Leif Gustav Willy Persson (born 12 March 1945) is a Swedish
criminologist
Criminology (from Latin , "accusation", and Ancient Greek , ''-logia'', from λόγος ''logos'' meaning: "word, reason") is the study of crime and deviant behaviour. Criminology is an interdisciplinary field in both the behavioural and so ...
and novelist. Persson has four children, one of whom,
Malin Persson Giolito
Anna Malin Ulrika Persson Giolito (born 25 September 1969 in Stockholm) is a Swedish author and lawyer. She is the daughter of novelist and criminologist, Leif G. W. Persson. Persson Giolito wrote the award-winning book '' Störst av allt'' ('' ...
, is also a crime writer.
Early life
Leif Gustav Willy Persson was born on 12 March 1945 in
Stockholm, Sweden to Gustav and Margit Persson. He attended the High School
Norra Real.
Career
In 1977, while working at the Swedish National Police Board, Persson was the
whistleblower
A whistleblower (also written as whistle-blower or whistle blower) is a person, often an employee, who reveals information about activity within a private or public organization that is deemed illegal, immoral, illicit, unsafe or fraudulent. Whi ...
who worked with journalist
Peter Bratt
Peter Bratt (born 29 April 1944) is a Swedish journalist. For many years he worked for the national Swedish newspaper ''Dagens Nyheter'' until he quit 2003.
The IB affair
Peter Bratt revealed Informationsbyrån together with Jan Guillou in the ...
in the so-called
Geijer Scandal when he confirmed a classified memo sent by then National Police Commissioner
Carl Persson to Prime Minister
Olof Palme about the alleged ties of the Minister of Justice,
Lennart Geijer
Johan Lennart Geijer (14 September 1909 – 16 June 1999) was a Swedish politician and lawyer. He is mainly remembered for his role in the Geijer affair and for being the Minister for Justice who himself negotiated with the robbers and terroris ...
, to a
prostitution ring in Stockholm. Following this affair he was fired from the National Police Board. The string of events almost drove Persson to suicide, but he soon returned as lecturer at
Stockholm University. The prostitution ring affair inspired him to write his first novel, ''Grisfesten''. He returned to the National Police Board as a professor in 1992.
Persson was a professor in
criminology at the
Swedish National Police Board
The Swedish National Police Board ( sv, Rikspolisstyrelsen, RPS) was the central administrative authority for the police in Sweden from 1 January 1965 to 1 January 2015, when the Swedish Police Authority was established. The Swedish police used t ...
from 1992 to 2012. He is well known in Sweden for his
crime fiction
Crime fiction, detective story, murder mystery, mystery novel, and police novel are terms used to describe narratives that centre on criminal acts and especially on the investigation, either by an amateur or a professional detective, of a crime, ...
novels and for his regular appearances as an expert commentator on notable crime cases on television and in newspapers. Between 1999 and 2009, he participated as an expert commentator on the
TV3 television show ''
Efterlyst
''Efterlyst'' ("Wanted") is a Swedish television program, equivalent of ''America's Most Wanted''. The show plays security camera footage, reconstructions of crimes, and then takes calls and tips from the Swedish public. Since it was first aired, ...
'', which is primarily about wanted Swedish criminals. Between 2010 and 2018, he participated in the
SVT television show ''
Veckans Brott'' with
Camilla Kvartoft
Camilla Kvartoft (born 6 March 1968) is a Swedish television presenter and journalist
A journalist is an individual that collects/gathers information in form of text, audio, or pictures, processes them into a news-worthy form, and disseminat ...
, which is primarily about unsolved Swedish criminal cases both recent and cold.
Media stardom and personality
By the 1990s, Leif GW Persson had emerged as one of Sweden's most acclaimed media personalities, and his popularity continued to grow through the 2000s.
Often referred to simply as "GW", he frequently appears on television, radio, and in other media as a commentator on crime and criminology. Among other things, he is a noted expert on the unsolved 1986
assassination of Swedish prime minister
Olof Palme, and has been harshly critical of police and prosecutors. He also holds forth on other issues, including politics, literature, and wine, etc, and is well known for his great interest in hunting. He takes an irreverent attitude to authorities, regularly dismissing officials as incompetent or lazy. Persson's disheveled appearance, biting wit, and characteristic manner of speech, replete with mumbling and grunting, has made him a cult figure often lovingly parodied in the media. His extraordinary media stardom has in recent years been the theme of several journalistic investigations; at one point,
Swedish public radio asked "How much Leif GW Persson can Sweden handle?".
