1923 Book Cover: ‘”The Bergen Train Robbed Last Night”
Norwegians, Easter and crime literature belong together like horse and carriage.
This special Norwegian tradition started as early as 1923 through a creative campaign in a national newspaper. A publisher at Gyldendal Publishing House, Harald Grieg, was in charge of launching a new crime novel and wanted to promote the book through new and creative market channels. The ad, which looked like a normal news bulletin, got the headline “The Bergen Train Robbed Last Night”.
The text advertised for a new crime novel by Nordahl Grieg and Nils Lie. The book became very popular and it was obvious that people liked the idea of ‘Easter-Crime’. The following year, Aschehoug Publishing House continued to focus on the new genre phenomena. Since then, Easter has been the peak season for crime literature.
It is “typical Norwegian” to bring family and friends to a cabin where you sit by the fireplace or in the sun reading a crime novel. The plot in many of the old classic novels reflects the same environment – friends gathered in cabins deep into the woods – far away from other people. Then, somebody gets killed in a mysterious way.
Crime literature is popular all year, but publishers often choose to launch crime novels close to Easter.
ThorNews wishes everyone a safe and calm holiday!
Text by: Anette Broteng Christiansen, ThorNews
thornews.com 
Leave a Reply