Viking Magazine - March 2013 - 20

need to have a good translator
and trust that person.
V: You also have a series of
children's books. What inspired
you to write those?
JN: My daughter inspired me. She
always wanted me to tell stories,
so I would make them up. One
summer I came up with the idea
of Dr. Proctor. I've had kids write
to me asking to make it into a
movie. In 2014, a Norwegian Dr.
Proctor movie will be made.
V: Which of your books is your
favorite?
JN: " The Redbreast " is a favorite
book, not necessarily because it's
my best book, but because it's
based on my father's experiences
during WWII.
V: People around the world love
Scandinavian crime fiction. What
do you think about this trend?
JN: There are so many great books
being written in the world each
day. In order to get a chance to
get read, you need that door to
open. Some Scandinavian writers
have opened the door for me,
and I hope I can do the same
for other writers. Scandinavian
crime writing is high quality and
prestigious because there is a
tradition of writing crime, more
than in other countries. I think
it has made many young writers
who wouldn't otherwise go the
crime fiction route.
V: Hollywood film director
Martin Scorsese has signed on to
direct the film adaptation of your
novel " The Snowman. " Tell us
about that, and do you have a
role in that process?
JN: I was reluctant at first. For
many years when I got offers
from film companies, I turned
them down. When I talked to
journalists, I would always say
at the end of interviews, " but if
Martin Scorsese calls, I would
consider it. " Some years ago,
Working Title Films called me
and said they made the movie
" Fargo. " That's one of my
favorite movies! They asked if
I would let them make " The
Snowman. " I said I wanted to
decide who would direct it. They
said it doesn't work that way.
A year went by, and they called
and said let's do it your way. I
sent four names of directors, and
at the top was Martin Scorsese.
Now he has signed, saying he will
direct the movie. I see my book
as useful input for a great story
to make a good movie. I'd rather
have a good movie that's not
true to the book than have a bad
movie that's true to the book.
V: Another beloved
character from your novel
" Headhunters " is Roger
Brown. Tell us about him.
JN: Roger Brown is a small guy
with a big ego. I wanted to make
the readers hate him. It's told
in first person, which makes
the audience do all they can to
identify with that character. [I
knew] they would gradually start
to root for him.
V: What future projects are you
working on?
JN: There will be more Harry
Hole books. The next is sort
of a sequel to " The Phantom, "
which will be published in
Norway next year.
roceeds from all editions of " Headhunters, " including movie
adaptions, go directly to Nesbø's Harry Hole Foundation.
The charity promotes
literacy among children in the
third world and awards an annual
prize called " A Decent Guy " or
" A Decent Lady, " along with a
stipend the prizewinner can
invest in literacy projects.
" I have been privileged enough to be able to travel all over
the world, " says Nesbø on his website. " And what this traveling
has taught me is that the ability to read is a basic
prerequisite for citizens to find their bearings in society,
so that genuine democracy can exist and so that those
same citizens can create a better life for themselves and
their families. "
To learn more about Jo Nesbø, his work and the Harry
Hole Foundation, visit jonesbo.com.
20 VIKING MARCH 2013
sonsofnorway.com
http://www.jonesbo.com http://www.sonsofnorway.com
Viking Magazine - March 2013

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Viking Magazine - March 2013
