Nordic Noir Book Discussion: Crime, Culture and the Scandinavian Imagination

Nordic noir - crime fiction from Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Iceland and Finland - has become a globally influential literary phenomenon in the past 50 years. Most readers encounter it without any sense of the rich cultural and historical tradition behind it: the Marxist origins of the genre, the Viking literary heritage, the peculiar social codes of Scandinavian egalitarianism, and the welfare state and its discontents. In four sessions we cover six interlocking themes through four landmark novels and 45 minutes of open, book-club-style conversation each week.

Instructor Bio: Vic Peterson is the author of "The Berserkers" (Hawkwood 2022/Recital 2023), set in a fictional Nordic country. He worked as a business executive and now divides his time between Lawrence, Kansas, and Northport, Michigan.

An Osher membership fee of $25 is required to enroll in this class. If you have not paid your membership fee, please click on Osher Membership Fee - Shopping cart to add the membership fee to your shopping cart. Then continue shopping to select your courses and/or events. If you have questions about whether or not you have paid your member fee, please call 785-864-6779.

Course Accessibility: Individuals with disabilities are encouraged to attend University of Kansas-sponsored events. If you require reasonable accommodations in order to participate in an event, please email [email protected] or call 785-864-6779 at least three weeks before the first day of the event.