Translator, Quentin Bates ruminates on the mystery of this Icelandic author's identity....
The 25-year
mystery of Stella Blómkvist
How do you
keep a secret like this for twenty-five years in a country where one of the
national pastimes is making sure that closely-guarded secrets are blown wide
open in record time?
But the
writer (or writers) behind the mysterious Stella Blómkvist have managed to keep
themselves out of the limelight since the first in the series appeared way back
in the nineties. It’s a hell of an achievement. Even Stella’s editor claims to
not know the identity of the writer they’re dealing with.
It goes
without saying that there’s been plenty of speculation about who writes these
sharp, compact crime stories featuring the tough, smart lawyer with her
frequently morally flexible approach to life and work.
At one time
there was a rumour going around that the then-Prime Minister could be the power
behind the Stella Blómkvist tales, but that one doesn’t add up. The names of
one or two other public figures have been mentioned as potential candidates –
possibly because people assume that politicians have all the free time needed
to write novels when they should be working.
It doesn’t
help that Iceland is a remarkably literate country. There’s no shortage of
possibilities. So let’s narrow it down… The books have been appearing since the
late nineties. In fact, the first Stella story appeared in the same year that
Arnaldur Indriðason’s first novel was published, that’s back when there was
nothing cool in Iceland about crime fiction. How times have changed. These days
you can hardly throw a brick in Reykjavík without hitting a crime writer.
Before you
ask, no, I don’t believe it’s likely that Arnaldur is Stella...
But whoever’s
behind Stella has been doing this for 25 years, so it’s likely to be someone in
their fifties or older. This is a person who knows their history and literature
– and who also knows their onions when it comes to hard-boiled crime fiction.
There’s
hardly a writer in Icelandic who hasn’t at some point or other been suspected
of being Stella Blómkvist – and this little country has a lot of writers, so
there’s a big field to choose from. The suspects have ranged from literary
heavyweights – such as Guðbergur Bergsson and Auður Haralds – to those at the
crime fiction end of the spectrum.
It’s
something that pops up every time a new Stella novel is published. The
speculation gets into gear on social media and then spills over into the
mainstream media for a while – sometimes with a few new names floated – and
then it all dies away again.
To start
with, I was curious. I wondered who Stella Blómkvist’s creator could be. But
now, a couple of books in (now that the next in the series has also been
translated ready for next year) I’ve changed my mind.
Right now, I’d prefer to Stella to stay mysterious.
Corylus Books PRESS RELEASE
Corylus Book is a new venture aiming to publish exciting new voices translated into English.
THE BESTSELLING ICELANDIC CRIME SERIES WRITTEN BY AN ANONYMOUS AUTHOR
Murder at the Residence
Stella Blomkvist
28th August 2023 | Paperback/ eBook | Corylus Books | £9.99/£3.49
Available for the first time in English, Quentin Bates has translated the first book in the second wave of Stella Blómkvist novels, Murder at the Residence.
Perfect for readers of Henning Mankell, Arnaldur Indriðason, Gunnar Staalesen and Jussi
Adler-Olsen.
Iceland is still reeling from the effects of the financial crash when a notorious financier is found beaten to death after a high-profile reception at the President’s residence.
The police are certain it’s an open and shut case and that they have the man responsible – maverick lawyer Stella Blómkvist isn’t so sure…
The more she investigates, the murkier it all becomes. Secrets are uncovered that powerful people want to keep hidden, and a seedy trail of sex, murder, and blackmail leads Stella into a twisted maze of ruthless corruption at the very heart of government itself.
Stella Blómkvist is a hard-nosed, quick-witted lawyer with a dark past and a taste for whiskey and easy money. She will be plunged her into a violent political conspiracy which threatens Iceland’s very future…
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
It has been twenty-five years since the first Stella Blómkvist story was published and this long-running series continues to be a consistent bestseller in Iceland. What’s remarkable is that in a tiny community such as Iceland, the identity of the Stella Blómkvist (the author) who writes these sharp, sassy tales of the exploits of Stella Blómkvist (the lawyer) has remained under wraps.
The first book appeared in 1997 and the series continued for six books up to 2006, when Stella Blómkvist seemed to have retired. Then in 2012, Stella was back, angrier, more mature and better formed as a character in a continuation of the series. The latest appeared in 2022, bringing the total to thirteen to date.
Corylus Books PRESS RELEASE
Corylus Book is a new venture aiming to publish exciting new voices translated into English.
There has been endless speculation, and longstanding rumours that Stella is a leading politician, a well-known public figure, a much-loved children’s author. There’s hardly a writer in Iceland who hasn’t at some time or other been suspected of being Stella.
ABOUT THE TRANSLATOR
Quentin Bates (or Gráskeggur ‘grey beard’ as he’s affectionately known in Iceland) is one of a handful of British authors writing Scandi Noir set in Iceland, and who has a deep understanding of the country and its people. Having lived there for long periods and being married to a local for forty years has given him a deep insight into and affection for Iceland, all of which makes him more qualified than most to write about Iceland.
He’s one of the founders, with Yrsa Sigurdardóttir and Ragnar Jónasson, of the Iceland Noir crime fiction festival. As well as his own fiction, he has become increasingly busy in the last few years as the translator of Lilja Sigurðardóttir, Sólveig Pálsdóttir, Ragnar Jónasson and Óskar Guðmundsson – and now the mysterious Stella Blómkvist.
For further information, please contact Emily Burns | PR Director | 078709787611
emily@brandhive.co.uk
