The Lisbeth Salander Phenomenon

I have mentioned that Lisbeth Salander has been a goth feminist icon and has inspired teenage hackers all over the world, but the phenomenon does not end there.  The Millennium Trilogy by Stieg Larsson has sold many million of books. (A March 2010 estimate is 27 million. Some 2011 estimates are over 55 million for worldwide sales.)  The films in Swedish starring Noomi Rapace, arguably the definitive Salander, have been seen internationally, with and without English subtitles.  Now Hollywood is filming an English version around Stockholm with Daniel Craig as Mikael Blomkvist a.k.a. Kalle Blomkvist. (Craig has been cinema's James Bond since 2005.)  The first Swedish language film in the trilogy has already grossed over 100 million dollars, and the three videos are selling extremely well.  DVD and blue ray box sets will probably be out for Christmas 2011.  December 2011 is also the expected release date for the English language version of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.

The role of Lisabeth Salander will be played by Rooney Mara in this adaptation of Stieg Larsson's Ma"n som hatar kvinnor ( Men who hate women), which we know as The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.  We shall see how she measures up against Noomi Rapace's amazing performance, which some say deserves an Oscar.

Now there are Lisbeth Salander tours and tourist walks in Stockholm.  They have created a  bonanza for Stockholm's tourist industry.  Stockholm is a very beautiful city on Lake Ma"laren

and the sea, to the east, which leads the wonderful ska"rgarden, skerries in the Baltic.  The Stockholm archipelago is beautiful, perfect in high summer. It's a very popular weekend destination in the holiday season. The Finnish archipelago around Abo is also lovely.   I love the boat trips from Stockholm to Mariehamn and then on to Abo (Turku) in May and June, when the days are so long and the weather is warm. Hours and hours of sunshine.  Fint va"der!  Det a"r vackert.  I recommend the Viking Line cruise ships. I have been several times and have had such happy and memorable journeys.