Martin Widmark and Helena Willis’ The JerryMaya Detective Agency series has just reached a whopping 10 million copies sold in Sweden alone. Last year, the series was the third most sold in Sweden among all genres and age groups.

For over 20 years, the books about Jerry, Maya, and the other inhabitants of the town of Valleby have been immensely popular among Swedish children, as well as abroad. Each new installment goes straight to the top of the bestseller list, and with over 50 books in the universe, Valleby is a place for children to revisit again and again.

The longlist for the 2024 International Booker Prize has just been announced, and Ia Genberg’s award winning and internationally praised novel The Details has been nominated among 12 other works of translated fiction. 

The jury praises it in the following way: “Ia Genberg writes with a remarkably sharp eye about a series of messy relationships between friends, family and lovers. Using, as she says, “details, rather than information”, she gives us not simply the “residue of life presented in a combination of letters” but an evocation of contemporary Stockholm and a moving portrait of her narrator. She has at times a melancholic eye, but her wit and liveliness constantly break through.”

The prestigious prize is awarded annually for the finest single work of fiction from around the world which has been translated into English and published in the UK and/or Ireland. The shortlist of six books will be announced on April 9.

Paramount+ has announced the commission of a new original UK drama series, The Crow Girl, adapted from the internationally best-selling trilogy by Erik Axl Sund, with Eve Myles, Katherine Kelly and Dougray Scott cast in the lead roles. From Emmy-winning creative team Buccaneer (Irvine Welsh’s Crime, Marcella), The Crow Girl is a multi-faceted contemporary psychological thriller and begins with the gruesome discovery of a teenage boy’s body discarded in plain sight. Determined to find who is responsible, DCI Jeanette Kirkland (played by Myles: Hijack, Broadchurch, A Very English Scandal) joins forces with psychotherapist Sophia Craven (Kelly: Mr. Bates vs. the Post Office, Liar, Inside No. 9) to hunt the killer, despite opposition from her superiors, including confidant DI Lou Stanley (Scott: Irvine Welsh’s Crime, Vigil).

The Crow Girl is adapted for the screen by Milly Thomas, who acted in the likes of The Crown and Sex Education. “I’ve been aching to dive into this story ever since I got my paws on the strange, twisty beast of a novel, and to be making this show alongside the fierce talents of Paramount+ and Buccaneer is a real joy,” she said.

The Crow Girl is executive produced by Buccaneer’s Tony Wood and Richard Tulk-Hart, along with Thomas. Charles Martin and Rebecca Rycroft are both directors of the series, with Andy Mosse serving as producer. The Crow Girl has commenced filming in Bristol.

Read the full article in Deadline by clicking ‘Read more’ below.

The winners of the 2024 Ria Awards were announced this weekend, and the hit series Blackwater received the prize for ‘Best Scripted Series’.

Blackwater is written by Karin Arrhenius and Maren Louise Käehne, directed by Mikael Marcimain, and stars Pernilla August, Rolf Lassgård, Asta Kamma August, and Alba August.

Hurricanes.
Car crashes.
Nuclear wars.
Fires.

So many horrible things can potentially happen, and Belle wants to be prepared for anything. That is why she has started to build a secret prepping storage in the basement. She gathers canned goods, toilet paper, and big bottles of water. It feels safe, in the basement she has control over things. No one in her family can know about it, the only one who does is her best friend Saga. But when her class is going on a camping trip, nothing can calm Belle down. So many horrible things can happen out there in the wilderness! The only thing she can do is bow down and await the disaster. Or has it already happened?

Cina Friedner’s The Worst Thing That Could Happen is Everything is a story filled with humor, friendship, and grief that makes you both laugh out loud and ugly cry. A story about everyday life as a middle grader, but also about how to get back on your feet when life has been shattered into a million pieces.

Linton Calmroth grew up in Stockholm and is an intense and dedicated actor. As he navigated his journey, he acknowledges his roots in music and the guidance of his older brother, who introduced him to the world of acting. He found acting to be the ultimate expression for joy and exploring the human condition.

His roles in the TV series En mot en and Limbo showcased his ability to take on various kinds of parts and has inspired him to work further on his range of characters.

Since then, Linton has continued to pursue his craft, eagerly taking on roles in upcoming TV shows. With a commitment to constant improvement through study and practice, he strives to develop his skills and connect with audiences on a deeper level.

Aschehoug’s Debutant Scholarship goes to Oliver Lovrenski, for his debut Back in the Day, which received a tremendous reception upon its release last year. The 19-year-old author and his book immediately garnered significant attention and glowing reviews from the entire press corps. Lovrenski received the Bookseller’s Prize as the youngest author ever – and has since been nominated for the Brage Prize, the Norwegian Radio’s Literary Award, and the Tarjei Vesaas’ Debutant Prize. The book appeared on most of the Best Books of the Year-lists for 2023. It has been sold to 14 different countries and has a sold more than 63,000 copies in Norway alone.

Publisher Mads Nygaard held the following speech to the prize winner:

“Such success almost never happens, especially not with a debutant. The book surprises and takes Norwegian literature to an unexpected place. It’s a coming-of-age portrayal on speed. The narrative has a rhythm and timing that are extremely precise. The snapshots make current young lives lived in Oslo come alive. The language belongs to the streets of Oslo; the sociolect makes the characters and environment appear both authentic and alien at the same time – and brings the reader close. Lovrenski manages to make his characters so vivid, whole, and human that the reader finds their way right into their world. Not everything there is beautiful, but we feel it concerns us. In this novel, there is more lived life than many of us will ever experience. This is a gritty tale with a poetic nerve.”