A self-described bacchanalian and an alcoholic, Persson has famously coped with his addiction by practicing a strict half-year regime since the late 1980s: denying himself alcohol (and other drugs) for six months, and then drinking heavily during the rest of the year. In 2018, at age 73, he announced that his failing health would prevent him from fully resuming alcohol use, lamenting that he would henceforth be "unrecognizable" for an entire year instead of the usual six sober months.
Persson, who is overweight and has at times been very obese, has also struggled with his food intake. In the early 2000s, he was forced to abandon a habit of "food orgies" – regular bouts of extremely lavish, high-end gourmet dining and drinking – with his friend, the media mogul
Jan Stenbeck
Jan Hugo Robert Arne Stenbeck (; 14 November 1942 – 19 August 2002) was a Swedish business leader, media pioneer, sailor and financier. He was head of Kinnevik Group from 1976 and founded among other things the companies Comviq, Invik & C ...
, after his physician warned that his heart could not take another year of it. According to Persson, it was Stenbeck's refusal to cut back on the gourmandizing that led to his death in 2002.
Bibliography
* ''Grisfesten'' (1978; ''The Pig Party'')
*'' Profitörerna ''(1979; ''The Profiteers'')
* ''Hidden criminality : theoretical and methodological problems, empirical results ''(1980)
* ''Min kompetens ''(1981; ''My Competence'')
* ''Samhällsbärarna'' (1982; ''The Pillars of Society'')
* ''
Mellan sommarens längtan och vinterns köld
''Between Summer's Longing and Winter's End'' (''Mellan sommarens längtan och vinterns köld'') is a novel by Leif G. W. Persson, published in 2002.
Belonging to scandinavian noir genre, the novel switches through classic detective fiction, s ...
'' (2002 - first volume in a trilogy which deals with Sweden in the cold war era, which has as a common element, events related to the yet unsolved 1986 murder of Swedish Prime Minister
Olof Palme; ''
Between Summer's Longing and Winter's End
''Between Summer's Longing and Winter's End'' (''Mellan sommarens längtan och vinterns köld'') is a novel by Leif G. W. Persson, published in 2002.
Belonging to scandinavian noir genre, the novel switches through classic detective fiction, s ...
'', UK 2010, trans. Paul Norlen).
* ''En annan tid, ett annat liv ''(2003 - second volume in the trilogy; ''Another Time, Another Life'', UK 2012, trans. Paul Norlen)
* ''Linda - som i Lindamordet'' (2005 - Evert Bäckström book 1; ''Linda - as in the Linda Murder'', UK 2013, trans. Neil Smith)
* ''Faller fritt som i en dröm'' (2007 - third volume in a trilogy; ''Falling Freely, as if in a Dream'', UK 2014, trans. Paul Norlen)
* ''Den som dödar draken ''(2008 - Evert Bäckström book 2; ''He Who Kills the Dragon'', UK 2013, trans. Neil Smith)
* ''Den döende detektiven'' (2010; ''The Dying Detective'')
*'' Gustavs Grabb' (2011 - autobiography)
* ''Den sanna historien om Pinocchios näsa'' (2013 - Evert Bäckström book 3; ''The Sword of Justice''
)
*'' Bombmakaren och hans kvinna ''(2015)
Evert Bäckström novels
So far, three of Persson's novels feature homicide detective Evert Bäckström. Bäckström is one of the most successful investigators within the police force; he displays excellent deductive skills.
Bäckström appeared as a supporting character in the TV mini-series ''En pilgrims död'' and ''Den fjärde mannen''. (The main characters in these series were Jarnebring and Johansson.) In both of these series, Bäckström was played by
Claes Malmberg
Claes Malmberg (real name ''Clas-Peder Malmberg'', born 8 April 1961 in Gothenburg, Sweden) is a Swedish actor and stand-up comedian. He has worked together with Anders Aldgård. He has appeared in theatre plays and in films and TV series.
...
.
An American TV Series was made in 2015 entitled ''
Backstrom''. The show takes place in
Portland, Oregon, USA instead of Sweden, and the character's first name is changed to Everett. However the character's actual personality remains more or less unchanged. Backstrom was played by
Rainn Wilson
Rainn Percival Dietrich Wilson (born January 20, 1966) is an American actor, comedian, podcaster, producer, and writer. He is best known for his role as Dwight Schrute on the NBC sitcom ''The Office'', for which he earned three consecutive Em ...
. The show was cancelled after one season.
