Eriksson, Kjell 1953–

PERSONAL: Born 1953, in Stockholm, Sweden.

ADDRESSES: Home—Stockholm, Sweden. Agent—Leonhardt & Høier Literary Agency, Studiestræde 35, DK-1455 Copenhagen K, Denmark. E-mail—[email protected].

CAREER: Writer and horticulturalist.

AWARDS, HONORS: Best First Novel, Swedish Crime Academy, 1999, for The Illuminated Path; Best Swedish Crime Novel, Swedish Crime Academy, 2002, for The Princess of Burundi.

WRITINGS:

Den Upplyste Stigen (title means "The Illuminated Path"), [Sweden], 1999.

Das Steinbett, Kiepenheuer (Stockholm, Sweden), 2002.

Prinsessan av Burundi (crime novel), Ordfront (Stockholm, Sweden), 2002, translated by Ebba Segerberg as The Princess of Burundi, Thomas Dunne Books/St. Martin's Minotaur (New York, NY), 2006.

Nattskärran (title means "The Nut Jar"), [Sweden], 2003.

Nattens Grymma Stjärnor (title means "The Cruel Stars of the Night"), [Sweden], 2004.

Mannen från Bergen (title means "The Man from the Mountains"), [Sweden], 2005.

Eriksson's works have been translated into English, German, Dutch, Danish, Norwegian, Finnish, and Italian.

SIDELIGHTS: Swedish horticulturist and writer Kjell Eriksson is the author of a series of crime novels that feature crime inspector Ann Lindell. The first in the Ann Lindell series is The Illuminated Path, which won the Swedish Crime Academy's Prize for a Best First Novel in 1999. Following that, Eriksson's next two Ann Lindell books made the short list for the Academy's Prize for a Best Swedish Crime Novel, an award that was then won by the fourth book in Eriksson's series, The Princess of Burundi. This volume takes place the week prior to Christmas, when the murder of John Jons son, a welder and tropical fish expert, turns a small Swedish town upside down. Ann Lindell, who finds herself restless during her maternity leave, pairs with Detective Ola Haver to solve the case. Sue Corbett, in a review for People, noted that "what sets this import apart is its lefty heart—musings about the causes of violence." Reviewing the novel for Booklist, Bill Ott remarked on the book's "solid procedural plotting overlaid with a sensitive rendering of inner lives."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Booklist, January 1, 2006, Bill Ott, review of The Princess of Burundi, p. 66.

Kirkus Reviews, December 1, 2005, review of The Princess of Burundi, p. 1256.

Library Journal, December 1, 2005, Michele Leber, review of The Princess of Burundi, p. 103.

People, February 6, 2006, Sue Corbett, review of The Princess of Burundi.

Publishers Weekly, November 28, 2005, review of The Princess of Burundi, p. 26.

ONLINE

Best Reviews, http://www.bestreviews.com/ (April 19, 2006), Harriet Klausner, review of The Princess of Burundi.

Daily Herald Online (Provo, UT), http://www.heraldextra.com/ (March 2, 2006), Laura Wadley, review of The Princess of Burundi.

Denver Post Online, http://www.denverpost.com/ (April 19, 2006), Tim Rutten, "Murder Most Foul, and Swedish."

Leonhardt and Hoyer Literary Agency, http://www.leonhardt-hoyer.dk/ (April 19, 2006), brief biography of author.

San Francisco Chronicle Online, http://www.sfgate.com/ (February 12, 2006), Timothy Peters, "A Murder's Impact on a Swedish Town."