Icelandic Author Wins Global Audience
Arnaldur Indridason is an Icelandic writer most well-known for his police procedurals, the Inspector Erlendur Mystery/ Thriller Books, which have sold more than 5 million copies in 25 countries. They have been translated into German, Greek, Danish, English, Italian, Czech, Swedish, Norwegian, Dutch, Finnish, Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese and French.
The first two novels in the Inspector Erlendur Mystery/ Thriller Books--Sons of Dust (1997) and Silent Kill (1998)--have not been published in English. It's not clear to me why, since this is a successful series with more than a few fans. As far as I can tell, seven Erlendur novels are now available in English.
Arnaldur's books have been published in twenty-six countries and have been translated into German, Greek, Danish, English, Italian, Czech, Swedish, Norwegian, Dutch, Finnish, Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese and French.
NOTE about Icelandic names: Iceland's 300,000 people tend to use first names only. And their last names are derived from the first name of one of their parents. For example, Arnaldur's father is Indriði Þorsteinsson. Arnaldur's patronymic--Indridason--is derived from his father's first name.
Awards
WINNER! Glass Key award for the best Nordic crime novel in 2002
WINNER! Gold Dagger Award in 2005
WINNER! Glass Key award for the best Nordic crime novel in 2003
WINNER! Martin Beck Award for best crime novel translated into Swedish