezvous”. In Swedish literature you represent a genre of crime fiction called Nordic Noir, or Scandinavian Noir. How would you describe it?

Karin Smirnoff: I think that in the Nordic crime novel, if you look at it, what you see is that the main character is usually a person with some kind of problem. Either he is not very social, or he has a mental issue, or…I don't know, probably divorced and in some kind of conflict with his ex.

So, the main characters in Nordic Noir are problematic persons, in some way. It's not just a general police procedural. And they’re quite critical toward society, politics, and politicians, and that's kind of a contradiction with Sweden, which is often considered a perfect country where everyone is well-paid and, you know, a country without problems.

Bao Tram: How does Nordic Noir compared to noir literature in other countries?

Karin Smirnoff: So, Nordic Noir is always showing the opposite of what you think about society. And they move quite slowly. They’re not full of action. They move slowly and are more psychological than American crime novels, for example. And then you have the environment. You use the environment a lot. Like, if you ride from the north, you use the darkness, you use the weather, the snow, the loneliness, and the remoteness. To me that's typical Nordic Noir.

Smirnoff told reporters that her novels always take place in northern Sweden where isn’t easy to live because of the weather against you. But you also have a freedom that you don’t have in big cities. It means this place forms people, individuals. (Photo: Embassy of Sweden in Hanoi)

Bao Tram: Do you think Nordic Noir helps people understand themselves and the society they live in?

Karin Smirnoff: I think that's the job of literature, and art in general – to describe what's happening in society, how it works, how it could work, and what is not working. It's a big part of Nordic Noir, to try to describe problems in society and how people cope with it.

Bao Tram: How has your writing style evolved over the years?

Karin Smirnoff: The language has developed throughout the books. I guess language is always something in progress, but it changes with the characters, and what the characters are doing, and what the plot is, and how much you, as a writer, fall in love with some of the characters, because you give them a voice, you kind of nourish them. Or maybe you don't like the character, then that calls out a different kind of voice. Language is a tool, of course – a tool I'm trying to use in many ways. For me, writing crime novels is totally new. My biggest problem is understanding how to sustain it.

Bao Tram: Thank you, Ms. Smirnoff, for spending this brief time with us.

Karin Smirnoff: You’re welcome!