Stieg Larsson, My Friend - Softcover

Kurdo Baksi

3.44

394 ratings by Goodreads

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0857381962 ISBN 13: 9780857381965

Publisher: Quercus Publishing Plc, 2011

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Five years after his death, Stieg Larsson is best known as the author of the Millennium Trilogy, but during his career as a journalist he was a crucial protagonist in the battle against racism and for democracy in Sweden, and one of the founders of the anti-facist magazine Expo. Kurdo Baksi first met Larsson in 1992; it was the beginning of an intense friendship, and a fruitful but challenging working relationship. In this candid and rounded memoir, Baksi answers the questions a multitude of Larsson's fans have already asked, about his upbringing; the recurring death threats; his insomnia and his vices; his feminism - so evident in his books - and his dogmatism. What was he like as a colleague? Who provided the inspiration for his now-immortal characters (Baksi is one of the few who appears in the trilogy as himself)? Who was Lisbeth Salander?

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Review:

'Baksi writes knowledgably about Larsson's work as a passionate campaigner against racism. It is an intellectual and unsentimental portrait' Joy lo Dico, Independent on Sunday. (Independent on Sunday)

'[A] short but powerful memoir. For Larsson geeks such as myself, the unearthed details of his past and the fond recollections of his ceaseless pursuit of justice are gripping' Rosie Swash, Observer. (Rosie Swash, Observer)

'In Baksi's book we recognise the deep wellsprings of Larsson's work' Iain Finlayson, The Times. (The Times)

From the Back Cover:

'This is not a blind tribute to a friend. Everybody who met Stieg Larsson will have their own picture of him. The same applies to those who were close to him. For more than ten years Stieg and I met almost every day. I was with him during his most difficult times, and I was present and able to share in his successes and happiness. Despite the fact that he was eleven years older that I, we were colleagues and friends. You could almost say that we were each other's boss. Stieg was the most unassuming person I have ever met, and the unconditional friendship he gave me is irreplaceable. As his enormous success as a novelist grows, there is a danger that his single-minded fight (against racism) does not receive the attention it deserves. That fight was such an important part of him, both as a person and as a writer. My hope is that to some extent this book has succeeded in describing it. It is only now, after almost five years of mourning, that I have been able to summon up enough courage to write about my friend and colleague. This book is my picture of Stieg Larsson.' KURDO BAKSI.

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