In a Swedish TV series, Bäckström is played by
Kjell Bergqvist
Kjell Bertil Leonard Bergqvist (born 23 February 1953 in Enskede, Stockholm County) is a Swedish actor.
Bergqvist finished the Royal Dramatic Training Academy in 1973 and made his debut in '' En enkel melodi'' and ''Jack''. He has since coope ...
. The first season of six episodes aired in 2020. The second season of six episodes aired in 2022.
Jarnebring and Johansson
Several of Persson's novels feature police officers Bo Jarnebring and Lars Martin Johansson, partners and best friends.
In the film ''
Mannen från Mallorca'' (adapted from the novel ''Grisfesten'') Jarnebring is played by
Sven Wollter
Sven Justus Fredrik Wollter (11 January 1934 – 10 November 2020) was a Swedish actor, writer, and political activist. Wollter is one of the most renowned Swedish actors, he was awarded Best Swedish actor twice. In his native country, he becam ...
, and Johansson by
Tomas von Brömssen
Tomas Birger von Brömssen (born 8 May 1943) is a Swedish actor.
He played leading roles in '' Albert & Herbert'', ''My Life as a Dog'' ( sv, Mitt liv som hund), ' (English title ''Baltic Sea'', ''Salvation'' or ''The Diver''), Mannen från Mal ...
. Two TV mini-series featuring the characters were produced starring
Rolf Lassgård
Rolf Holger Lassgård (born 29 March 1955) is a Swedish actor. He is known for his many roles in crime dramas.
Life and career
Lassgård was born in Östersund, Jämtland. A keen amateur ice hockey player in his youth, he also joined theatre te ...
as Johansson and
Per Svensson as Jarnebring: ''En pilgrims död'' (2013) and ''Den fjärde mannen'' (2014-15). (These two series also featured Persson's other character Evert Bäckström.)
Anna Holt
Created by Persson, police detective Anna Holt has appeared in both Persson's novels, and in novels by fellow author
Jan Guillou
Jan Oskar Sverre Lucien Henri Guillou (, ; born 17 January 1944) is a French-Swedish author and journalist. Guillou's fame in Sweden was established during his time as an investigative journalist, most notably in 1973 when he and co-reporter Pe ...
. Holt has also appeared in several television adaptations starring
Petra Nielsen.
Notable adaptations
* ''Profitörerna'' (TV series, 1983)
* ''Mannen från Mallorca'' (''
The Man from Majorca
''The Man from Majorca'' ( sv, Mannen från Mallorca) is a 1984 Swedish crime thriller film directed by Bo Widerberg. It is based on the novel ''The Pig Party'' by Leif G. W. Persson. The film stars Sven Wollter and Tomas von Brömssen.
The nove ...
'', film, 1984)
* ''I lagens namn'' (''In the Name of the Law'', film, 1986)
* ''En pilgrims död'' (''Death of a Pilgrim'', TV mini-series, 2013)
* ''Den fjärde mannen'' (''The Fourth Man'', TV mini-series, 2014–15)
* ''
Backstrom'', (US TV series, 2015)
Awards
Persson won the
Best Swedish Crime Novel Award The Best Swedish Crime Novel Award (''Bästa svenska kriminalroman'') is a literary prize awarded annually since 1982 by the Swedish Crime Writers' Academy.
The winners of the award are: Winners
{, class="wikitable" border="1" class="sortable w ...
(''Bästa svenska kriminalroman''), for three of his novels: ''Samhällsbärarna'' in 1982, ''En annan tid, ett annat liv'' in 2003, and ''Den döende detektiven'' in 2010. This award is a literary prize awarded annually by the
Swedish Crime Writers' Academy.
He also received the 2011
Glass Key award The Glass Key award ( sv, Glasnyckeln, da, Glasnøglen, no, Glassnøkkelen, fi, Lasiavain-palkinto, is, Glerlykillinn) is a literature award given annually to a crime novel by an author from the Nordic countries.
The award, named after the nove ...
for ''Den döende detektiven'' (The Dying Detective); this award is a given annually to a crime novel by an author from the
Nordic countries and the 2011 Palle Rosenkrantz Prize, which is awarded by the ''Det danske Kriminalakademi'' for the best criminal literature translated into Danish.
References
External links
*
Leif G. W. Persson's blogThe Salomonsson Agency
{{DEFAULTSORT:Persson, Leif G.W.
1945 births
Living people
Writers from Stockholm
Swedish criminologists
Swedish crime fiction writers
Swedish whistleblowers
Swedish social democrats
Swedish people of Walloon descent