Staff Writer- Shy Lee
The Tuesday following Spring Break, the Marguerite Olson Pratt Out of Scandinavia Artist-in-Residence program continued its 37-year tradition of bringing a Nordic author to Gustavus. This year, it was Icelandic author Lilja Sigurdardottir. From 4:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. on March 10th at the Wallenberg Auditorium, Sigurdardottir delivered her lecture, “Drag Me to the Dark Side: Queer Identity and the Allure of Crime Fiction,” as part of Out of Scandinavia Week. She spent the week on campus visiting classrooms, sharing meals with students, and giving attendees an immersive look into the creative process behind her novels.
Born in 1972 in Iceland, Sigurdardottir grew up in Mexico, Sweden, and Spain before returning to Iceland, where she now resides. Best known for her crime fiction, which has been translated into 17 languages, her work spans novels, stage plays, Netflix screenplays, and audio series. She made her fictional debut with the crime novel Steps in 2009.
The Marguerite Olson Pratt Out of Scandinavia Artist-in-Residence Program Endowment Fund was established by Charlotte Pratt ’86 and Henrik Nordstrom ‘88 of Minneapolis, Minnesota, in honor of Charlotte’s late mother, Marguerite, a member of the Gustavus Class of 1953, lifelong educator, and avid promoter of all things Nordic. Co-sponsors of her visit included Gender, Women & Sexuality Studies; Eastern European and Eurasian Studies; English; Modern Languages, Literatures, & Cultures; and Comparative Literature.
“This program teaches that you can write what you want to read,” Senior Kierstyn Lundberg said. “That is one thing Lilja did—she wrote Snare because she wanted to write something she would read. One thing is to be you and write from experiences.”
In 2014, her play Big Babies was awarded the Icelandic Theatre Prize Griman for Best Play of the Year. Her globally recognized Reykjavik Noir trilogy, Snare (2015), Trap (2016), and Cage (2017), has been nominated for major awards, with film rights acquired by Palomar Pictures in California.
Sigurdardottir, who identifies as queer, is known for crime novels that reimagine the genre, featuring lesbian protagonists as criminals, victims, and resilient survivors.
Her latest thriller series follows Arora across five novels: Cold as Hell (2019), Red as Blood (2020), White as Snow (2021), Dark as Night (2022), and Black as Death (2023). Her audio series One Hundred Mishaps of Hemingway received top honors in the 2023 Storytel Awards.
“Lilja using queer identity in her books helps future writers to know that they can be themselves while writing a book,” Lundberg shared. “Having queer identity in crime fiction books can show that people who are queer are not the villains. Lilja does a great job of being inclusive.”
Junior Destiny McDowell highlighted how Sigurdardottir’s work connects queerness and crime.
“Her relating queerness to monsters such as Dracula and highlighting the fact that many times queerness is equated to criminality made me realize how many crime stories have elements of queerness inherently in them,” McDowell said. “Her re-shaping of crime fiction as a parallel to queerness highlighted the flexibility of crime stories and deepened my appreciation for her and other artists who write crime stories featuring queer characters.”
Many students got the chance to gain a deeper understanding of Nordic stories. It is a reminder of the importance of acknowledging that there is a world much bigger than the one we see in our day-to-day lives.
“I feel like meeting her was a personal experience. These are people with stories that affect their work and affect societies. It was more of an eye-opener when it came to that,” Freshman Sam Rude stated.
Additionally, Sigurdardottir’s use of Icelandic folklore in her books piqued students’ interest because it provides depth and cultural context that readers without prior knowledge might overlook. Her discussion of elves in “Snare” demonstrated how her storytelling is influenced by Icelandic myths and legends.
“Without meeting the author, one can use their own imagination to interpret what the author is thinking, but with meeting the author, they can guide you in certain ways that they were going and explain what they meant,” Lundberg noted. “Learning about other authors in Iceland is something I can take away.”
After the event, students had a better knowledge of crime fiction and queer representation. Sigurdardottir’s visit served as both a personal and academic source of inspiration, illustrating how literature can both reflect identity and social norms.
“I feel like this event with any guest who comes to Gustavus or talks to the students is a really good opportunity to deepen understanding, ask questions, and understand the author personally,” Rude remarked.
The Out of Scandinavia program continues to bring Nordic artists to campus each year, giving students the opportunity to connect with writers, artists, and performers from across the region.