Vikings conquered much of the known world, from Ireland and England to what became Normandy in France. They even reached the northern tip of Newfoundland and established temporary quarters there at what is now L'Anse-aux-Meadows. These days latter day Vikings' sorties abroad are much more peaceful: they don't actually commit mayhem and murder, they write about them instead.
And a good many Hogtown fans of crime fiction are glad they do. How else to explain a full house for the "Kill Like a Scandinavian" panel at the Toronto Reference Library last Sunday as part of Luminato. On the panel were Norway's Thomas Enger, Jakob Melander from Denmark, Dan T. Sehlberg from Sweden and Herman Koch from The Netherlands. Herman, of course, is not a Scandinavian but Dutch. These are clearly men who have thought about the craft of writing; who bring to their work a literary sensibility rather than the much more common potboiler or puzzle approach found in the crime fiction of the giants of the genre - Britain and the U.S.; and who are not afraid to take chances and write characters who offend - Herman's new novel Summer House with Swimming Pool features a doctor who may make you gag.
Given that they had so much to say, all in good English, it was a shame that they didn't have as much time as they should have had to say it. I'd say that was down to Noah Richler. He's the literary curator for Luminato and hosted the panel. His early questions went on and on, but we weren't there to listen to him. I know that a question without context is a waste of time - but that doesn't excuse his too lengthy windups. Richler's later questions were noticeably shorter, so perhaps it was nerves and he'll do better next time. Perhaps next time he'll also give us his full name. He introduced himself with a cheery "I"m Noah." I couldn't decide if he was being chummy or pretentious. If I had to guess I'd say there were at least a few people present who didn't know who he was - one of them was sitting one seat from me.
Towards the end of the panel the audience were invited to ask questions. Well, Holy Odin. What they offered up made Richler look like a model of brevity. I'm pretty adept at following circumlocutions - I've interviewed lots of politicians, after all - but I was baffled and then annoyed and hissed sotto voce at one woman "question, question". Look, crime fans, if speaking in front of a large audience intimidates you to the point you can't remember your question, write it down and read it into the mic. TRL videotapes these panels and posts them on its website. You will find it at http://www.torontopubliclibrary.ca/programs-and-classes/appel-salon/past-events.jsp when the library puts it online.
And a good many Hogtown fans of crime fiction are glad they do. How else to explain a full house for the "Kill Like a Scandinavian" panel at the Toronto Reference Library last Sunday as part of Luminato. On the panel were Norway's Thomas Enger, Jakob Melander from Denmark, Dan T. Sehlberg from Sweden and Herman Koch from The Netherlands. Herman, of course, is not a Scandinavian but Dutch. These are clearly men who have thought about the craft of writing; who bring to their work a literary sensibility rather than the much more common potboiler or puzzle approach found in the crime fiction of the giants of the genre - Britain and the U.S.; and who are not afraid to take chances and write characters who offend - Herman's new novel Summer House with Swimming Pool features a doctor who may make you gag.
Given that they had so much to say, all in good English, it was a shame that they didn't have as much time as they should have had to say it. I'd say that was down to Noah Richler. He's the literary curator for Luminato and hosted the panel. His early questions went on and on, but we weren't there to listen to him. I know that a question without context is a waste of time - but that doesn't excuse his too lengthy windups. Richler's later questions were noticeably shorter, so perhaps it was nerves and he'll do better next time. Perhaps next time he'll also give us his full name. He introduced himself with a cheery "I"m Noah." I couldn't decide if he was being chummy or pretentious. If I had to guess I'd say there were at least a few people present who didn't know who he was - one of them was sitting one seat from me.
Towards the end of the panel the audience were invited to ask questions. Well, Holy Odin. What they offered up made Richler look like a model of brevity. I'm pretty adept at following circumlocutions - I've interviewed lots of politicians, after all - but I was baffled and then annoyed and hissed sotto voce at one woman "question, question". Look, crime fans, if speaking in front of a large audience intimidates you to the point you can't remember your question, write it down and read it into the mic. TRL videotapes these panels and posts them on its website. You will find it at http://www.torontopubliclibrary.ca/programs-and-classes/appel-salon/past-events.jsp when the library puts it online.
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