A Fortunate Man, written by Anders August and directed by Bille August, premiered in Denmark on August 30th. The film, which is based on Nobel prize-winning author Henrik Pontoppidan’s 1898 novel Lykke-Per, has received outstanding reviews and was one of the three films shortlisted to be the Danish entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 91st Academy Awards. A Fortunate Man is also set to air as a miniseries on Danish TV 2 in 2019, and it ranks as one of the most ambitious European series to date.

“A Fortune Man is highly entertaining /…/ Go see it at the movie theatre now.”
– JydskeVestkysten

“A dazzling experience /…/ It’s poignant storytelling, melancholic, refined, wry, timeless and modern, empathetically adapted by the father-son team of Bille and Anders August.”
– Cineuropa

“Even after almost three hours of playing time you’re glad that the TV series will deepen the story even more.”
– Filmmagasinet Ekko

“With A Fortunate Man August & August have crafted a lovely and beautiful film about the conditions and hopes of human existence.”
– Soundvenue

The official bestseller lists for the month of September see many familiar titles in the top spots. On the hardcover list Jonas Gardell’s In Memory of an Unconditional Love comes in at No. 2, also making an appearance at No. 5 on the e-book list. Stefan Ahnhem’s fourth Fabian Risk novel, Motive X, claims the No. 4 spot on the hardcover list.

The paperback list has Anders de la Motte and Deeds of Fall at No. 2, and Niklas Natt och Dag’s The Wolf and the Watchman at No. 3.

Jørn Lier Horst’s The Katharina Code claims the No. 2 spot on the e-book list.

Leif GW Persson’s Master Detective Willy: the Story of My Career meanwhile makes a repeat appearance on the nonfiction list, claiming the No. 5 spot.

And lastly on the children’s fiction list, Kristina Ohlsson’s third installment in the Monster Trilogy, The Mummy’s Riddle, places at No. 3.

Kristina Ohlsson’s internationally bestselling crime novels about Fredrika Bergman premieres on the small screen today in Sweden. The TV series adaptation, called Sthlm Requiem, will air first on C More, then on TV4 on October 17th.

Karin Fahlén is the concept director of the series, with Lisa Ohlin directing some of the individual episodes. Head screenwriters are Jörgen Hjerdt and Pauline Wolff, and among the star-studded cast are such names as Liv Mjönes, Jonas Karlsson, and Alexej Manvelov.

“Sthlm Requiem is a brutal series, its DNA infused with toughness. Based on Kristina Ohlsson’s novels about Fredrika Bergman, the story doesn’t shy away from showing blood, death and society’s raw underbelly. /…/ it’s smart, expertly portrayed /…/ Hats off to the casting of this trio [Mjönes, Karlsson, Manvelov], they find a fragile sort of chemistry that’s utterly appealing.”
-Expressen

Jørn Lier Horst has been announced as the winner of the Nordic Noir Thriller of the Year Award for Dregs, a William Wisting novel. The Nordic Noir Thriller of the Year Award is handed out during the annual literary festival Crimetime, and goes to an international author whose writing can be said to be in the spirit of Nordic Noir, a genre signified by realism, dark contemporary undertones, and strong, recognisable milieus and characters. To be selected as the winner of the award, the author must have made a lasting impact on the modern crime novel.

The jury motivates their choice of Jørn Lier Horst thusly:

“Dregs is a classic Nordic Noir novel that contains every ingredient you could wish for: the small-town perspective, the involvement of society as a whole, reflections on the psychology of crime, and the everyday relationships that easily get caught in the middle. Jørn Lier Horst’s antihero, William Wisting, is a sympathetic, complex character who despite his stress-related problems leads the police work with a steady, firm hand. One can tell that Jørn Lier Horst has a past as an investigator, and he is without a doubt one of the best crime writers in the Nordic countries.”

Niklas Natt och Dag’s The Wolf and the Watchman was just awarded the Crimetime Specsavers Award 2018 for ‘Crime Debut of the Year’ at the Gothenburg Book Fair and won Bonnier’s Book Clubs’ ‘Book of the Year’ during yesterday’s fair day.

The jury of the Crimetime Specsavers Award 2018 says:

“For a seething, stinking and nerve-racking depiction of Stockholm in the 1790s. The anything but predictable story and deeply complex characters are presented with a rich language and contemporary precision. The Sherlock Holmes-inspired detective Cecil Vinge has a moving destiny of his own and death is his constant companion throughout the story. In 1793, death was run-of-the-mill but this novel is anything but. The jury is thoroughly impressed by Niklas Natt och Dag’s debut. We love the free-spiritedness of the narrative and the disrespect towards the genre that feels confidently free and
refreshing. Here we have a debut that doesn’t follow any rules or templates – but still manages to reach out and completely floor both readers and critics.”

The jury of the Bonnier’s Book Clubs’ 2018 says:

“A rich crime story from a bygone Stockholm – brilliantly told!
The autumn of 1793, a mutilated body is found in Lake Fatburen on Södermalm. Cecil Winge of the Police Department and the city guard Cardell take on the case. But they are running out of time, Winge’s health is fragile and the coldest winter known to man is approaching. The characters, environmental descriptions and language perfectly interact!”

Jonas Gardell’s In Memory of an Unconditional Love returns to the No. 1 spot on the weekly hardcover fiction list in Sweden, also claiming the No. 3 position on the e-book list. Stefan Ahnhem meanwhile debuts on the hardcover list with the just published Motive X, which comes in at No. 2. Motive X – the fourth Fabian Risk novel – is No. 2 also on the e-book list. Another strong debut on the hardcover list is Liza Marklund, just out with The Pearl Farm. Marklund places at No. 4.

The paperback list features two recurring bestsellers: Niklas Natt och Dag, who comes in at No. 3 with The Wolf and the Watchman, and Anders de la Motte at No. 4 with Deeds of Fall.

Finally there is the weekly children’s books bestseller list, where the third installment in Kristina Ohlsson’s Monster Trilogy, The Mummy’s Riddle, comes in at No. 5.