Karin Smirnoff: ‘Taking on Stieg Larsson’s characters and the world surrounding them is a challenge’

The Girl in the Eagle’s Talons is your first Lisbeth Salander novel. What did you like about the series and how does it feel to take on a character as iconic as Stieg Larsson’s creation?

Most of all, I liked Stieg Larsson’s characters; Lisbeth, of course, but all his characters are cleverly created. Taking on his characters and the world surrounding them is a challenge. I decided to also invent my own characters, like Svala, the Cleaner, Marcus Branco, Henry Salo, etc. I’m continuing something, but am still writing my own books.

You take the story away from Stockholm, where the first six books were predominantly set, to Gasskas, a small town in the north. Why?

It’s a place I know. It’s also the playground of modern gold-diggers, where huge industrial investments are taking place in the name of green(washed) industries. Taking Lisbeth and Mikael to Gasskas is good for them. They need to see something other than Stockholm.

Your first novels were literary noir. How did you adapt to write a thriller?

In my opinion, my first four novels are just novels, not noir novels. And I think novels can be more thrilling than thrillers. I like suspense and action, but I’m less keen on solving crimes. The Girl in the Eagle’s Talons is a fusion. The compromise is to write three books [in the Millennium series] where things are being solved along the way. Just like Stieg Larsson did.

You and Stieg Larsson both come from the same area. Is there something in the atmosphere or landscape which inspires writers?

I think that the isolated communities, the distance between people, a tradition of oral storytelling, and the impact of religion have affected the literature here. The landscape and the nature here do things to me every day. Along with the cold dark winters and the midnight sun in summer.

Why is Nordic noir such a thing? What’s your favourite of the genre?

When I read “noir” I often think the books would do better without the crime plot. In the genre, I like Stina Jackson. She’s genuine and knows the north by heart.

Your first novel, My Brother, was published when you were 53, and it with its two sequels have sold more than 700,000 copies in Sweden. Why then, what was it about and how has success changed your life?

Writing has been important since I was a child, but writing novels for publication was a decision I made after my three children moved out. I raised them more or less alone. Having a regular salary was important. Jeopardising that salary by pursuing a creative career was not an option. The income from my books now gives us economic freedom. Apart from that, I’m convinced that the best things in life are free.

Why did you decide to bring Svala, a disruptive 13-year-old, into Lisbeth’s life?

Lisbeth needed to level up as a person. Be less teenager and more woman. Creating Svala was an attempt to make her more responsible and less lonely. Svala is Lisbeth and parts of myself moulded into one. Inventing her was a way to make the story my own. Svala can go anywhere, become anything. Never a victim, always a star.

Svala’s mother is one of several women who have disappeared. As in Stieg’s books, hatred of women is a driving theme. Has anything changed in attitudes to women since Stieg’s novels?

No. Violence against woman is as real now as it was when Stieg was writing. Violence against women was his main subject, as it is mine, but I also have an interest in other forms of violence. Not least against nature.

[ Andrea Carter: ‘I’m a fan of the golden age of crime fiction, so I tend to write in that style’ ]

Which projects are you working on?

The eighth part of the Millennium series.

Have you ever made a literary pilgrimage?

Well, not really. I regularly visit Torgny Lindgren’s home village because my partner comes from a village nearby. And Père-Lachaise of course.

What is the best writing advice you have heard?

Stephen King: Write every day. Avoid adverbs.

Who do you admire the most?

Anyone kind and courageous.

You are supreme ruler for a day, which law do you pass or abolish?

I’d abolish laws that restrict women from having power over their own bodies and lives.

Which current book, film and podcast would you recommend?

Book: Elin Anna Labba’s The Rocks Will Echo Our Sorrow. Podcast: I don’t listen much to podcasts. Driving home from Amsterdam with my 21-year-old son, we were listening to Jordan Peterson. He’s too much in many ways, but I understand why he attracts young men. Film: The Banshees of Inisherin.

Which public event affected you most?

An exhibition with Bill Viola.

[ Linwood Barclay: ‘My father’s wallet inspired a plot point’ ]

The most remarkable place you have visited?

The woods where I walk every day with my dog, Tony Montana. I fish, pick berries, mushrooms, hug trees, walk through the swamps and rest besides ancient stone graves.

Your most treasured possession?

My house and my black karate belt.

What is the most beautiful book that you own?

A “book” my father wrote to distribute to our family about his upbringing in the far north of Sweden, among matriarchs.

Which writers, living or dead, would you invite to your dream dinner party?

Lars Norén, Leonard Cohen, Birgitta Stenberg and Anaïs Nin.

The best and worst things about where you live?

Where I live has no down side.

What is your favourite quotation?

Var dag är en sällsam gåva (every day is a rare gift). A quote from a Swedish hymn.

Who is your favourite fictional character?

Beatrix Kiddo.

A book to make me laugh?

Popular Music from Vittula by Mikael Niemi.

A book that might move me to tears?

Goodbye Mr Muffin, by Ulf Nilsson. A children’s book about death.

The Girl in the Eagle’s Talons is published by MacLehose Press