The Laughing Policeman,
1968
Coming Full Circle
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1960’s: Economic
boom and prosperity
Conservative
beginning  socialdemocratic end
Women entered the
labor market
Educational reforms
1967: (September)
Sweden changes from
driving on the left side
of the road to driving
on the right (H-day).
1969: October: Olof
Palme is elected prime
minister in Sweden – a
leap to the left
Sweden in the
1960s
Social-democratic
politician
 Prime minister1969-76,
and 1982-86
 Bourgeoisie background
 Academic
 From class-divided society
towards a society of
freedom of choice, social
security, and equality
 Murdered in 1986 – still
not solved
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Olof Palme 1927-1986
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Maj Sjöwall 1935.
writer and journalist in Sweden.
Per Wahlöö born in Göteborg in
1926. After finishing his studies
in 1946 he worked as a
journalist. Died in Stockholm on
June 23, 1975.
Met in 1961
Books written at night after the
kids were in bed
Carefully planned a series of 10
books
Slow moving plot
Police procedurals
Read in order! Side stories
(family etc.)
Maj Sjöwall &
Per Wahlöö
Socialist viewpoint
 Social democracy 
inequality & crime
 Political events of the
time
 Critique of capitalist
society, p. 272
 Scalpel
 Excellent role model
 Started the modern
crime series – with a
social angle
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The Novels
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The couple originally planned the
series as a sequence of ten novels
collectively titled The Story of a
Crime. The novels revolve around
a team of police investigators led
by Martin Beck.
Roseanna (Roseanna, 1965)
The Man Who Went Up in
Smoke (Mannen som gick upp i
rök, 1966)
The Man on the Balcony
(Mannen på balkongen, 1967)
The Laughing Policeman (Den
skrattande polisen, 1968) (Edgar
Award, Best Novel, 1971)
The Fire Engine That
Disappeared (Brandbilen som
försvann, 1969)
Murder at the Savoy (Polis,
polis, potatismos!, 1970)
The Abominable Man (Den
vedervärdige mannen från Säffle,
1971)
The Locked Room (Det slutna
rummet, 1972)
Cop Killer (Polismördaren, 1974)
The Terrorists (Terroristerna,
1975)
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Vietnam war demonstrations on peaceful night in Stockholm
Mass murder in a bus; Martin Beck and Kollberg, homicide squad
policemen, are called in
Gunvald Larsson, detective inspector, 6’5”, 220 pounds
Deteriorating marriage of Beck and wife Inga; daughter Ingrid,
son Rolf
Kollberg happily married to younger woman, Gun, one baby
Dislike of journalists
Åke Stenström, detective sub-inspector on homicide squad is
among the 9 people killed (one victim dies later)
No clues, no motive
The police procedural: talk to all relatives of the people killed,
including Åsa Torell, girlfriend of Stenström
Sexual photos of Åsa in Stenström’s desk
Ullholm as an example of the bureacratic moron
Identification of weapon – still no real clue
Summary
Trivialities – Månsson needs flavored toothpicks!
Tedious police work talking to all related people
Finally, Stenström’s ability to shadow is
highlighted (147)
 Nordin, a policeofficer from the north, talks to
Blonde Malin
 Kollberg visits Åsa who tells him about a new
investigation Stenström was conducting on his
own – into a 16-year-old murder
 Åsa goes home with Kollberg
 Nordin gets a name for the ”man without a face”:
Niels Erik Göransson (185) – a clue
 Beck on the right track (199)
 The Teresa Murder 16 years ago: nymfomaniac,
vehicle mix-up, never solved, alibis,
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Summary 2
Renault CV-4
Morris Minor
The Cars!
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Beck and Kollberg follow in the footsteps of Stenström
He was on the verge of solving the crime
Detective Rönn finds out whom the shooter looked like
Christmas present: The Laughing Policeman
Melander with photographic memory remembers the
connection between Göransson and the Teresa murder
Göransson always had money – paper slip with the initials
B.F.  Björn Forsberg
BF slept with Teresa, she stalked him, he killed her,
Göransson blackmailed him, and then BF killed both
Göransson and Stenström who was shadowing Göransson
Becka nd Kollberg confront BF at his office
BF tries to commit suicide, but Martin Beck has emptied
the gun
Forsberg confesses - end of case
Summary 3
Structure
 Style of writing
 Characters:
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Martin Beck
Lennart Kollberg
Gustav Larsson
Frederik Melander
Åke Stenström
Åsa Torell
The Laughing Policeman
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Another “everyman”
No real life
No real family
Companions at work
Drudgery
23 years as a policeman
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Kurt Wallander
Konrad Sejer
Erlendur
Annika Bengtzon – male / female
Martin Beck
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U9u5z
qKvC7E
The Laughing Policeman
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Mass Murder
Old Unsolved crimes
Hiding as a long-term criminal / serendipitous
discovery
The “underworld”
Frustrated at one’s job
Sex
Women’s roles
Laughter – anything to laugh about?
P. 272
Themes