Victory in Print

Between the oaks and hemlocks, trees with less resilience fall. Many could not survive the rough winter. Yet even in the coldest months, Stieg Larsson's novels brought heat to our corner of these chilly woods. Such a shame he didn't live to write more about "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo".

Larsson gained world fame as a crime writer who created Lisbeth Salander, a unique female character who hacks computers and brings villains to their knees. He wrote the series as a kind of hobby to relax from the stress of his real work. For decades Larsson wrote journalistic articles that tracked the activities of neo-Nazi groups in Sweden. His grandfather was a strident anti-fascist who was punished in a Swedish work camp for his political views. Following his footsteps, Larsson wrote journalistic exposes of right wing extremists.

As a young man, Larsson traveled the world on a shoe string budget. To finance his travels he did things like work as a dishwasher and sell his own clothes. While he earned respect as a journalist, he did not live to enjoy the wealth produced by his mystery series (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, The Girl Who Played with Fire, and The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest). There is still hope that a fourth novel will appear one day. But that won't happen until his family members settle a suit with Larsson's long time girlfriend who has possession of the material.

Apart from the unsettled financial questions, his death at the age of 50 inspired many conspiracy theories. Did Larsson really die of a heart attack after climbing several flights of stairs -- or was he victim of some insidious act? Regardless of what provoked his death, it's very sad that he did not live to celebrate the worldwide victory of his printed work. His writing somehow captures the prime threats and contradictions of our times. We could sure use more of it.