So, Niclas Salomonsson is the agent to most if not all the major Scandinavian crime fiction writers. It seems he has a story tell himself in The Daily written by Sarah Weinman, titled Dark Tales: The troubled path of literary agent Niclas Salomonsson, giant of the Scandinavian crime fiction world (June 12,2011). It’s rather captivating speaking for myself only because I was all agog while reading it late last night. Niclas Salomonsson clients include Jo Nesbø and Liza Marklund just to give you an idea. Talk about a turbulent history not only in his personal life but in his career as well. After reading the entire thing word for word, a lot of what was in the article stuck out but the only thing I care to quote is this:

Yet Salomonsson revealed his truest emotions when he spoke of Scandinavian crime fiction’s founding couple, Maj Sjöwall and Per Wahlöö. “When I took her on,” Salomonsson said of Sjöwall, 76 (her partner died in 1975), “it was so sad that all these Scandinavian writers were standing on their shoulders and making so much money, and yet she is living in a one-room apartment? It was my mission and obligation to set things right.” Salmonsson’s efforts have paid off: Sjöwall has new and better contracts in a number of countries, including the United States. Reissued editions of the 10-volume Martin Beck novels, originally published between 1965 and 1975 and published here by Vintage, have sold more than 600,000 copies over the past four years, drastically improving Sjöwall’s economic situation.

As it should be.

Update: Sarah Weinman shares her thoughts on writing that piece.