Meny

Sample of literary figures

  • Varg Veum

    Male

    With his books about the private detective Varg Veum, author Gunnar Staalesen transferred American hardboiled noir to a Scandinavian setting – Bergen in Norway. Veum is one of the best-known fictional characters in Norway; he features in several television productions as well as a comic strip. He operates in widely different social settings and is prone to commenting on current affairs.

    Further reading

  • Reginald Wexford

    Male

    Inspector Reginald “Reg” Wexford, who operates in the fictional town of Kingsmarkham in Sussex, was a traditional detective when Ruth Rendell first introduced him. He is overweight and has a foul temper, which leads to conflicts with his superiors, but he has a pleasant and understanding family. Wexford has become more tolerant over the years and has developed into a major authority on human character.

    Further reading

  • Martin Beck

    Male

    Few Swedes can have escaped Inspector Martin Beck of the Stockholm police department. A principal character in Maj Sjöwall’s and Per Wahlöö’s ten police novels, he is the typical meticulous, unhappily married, ulcer-suffering inspector in contemporary crime fiction. He has won international fame through the books and a string of adaptations for film and television.

    Further reading

  • Bo Jarnebring

    Male

    Inspector Jarnebring is from Dalarna county in Sweden, but he works in Stockholm. He is a former elite athlete. Jarnebring is divorced from his former wife Annika. They have two sons. He was introduced in Leif G. W. Persson’s "Grisfesten" and has subsequently had a number of more or less prominent roles in Persson’s novels. Jarnebring likes to work with his best friend Lars Martin Johansson.

    Further reading