AT THE Edinburgh Festival one year I rested my frazzled body and mind awhile in a charming cafe called the Elephant House. The table I was at looked out on to a stunning view of Edinburgh Castle. “What a beautiful dreamy view,” I mentioned to one of the staff and was pleasantly shocked to find out that my table was the exact one where JK Rowling sat when she wrote the first Harry Potter book.
In terms of contemporary literary sales phenomena the Harry Potter series is now under serious threat from an overweight, left-wing activist who died aged 50. Stieg Larsson’s Millennium trilogy of books have now notched up more than 70 million sales but unfortunately there is no Elephant House equivalent in Stockholm (where Larsson’s crime novels are set). But there is something even better – and it’s to do with pizza.
Apart from drinking unconscionable amounts of coffee, what distinguishes the main characters in the Millennium trilogy – the campaigning journalist Mikael Blomkvist and the intriguingly weird computer hacker Lisbeth Salander – is their all-consuming passion for Billy’s Pan Pizza bought from the local 7-Eleven shop.
To be able to stand in the actual 7-Eleven on Gotgatan Street in central Stockholm which Mikael Blomkvist used (his office at the magazine where he worked is just up the road) and order a Billy’s Pan Pizza just like he regularly did is quite a silly thrill. As is excitedly taking pictures of the anonymous-looking apartment on Fiskargatan Street where Salander lived in a 21-room apartment; as is happily traipsing around on foot for a couple of hours taking in all the cafes and bars where Blomkvist and Salander hung out.
Stockholmers are a bit bemused these days by the number of Millennium literary tourists clutching souvenir Billy’s Pan Pizza boxes and marching urgently from one Millennium landmark to another.
They’ve been through this surprise international success story before with Abba and can’t see the attraction for themselves. But to the many readers of Larsson’s novels, the city of Stockholm is a key element of his work and the fact that he used real street names and real bars/cafes ensures a steady multinational stream of fans.
The Millennium walking tour (it takes about two hours and comes in a variety of languages) is interesting in that you don’t just get to see all the major places mentioned in the books, but your guide will also fill you in with biographical details about the author (in many ways Larsson’s own story is as dramatic as the action in the books) and explains the ins and outs of contemporary Swedish society and cultural life.
And if you’re simply ideologically opposed to the idea of a “tour” and a “guide” you can just buy the Millennium Tour Map yourself and mooch around at your own pace.
Given the growing numbers going on the tour and how many people travel to Stockholm solely to pay homage to Larsson’s novels, the city of Stockholm has commendably resisted any tacky cash-in on this new tourist market. Everything is low-key and intelligently done – you won’t find any T-shirts/posters/mugs for sale.
Who and what can be associated with the Millennium books are very strictly controlled by Larsson’s family and the books’ publisher – the Norstedts company.
Acutely aware of Larsson’s uncompromising political principles, they ensure the walking tour is educational and informative and not an excuse to sell over-priced “commemorative” tat.
The two-hour walking tour with a guide comes in at a reasonable €13.
The tour comes full circle when you fall into the delightful Mellqvists Kaffebar on Hornsgatan. This is a crucial venue as it’s the cafe which Blomkvist and Larsson himself frequented.
Rumour has it that this is where the first draft of The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo was written, but like so much else on the tour, nobody is making a big deal about it.
Despite the fact that computer technology features heavily in the Millennium trilogy, the Larsson family has always resisted the demand for computer games based on the books.
They have, though, just relented enough to sanction the release of an app (available for the iPhone and Android devices). Called “Chasing Salander”, it’s perfectly well done but perhaps aimed more at that growing demographic who don’t believe they are actually experiencing something unless they’re simultaneously experiencing it on their iPhone.