Meny

Sample of literary figures

  • Sherlock Holmes

    Male

    Sherlock Holmes is one of the best-known characters in the history of crime fiction, including adaptations for film and television. His chronicler, Dr. Watson, and his address at 221B Baker Street in London are almost as famous. Arthur Conan Doyle wrote four novels and five short story collections about the detective. Holmes has since featured in thousands of stories by other authors, both as Sherlock Holmes and under a number of aliases.

    Further reading

  • Aurelio Zen

    Male

    Detective Inspector Zen is a loner based in Rome, but he solves crime all over Italy. He may seem clumsy, but his determination and laissez-faire attitude to police protocol means that he is both successful and unpopular with his superiors. Aurelio Zen featured in one book by the British author Michael Dibdin, but he became so popular that Dibdin wrote another ten about him.

    Further reading

  • Harry Friberg

    Male

    Stieg Trenter based his protagonist Friberg on his friend, the photographer K. W. Gullers. Friberg too is a well-known photographer. He is a cheerful, alert man who loves good food and the company of women. It is not he, however, who solves crime, that is the job of Detective Inspector Vesper Johnson. When Trenter died, his wife Ulla continued the series, allowing Friberg to get married.

    Further reading

  • Münster

    Male

    Whether the middle-aged detective superintendent in the fictive Maadam has a first name, is unknown – his creator, Håkan Nesser, keeps quiet about that. But Münster’s wife is called Synn, and they live in a happy marriage with two children – which doesn’t prevent him from silently admiring other women. He plays badminton for the exercise, and he succeeds his boss Van Veeteren when the latter leaves the police force.

    Further reading