Have you ever heard of a story born with the death of its author? Stories always begin in reverse, starting with the writer. No matter how hard they try, we hear their voice narrating the story, whether through an omniscient narrator, in which case we often hear the author's voice in our minds, or by choosing to tell the story through their characters, making those characters their instruments, allowing us to hear their voice through them. They become the voice that tells the story and expresses their inner thoughts. Then, after reading their work and becoming attached to it, we begin to follow them, eagerly awaiting their every new release, be it books, articles, interviews, or writing guides, as many writers do today. We expect more from them, so what if they promise us ten parts of a book we love and whose heroes we adore? We'll be ready to read it part by part, wishing the story would never end.
This has been the custom, except in the Millennium series, or at least the first three parts. Since the author, the "master of the novel," died before the characters entered the real world, like a father who left us while his child was still developing in his mother's womb, so too was Millennium taking shape in the womb of the printing press at that time. Fortunately, the embryo had three lives, resulting in Millennium in its three parts.
The author gained immense fame after its publication. Stieg Larsson is the first novelist that comes to mind for many when we think of a Swedish writer. He is now as famous as the girl with the dragon tattoo he created, whom most people surely know, or at least have seen on book covers or in movie trailers. That small girl, dressed in black with a dragon tattoo on her back, evokes a sense of insignificance and vulnerability, compelling you to protect her-or, conversely, to avoid her.
The story behind the story, or the story of how the story was created, is our focus now. Our aim is to trace Stieg Larsson's journey and explore the origins of his story, the one that shook the foundations of Sweden and which he sought to expose to the world. Are these situations he once experienced? Is this the Sweden we don't know? Or is it merely the imagination of a writer? How did the novel come to be after its author's death? Why was his life actually threatened before he died? Did Stig write it alone, or did someone else contribute? How did his life partner lose any rights to his literary legacy, despite living with him for over thirty years? Why did she stay with him all those years without marrying? What does Swedish law have to do with this story? Did he really die of a heart attack? And does Stig truly resemble the characters in his novel?
I wrote this story so that Stig could strip away the masks and expose the false public decency of many. While we believe we are moving towards civilization worldwide, many of us harbor barbaric desires and impulses, which Stig skillfully revealed. In the world of Millennium, all masks are vulnerable and can be exposed to the world.
