Karin Alvtegen

Karin Alvtegen, b. 1965, is one of Scandinavia's most widely read and appreciated authors. Recognized for her artful characters and psychological thrillers, Alvtegen has with Guilt 1998, Missing 2000, Betrayal 2003, Shame 2005 and Shadow 2007, established herself as a celebrated bestseller worldwide. Translation rights have been sold to 30 countries and each novel has sold several hundred thousands copies. Missing has been made into a praised British mini series for TV, and international producers are in the process of making adaptations of some of her other books.
Alvtegen has recieved a number of literary awards, including The Glass Key for Best Nordic Crime Novel, The Swedish Academy of Crime Writer's Award for Best Crime Novel of the Year, The Danish Academy of Crime Writer's Palle Rosenkrantz Award for Best Foreign Crime Novel of the Year. She has also been nominated for two of the most prestigious crime novel's awards in the world: The CWA International Dagger and The Edgar Allan Poe Award.

WORLD LITERATURE WEEKEND in London 2011

Sunday 19 June at 2.00 p.m.
Venue: Stevenson Room, British Museum

Crime Fiction: Reading Scars

Behind crime fiction's gripping narratives, there often lies a more incisive portrayal of a society than can be found in more obvious commentaries; and it offers a way to confront ideas of good and evil in a shades-of-grey world, where simple moral certainties aren't so easy to find. Karin Alvtegen's psychological crime thrillers include Missing, which in 2001 won the Glass Key, the premier Nordic crime writing award, and Shadow and Betrayal. Håkan Nesser is also a Glass Key winner; his latest book to be translated into English is The Inspector and Silence, starring his detective Van Veeteren.