With more than sixty million copies of his works sold, translated into fifty languages, Joe Nesbo (Oslo, 1960) is Norway’s most influential crime writer. The creator of Harry Holealcoholic and troubled detective, returns to Spanish bookstores with The King of Bones (Reservoir Books), continuation of the success the kingdomNesbø’s novel which has had the most readers in our country, according to the publisher.
Starring two ambitious brothers, Carl and Roy Opgard, the plot pits their business projects, a spa and an amusement park, against the plans of the state, determined to build a new highway in the region that touches the municipality of ‘Bone. But beyond the objective of getting rich and the mafia practices they use to achieve this, what catapults the suspense of the novelthe motivation to help people prevails. “I fell in love with the characters, the environment and the city,” admits Nesbø during the virtual press conference with Spanish media.
The Norwegian author, awarded in March this year with the prize Pepe Carvalho Awardassures that it is a “timeless novel” which does not seek to establish synchronies with our present. In fact, the personal memories that can be traced go back to the relationship with his brother, who died more than ten years ago, and the historical allusions have to do with biblical motifs, referenced in many of his novels. “It’s not that I’m an avid reader of Biblebut it contains some of the best stories,” he considers.
In addition, “It would be naive to think that an author could find new themes” At this point Nesbø slips out. “On the contrary, we revise them, we make variations to them. But that does not mean that it is not logical to continue to address these questions,” he adds. The detective novel presents itself as “a vehicle” to deal with “the human condition and moral questions”. In this sense, let us remember that in the 60s and 70s, work of this nature was decisive in explaining Scandinavian society.
The crimes recounted in his works therefore only constitute “a framework marked by the genre”. Likewise, he likes to write three and a half minute pop songs. Structure and rules do not limit you, but rather stimulate your creativity.. And, when it comes to murders, he points out that the percentage of deaths due to acts of violence has decreased significantly. “We are becoming more and more civilized and safer among human beings,” he believes, even if crimes are today the raw material for successful literature.
“The detective novel serves as a means for me to address the human condition and moral questions”
The press conference focused specifically on the conflicts of our time. A present “difficult to judge”, according to Nesbø, because “we focus on the dangers, but it is perhaps not so dramatic”. Perhaps the 1970s were “the best decade to live in,” he concedes, “but there was also the fear of possible nuclear war, there was terrorism, there was high unemployment. ..”. And, coming back to individual security, “in big cities, there was a higher crime rate than ever,” he recalls.
In short, “it’s difficult for me to say that these times are more dangerous than before,” he said. What worries him personally is “that the most powerful country has brought together a group of people who don’t make us feel safe,” he said, clearly referring to Trump’s first decisions after being elected President of the United States.
“I fear that the United States, the most powerful country, has brought together a group of people who do not allow us to feel safe”
And as for the more imminent future, are you worried about GPT Chat as a writing tool? “Behind artificial intelligence, there are human emotions. If it’s beautiful and we’re passionate about it, that doesn’t worry me,” he said. Now, “many authors risk losing their jobs,” he admits, “but that’s the world history. “There have always been jobs that became obsolete at some point in history.”
However, he is not convinced that AI will eventually replace the role of writers. If that was the case and it actually took away his job, “maybe it’s because they replaced me with something better,” he joked. In any case, “I hope it will be a useful addition to us.”
Nesbø also spoke about audiovisual adaptations of his works. “I’m not too worried about my stories being reproduced in the same way as in the novel,” he said. Another thing is that he himself participated in a Harry Hole series, he came to say, but he is aware of being part of “a generation of writers who were also influenced by films and series “.
Furthermore, the Norwegian author revealed that the story of the Opgard brothers could be transposed to the big screen. However, it is not clear that “Out of 20 projects developed in Hollywood, only one ends up making it to the big screen”.
Finally, Nesbø was asked about his past as a footballer and his current relationship with the sport, regarding the plot of his new novel, The King of Bonesin which the protagonists make a significant financial injection into a modest club. “It’s a somewhat comical vision,” he says, recalling that “before we didn’t talk about coaches, only about players.” According to his criteria, technicians “have less importance in the team’s results than we think.” And he ended with an example that, as Spaniards, concerns us: ‘Guardiola’s importance is overrated’.
