<p><strong>Abstract</strong></p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>The topic of this essay is to show why I regard the <em>non fiction novel</em> as a problematic genre and to compare two popular and famous swedish non fiction novels; <em>Legionärerna</em> (1968) by Per Olov Enquist and <em>Gömda</em> (1995) by Maria Eriksson and Liza Marklund.</p><p>I start with giving a short introduction to modern genre theory and to non fiction novels as a genre. I also discuss different definitions of non fiction novels by, for example, Rolf Yrlid and Lars-Olof Franzén. Then I discuss Enquist’s <em>Legionärerna</em> and the critics’ reception of it. I am also doing the same with Eriksson’s and Marklund’s <em>Gömda</em> before I compare these two novels with each other.</p><p> </p><p>My conclusion is that <em>Legionärerna</em> and <em>Gömda</em> have a lot in common although there are some differences. One important difference is that the uncertainty between fact and fiction in <em>Legionärerna</em> seems to be an important part of the novel, in contrast to <em>Gömda</em> which has a political purpose but no discussion about objectivity and the limit between fact and fiction.</p><p>The big problem with non fiction novels, as I see it, is that a lot of people regards the genre as fact but according to a number of scholars it is more convenient too see it as a mixture between fact and fiction where the author both interprets and manipulates the actual events.</p><p>Though there are no established definition of what a non fiction novel is the author of a non fiction novel  has a responsibility to the reader to write in the beginning of the novel if the plot is true or not. We can compare this declaration by the author with a contract between the author and the reader which is cancelled if it turns out that the declaration is false.</p>

Abstract   The topic of this essay is to show why I regard the non fiction novel as a problematic genre and to compare two popular and famous swedish non fiction novels; Legionärerna (1968) by Per Olov Enquist and Gömda (1995) by Maria Eriksson and Liza Marklund. I start with giving a short introduction to modern genre theory and to non fiction novels as a genre. I also discuss different definitions of non fiction novels by, for example, Rolf Yrlid and Lars-Olof Franzén. Then I discuss Enquist’s Legionärerna and the critics’ reception of it. I am also doing the same with Eriksson’s and Marklund’s Gömda before I compare these two novels with each other.   My conclusion is that Legionärerna and Gömda have a lot in common although there are some differences. One important difference is that the uncertainty between fact and fiction in Legionärerna seems to be an important part of the novel, in contrast to Gömda which has a political purpose but no discussion about objectivity and the limit between fact and fiction. The big problem with non fiction novels, as I see it, is that a lot of people regards the genre as fact but according to a number of scholars it is more convenient too see it as a mixture between fact and fiction where the author both interprets and manipulates the actual events. Though there are no established definition of what a non fiction novel is the author of a non fiction novel  has a responsibility to the reader to write in the beginning of the novel if the plot is true or not. We can compare this declaration by the author with a contract between the author and the reader which is cancelled if it turns out that the declaration is false.

Detektivromanen är en genre som på senare år blivit omåttligt populär. Idag kan man köpa en deckare i nästan varje kiosk och matbutik. På detta följer att omslagen i de flesta fall måste sticka ut ur mängden för att boken ska bli såld, vilket sålunda gör det intressant att undersöka vilka metoder man använder – och har använt – för att locka läsare.

This study will explore the role of female authors and their female protagonists in contemporary Scottish and Nordic crime fiction. Authors including Val McDermid, Denise Mina, Lin Anderson and Liza Marklund are just a few of the women who have challenged the expectation of gender in the crime fiction genre. By setting their novels in contemporary society, they reflect a range of social and political issues through the lens of a female protagonist. By closely examining the female characters, all journalists, in Val McDermid’s Lindsay Gordon series; Denise Mina’s Paddy Meehan series; Anna Smith’s books about Rosie Gilmour; and Liza Marklund’s books about Annika Bengzton, I explore the issue of gender through these writers’ perspectives and also draw parallels between their societies. I document the influence of these writers on my own practice-based research, a novel, The Invisible Chains, set in post-Referendum Scotland. The thesis will examine and define the role of the female protagonist, offer a feminist reading of contemporary crime fiction, and investigate how the rise of human trafficking, the problem of domestic abuse in Scotland and society’s changing attitudes and values are reflected in contemporary crime novels, before discussing the narrative structures and techniques employed in the writing of The Invisible Chains. This novel allows us to consider the role of women in a contemporary and progressive society where women hold many senior positions in public life and examine whether they manage successfully to challenge traditional patriarchal hierarchies. The narrative is split between journalist Megan Ross, The Girl, a victim of human trafficking, and Trudy, who is being domestically abused, thus pulling together the themes of the critical genesis in the creative work. By focusing on the protagonist, the victims and raising awareness of human trafficking and domestic abuse, The Invisible Chains, an original creative work, reflects a contemporary society’s changing attitudes, problems and values.