Toparvisan

According to Richard Koloda's study of Albert Ayler, the famous "Ghosts" is based on the Swedish folksong called "Torparvisan." While it is difficult to detect the similarity, supposedly the Swedish tune's harmonic structure was used by Ayler. Since Ayler spent part of his short life in Scandinavia, playing jazz with locals and other international musicians, it is certainly possible he was exposed to Scandinavian folk music. We also know Ayler was deeply influenced by folk, blues, and spirituals in the US, so it is not too much of a stretch for him to have been influenced by Swedish music. 

The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest

The final entry in the Millennium trilogy is a hot, convoluted mess that somehow succeeds as a fast-paced thriller, despite being the longest of the books. The story continues exactly where the previous novel ended, yet takes the reader on a wild roller coaster ride into Blomkvist and Salander's battle to unveil the Security Police agency which shielded her father from justice and save Salander. Along the way, the novel meanders and deviates while perhaps revealing too early the intricacies of the organization responsible for endeavoring to thwart all plans of Blomkvist and company. Like the preceding book, this one develops the Cold War context and threat of national security surveillance agencies, with clear references to political scandals and assassinations in Swedish history. The centrality of gender-based violence is also key, as well as the abuses in the guardianship system. However, with Blomkvist's close collaboration with a branch of the Swedish government, this time the major question or ethical dilemma for a functioning, social democratic state is the following: who can protect the interests of democracy and to what extent should be they sanctioned to do so? Clearly, the post-Cold War Swedish government is culpable for the injustice and harm done to Salander. But countless others were caught up in the web, thereby forcing the reader to confront the decay both moral and social of the forces allegedly designed to protect Sweden. 

The Girl Who Played with Fire

The Girl Who Played with Fire is less spectacular than than the previous entry in the trilogy, yet a rewarding and captivating read. This book is a sequel of sorts to the previous book's allusions to sex trafficking victims, while also unveiling the background of Lisbeth Salander. Structurally, perhaps the novel could have cut the adventures of Salander in Grenada, and maybe trimmed some of the characters and sub-plots at later points. Nonetheless, the novel 'works' while criticizing the Scandinavian welfare state through its shortcomings on trafficking. In the interest of brevity, the novel also exposes additional abuses of the welfare state when it comes to minors, gender-based violence, and treating marginalized individuals as people. Naturally, Larsson achieves this without a preachy protest novel, and along the way hints at the various flaws of the post-Cold War integration of Eastern Europe, Reagan's invasion of Grenada and the increase in human misery in the Caribbean, as well as the relationship between independent media and the police/state. For example, the link between the breakdown of the Soviet Union and Russian mob-violence and sex trafficking is directly tied to the nefarious Swedish government's use of Soviet defectors and Cold War geopolitics. The consequences of these actions reverberate into the neoliberal post-Soviet order. As you can probably guess, Blomkvist, per usual, proves to be sharper than police investigators as he solves the case while believing in Lisbeth's innocence throughout. And, as in the previous novel, gender-based violence and sexism in various forms is a common theme.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is one of the popular mystery novels recommended to me by a number of people. However, with in the last month, two people suggested I read it. So, I finally got around to it this week. One of the recent recommendations from a leftist suggested the novel is loaded with social commentary on the shortcomings of the Scandinavian social democratic model. In light of the author's politics, such a perspective is actually not far-fetched. Throughout the novel, there is a constant reminder of common sexual violence, misogyny, exploitation of immigrants, corruption in finance and corporate Sweden, dehumanizing social welfare bureaucracies, and, in the case of the Vanger family, strong ties with fascist politics and profiting from deals with Nazi Germany. In this fast-paced and suspenseful thriller, these less flattering aspects of Swedish society are a constant background to Blomkvist's task of investigating Harriet's disappearance and getting back at criminal financier Wennerström. If Blomkvist represents the author himself, but perhaps less ideological in his politics, there is nonetheless a plethora of material to decode here. For instance, the handling of post-Soviet Europe's economic exploitation by Sweden and Western Europe, undoubtedly shapes the corruption of high finance, the state, and violence against immigrants. Truth be told, one could do quite a bit of work with this entertaining novel. 

Mingus...Live!

Some lovely jazz from Charles Mingus, featuring the inimitable Eric Dolphy.