Steig Larsson, Our Days in Stockholm by Kurdo Baksi

The three novels compling the "Milleneum Triolgy" by Steig Larsson keep hanging around the best-seller lists, and an English movie version of "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" is in the works. My limited research of Larsson had shown him to be a passionate, driven man, whose life had been cut short by an apparent heart attack. When I discovered a slim biographical account of his life at our local library, I knew it would be of interest to those readers who had plowed their way through his works of fiction.

Larsson was born to working class parents and worked at numerous jobs to fulfill his dream of becoming a journalist. Fellow journalist, Kurdo Baksi, was also a great friend and confident. His memoir of Larsson gives us insight into the causes that shaped his life and writings.

Larsson's ultimate goal was to inform his Swedish countrymen, and indeed the world, of the danger and injustice surrounding racism and predudice. His publication "Elle" was dedicated to anti-racism, as well as revealing the organized racist factions active in Stockholm. His articles led to death threats and actual vandalism and terrorist acts. However he never gave up on his vision to eliminate intolerance from his country.

For fans of the Larsson novels, this is a well-written and informative memoir of the strong opinions that shaped his writing. Sadly, he died before becoming internationally famous, but hopefully he would be proud of the legacy he left behind.

"Steig Larsson, Our Days in Stockholm" is available at the Cordell Library.