Fredric Drum is a series of ten
crime fiction novels by
Norwegian author
Gert Nygårdshaug
Gert Hermod Nygårdshaug (born 22 March 1946 at Tynset) is a Norwegian author. He has written poems, children's books and novels, and is in particular known for the series of crime novels featuring the gastronomer amateur detective Fredric Drum. ...
that were published over the course of 21 years, starting in 1985. The series is named after the
protagonist
A protagonist () is the main character of a story. The protagonist makes key decisions that affect the plot, primarily influencing the story and propelling it forward, and is often the character who faces the most significant obstacles. If a st ...
of the novels.
Outside Norway the Fredric Drum series has been published in Denmark, Germany, Poland and Russia.
Character biography
The character Fredric Drum is a gourmet master
chef
A chef is a trained professional cook and tradesman who is proficient in all aspects of food preparation, often focusing on a particular cuisine. The word "chef" is derived from the term ''chef de cuisine'' (), the director or head of a kitche ...
, a connoisseur of fine
wine, the proprietor of a small
Michelin-starred
The Michelin Guides ( ) are a series of guide books that have been published by the French tyre company Michelin since 1900. The Guide awards up to three Michelin stars for excellence to a select few establishments. The acquisition or loss of a ...
restaurant in Oslo named ''Kasserollen'', a
cryptographer, and an amateur detective with a strong sense of curiosity.
[Brekke, Ingrid, ''Aftenposten'' (September 3, 2006).]
Verdig punktum for Drum
[Salvesen, Geir, ''Aftenposten.no'' (March 22, 2008)]
Om Fredric Drums endelige endelikt
His adventures frequently take place in exotic locations such as
France,
Østerdalen,
Italy,
Egypt,
Mexico and
New Guinea, and with considerable focus on various ancient cultures, such as the
Minoan civilisation or
Ancient Egypt, whose myths and archaeological mysteries Drum are frequently drawn to.
[
Drum's uncle, Skarphedin Olsen, is a police investigator with the National Criminal Investigation Service.
]
Response
The series has been called among Norwegian crime literature's most playful and original.[Hanssen, Kurt, ''Dagbladet'' (October 9, 2006)]
Drums siste eventyr
Critics have claimed to identify references in the series to works by other authors such as Knut Hamsun and Umberto Eco.
With a stated target of completing ten books of the series, Nygårdshaug published the final ''Fredric Drum'' novel in 2006, and it was consensus among critics that the series maintained the same level of quality to the very end.[
Though Nygårdshaug has worked within a wide range of genres throughout his career including poetry and children's literature, and won a people's award for "Best Norwegian Book of All Time" with '']Mengele Zoo
''Mengele Zoo'' is a novel from 1989 by the Norwegian author Gert Nygårdshaug.
The story is about "Mino Aquiles Portoguesa" who is born in a village in Latin America's rain forests. His father teaches him to hunt butterflies. One day a disas ...
'', he is arguably best known for his ''Fredric Drum'' series.[Wilhelmsen, Ken, Willy, ''NRK.no'' (June 1, 2007)]
Mengele Zoo beste norske
In the wake of the series' success, there has been arranged theme tours with Nygårdshaug, "in the footsteps of Fredric Drum", to Saint-Émilion
Saint-Émilion (; Gascon: ''Sent Milion'') is a commune in the Gironde department in Nouvelle-Aquitaine in southwestern France. In 2016, it had a population of 1,938.
In the heart of the country of ''Libournais'' (the area around Libourne), in ...
.[
]
Series bibliography
* ''Honningkrukken'' (1985, ''The Honey Jar'')
* ''Jegerdukken'' (1987, ''The Hunter's Puppet'')
* ''Dødens codex'' (1990, ''The Codex of Death'')
* ''Det niende prinsipp'' (1992, ''The Ninth Principle'')
* ''Cassandras finger'' (1993, ''Finger of Cassandra'')
* ''Kiste nummer fem'' (1996, ''Coffin Number Five'')
* ''Den balsamerte ulven'' (2000, ''The Embalmed Wolf'')
* ''Liljer fra Jerusalem'' (2001, ''Lilies from Jerusalem'')
* ''Alle orkaners mor'' (2004, ''The Mother of All Hurricanes'')
* ''Rødsonen'' (2006, ''The Red Zone'')
References
Gert Nygårdshaug dossier
Cappelen Damm
;Footnotes
External links
Fredric Drum short stories
Red & White
{{DEFAULTSORT:Drum, Fredric
Literary characters introduced in 1985
Characters in novels of the 20th century
Characters in novels of the 21st century
Fictional archaeologists
Fictional chefs
Fredric Drum