Maj Sjöwall (; 25 September 1935 – 29 April 2020) was a Swedish author and translator. She is best known for her books about police detective

Martin Beck Martin Beck is a fictional Swedish police detective and the main character in the ten novels by Maj Sjöwall and Per Wahlöö, collectively titled ''The Story of a Crime''. Frequently referred to as the Martin Beck stories, all have been ada ...

. She wrote the books in collaborative work with her partner

Per Wahlöö Per Fredrik Wahlöö (5 August 1926 – 22 June 1975) – in English translations often identified as Peter Wahloo – was a Swedish author. He is perhaps best known for the collaborative work with his partner Maj Sjöwall on a series of ten nov ...

Biography

Maj Sjöwall was the daughter of Margit Trobäck and CEO Will Sjöwall. After completing school Sjöwall was employed at Åhlén & Åkerlunds publishers between 1954 and 1959, Wahlström & Widstrands publishers between 1959 and 1961 and then Esselte publishers between 1961 and 1963. Sjöwall was best known for the collaborative work with her partner

on a series of ten novels about the exploits of

, a police detective in Stockholm. They also wrote several novels separately. In 1971, the fourth of the Beck books, '' The Laughing Policeman'' (a translation of ''Den skrattande polisen'', originally published in 1968) won an Edgar Award from the

Mystery Writers of America Mystery Writers of America (MWA) is an organization of mystery and crime writers, based in New York City. The organization was founded in 1945 by Clayton Rawson, Anthony Boucher, Lawrence Treat, and Brett Halliday. It presents the Edgar Award, ...

for Best Novel; the book was also adapted into the film '' The Laughing Policeman'' starring Walter Matthau. In 2013, Sjöwall received the fifth Lenin Award. After the death of Wahlöö, she continued working as a translator, writing columns for magazines and as an author. With Danish author Bjarne Nielsen she in 1989 published the book ''Dansk Intermezzo''. In 1990, she and author Tomas Ross published the thriller ''Kvinnan som liknade Greta Garbo''.

Personal life

Sjöwall married her first husband, magazine editor Gunnar Isaksson, in 1955, and they divorced in 1958. She married again in 1959 to photographer Hans J. Flodquist; they divorced in 1962. Sjöwall had a 13-year relationship with Wahlöö, which lasted until his death in 1975. Sjöwall died on 29 April 2020, at the age of 84 after a prolonged illness.

Bibliography

Martin Beck novels written with Per Wahlöö

* '' Roseanna'' (1965) * '' Mannen som gick upp i rök'' (1966) * '' Mannen på balkongen'' (1967) * '' Den skrattande polisen'' (1968) * '' Brandbilen som försvann'' (1969) * '' Polis, polis, potatismos'' (1970) * '' Den vedervärdige mannen från Säffle'' (1971) * '' Det slutna rummet'' (1972) * ''

Polismördaren ''Cop Killer'' (original Swedish title: ''Polismördaren'') is a crime novel by Swedish writers Maj Sjöwall and Per Wahlöö, published in 1973. It is part of their detective series revolving around Martin Beck and his team. Plot summary A w ...

'' (1974) * '' Terroristerna'' (1975)

Other books

* ''Dansk Intermezzo'' (1989). Martin Beck novel written with Bjarne Nielsen. * ''Kvinnan som liknade Greta Garbo'' (1990). Written jointly with Tomas Ross. * ''Sista resan och andra berättelser'' (2007). Collection of short stories written by Sjöwall and Wahlöö.

Adaptations

The books about Martin Beck were adapted into several successful films, and Beck has been portrayed by several of Sweden's best-known actors. The best-known portrayal of Beck is by actor Peter Haber, who has appeared in 42 films/episodes in the role.

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Sjowall, Maj 1935 births 2020 deaths Writers from Stockholm Edgar Award winners Swedish-language writers Swedish crime fiction writers Swedish women writers Marxist writers Women mystery writers Nordic Noir writers Swedish mystery writers