It is not at all easy to get to the Swedish village of Hertsånger (twelve houses and three novels of the dead, as Carles Porta would say), more than 700 kilometers from Stockholm. But we have an appointment there that we cannot miss, a dinner at the home of Karin Smirnoff, the new author of global thrillers who, until recently, lived off the turnover of her family woodworking business (if they see an elegant porch in a Swedish residence, the planks may have been made by them).
The doors of his house are open, there is a bonfire in the illuminated garden and, inside, among garlands, we can find all kinds of food and drinks, distributed in all the rooms. All the inhabitants participate in the launch party of Millennium 7. Eagle's claws: some neighbors have made food, others serve the tables, others have contributed to the decoration, some will help with the collection and cleaning ...
For Smirnoff it is important to be here, in the north. “I'm proud of my roots, I was born in the county of Västerbotten, like Stieg Larsson, and he would have liked the geographical twist I've made in the series. You can see that here people are very open, for me this is humanity, to welcome the strange and not to be afraid of others, the houses are open and a sense of hospitality is maintained that has been lost in the big cities".
In a comforting bustle, sophisticated international editors more used to cocktails in Frankfurt and Manhattan, arriving from Stockholm and halfway around the world (such as the Spanish Elena Ramírez, from the Planeta group) mix with the neighbors, many children, teenagers, old people and even some clueless dog...
"In the cities - continues Smirnoff, after hugging his mother - there is competition all the time. You can't be who you want to be but what others think you are, there is fierce competition for the best jobs. Here, on the other hand, you see university graduates doing home care services and they are happy because this is their decision”.
The problems experienced in this area are the focus of the new Millennium novels. "There are a lot of big companies that set up here because electricity is four times cheaper than in Stockholm. We are one of the big areas of battery factories, for example. When those multinationals arrive, the politicians roll the carpet for them: 'Yes, yes, you can do what you want, destroy nature if you like', because they bring millions and jobs, and on top of that they dress it up as ecological because we need those batteries for electric cars. They forget that they have to build huge mines to extract the necessary minerals. The Sami people have been promised all sorts of things, but it's wet paper, because the reality is that they have to move because their land is polluted and the money earned there doesn't go into their pockets."
In the warm interior of the Smirnoff house, everything seems to deny that we are in a conflict zone: the laughter, the songs, the reindeer meat, the herrings or the blueberry jam.
Outside, we imagine Lisbeth Salander and Mikael Blomkvist fighting against the powerful interests that destroy the environment. "I know they don't exist, but it gives me strength to think that in the novel they are facing the corporations that are destroying our mountain," says Liam, wearing a checkered shirt, before toasting with brandy with an unpronounceable name.
