Stieg Larsson book could get English version

The manual, called ‘Överleva Deadline’ or ‘Survive the Deadline’, was first published in Swedish in 2000. Now, the Swedish Journalists’ Union (Svenska Journalistförbundet), plans to update and reissue the book in both Swedish and English.

Larsson’s enormous international popularity could help highlight the issue of journalists’ safety, said Agneta Lindblom Hulthén, the union’s chairwoman:

“We can’t prove it with figures, but threats against journalists have increased since the book was first released ten years ago,” she said, “It’s getting more and more dangerous.”

Officials from the union are now in talks with Erland and Joachim Larsson, the novelist’s father and brother, about how best to release the book to the public. The book could be released in English in cooperation with the International Federation of Journalists.

Eva Gabrielsson, Larsson’s partner of thirty years, is not directly involved, said Arne König, the union’s vice chairman, who is leading negotiations:

“But she has been informed that we’re planning this,” he said.

Gabrielsson told SVT this week that there was a “definite need” for the book.

Larsson, who documented far-right and racist organizations for Expo magazine, reportedly received numerous death threats, experiences he drew on in his Millennium Trilogy series.

The book will be relevant to journalists everywhere, said Lindblom Hulthén:

“It contains information on how to do things like checking whether your car has a bomb underneath it,” she said.

The sort of threats faced by journalists have changed over the decades:

“In the eighties, it was right-wing extremists, in the nineties it was organized gangs and sports hooligans.”

“Often now the threats often come from ordinary people. There’s been a hooliganization of the public debate,” said Lindblom Huthén.