In the message, sent on October 20th, 2004, the Millennium trilogy author muses about the possible riches his books might generate and wonders when he and his brother will find time to catch up in person.
Portions of the message were first published in 2007 by Norran, a local newspaper in Skellefteå in northern Sweden where Stieg Larsson was born. The email was republished in full on January 27th, 2011 by the Expressen newspaper.
The Local has received permission from Joakim Larsson to publish an English translation of the email.
Hello Umeå,
Well, well…my detective novels are selling like crazy, and this without even going on sale in stores. I have three books completed and submitted, and the fourth almost finished. Norstedts began selling the first three abroad two weeks ago at the Frankfurt book fair, and it took about 48 hours to get a contract in Germany. I also got the highest fee Norstedts ever sold an untested newcomer for, which pleased their accountant and amuses me. My mail box is looking more and more like the coin tray on a slot machine.
Even more fun was that the group that bought me in Germany was Hayne/Random House, which is the world’s largest book publishing group. It almost guarantees contracts for the American market and currently a total of 15 countries have expressed interest and want to read the script.
Take that, Henning Mankell. 🙂
Well, what can I say. Everyone from the publisher to readers seems to be in total agreement that this will be a bestseller and I and Eva have begun shopping for a holiday cottage in the archipelago. Prices are a bit different here than up near Umeå. Plus buying a new apartment and other stuff that we’ve been counting on for years now. And obviously you’ll receive a signed copy.
Otherwise, Eva and I are living apart at the moment. She got a job in Dalarna that she could not turn down and as a result is living in Falun and will come home only on weekends. She is project manager for something called Star Byggutveckling, which is a sort of attempt to reorient the construction industry in Dalarna. But I’ll say hi to her from you.
If you need a course in games of intrigue you can get in touch. I’m not doing anything else these days. But if you’re an authority, that reduces the need for intrigue. What is the reality show about? Maybe I should tell [journalist] Robban Aschberg. He’s also trying to buy the film rights to my novels, by the way.
Well, I don’t know when we’ll come up to Umeå next. I’m booked until like next spring with very short breaks. Come down to Stockholm instead, do so. You guys don’t have any children now, and can do what you want.
You doing well?
Kisses/Stieg
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