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Narrator: IN 2004,
SWEDISH JOURNALIST STIEG LARSSON DIES AT AGE 50.
I THINK HE WAS THE MOST IMPORTANT ACTIVIST IN SWEDEN
IN THE LAST 30 YEARS.
EXPO MAGAZINE WAS INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT.
Poohl: THE REACTIONS FROM THE GROUPS THAT WE WROTE ABOUT --
THE FAR-RIGHT ACTIVISTS -- WAS VERY AGGRESSIVE.
Narrator: BUT IT'S A TRILOGY OF UNPUBLISHED NOVELS
HE LEAVES BEHIND
THAT PROPEL HIM TO LITERARY SUPERSTARDOM.
Baksi: EVERYBODY SAID THE BOOKS WILL NOT SELL SO MUCH,
AND, SO, WE SAID, "OKAY, STIEG IS DEAD, AND THE STORY'S OVER."
NO ONE CAN PUT LISBETH SALANDER AWAY.
SHE IS A MAGIC CREATURE.
THE BOOKS BY STIEG LARSSON HAVE SOLD MORE COPIES THAN THE BIBLE.
Narrator: THE SUCCESS OF THE BOOKS
WILL PLUNGE THOSE CLOSEST TO LARSSON IN A BITTER FEUD
OVER CONTROL OF HIS ESTATE AND THE "MILLENNIUM" MILLIONS...
Quitsbergh: I THINK THIS IS SORT OF A CONTEST
OF WHO LOVED STIEG THE MOST,
AND WHO CAN YOU SAY THAT -- WHO'S THE WINNER OF THAT?
Narrator: ...AND LEAVES THE WORLD WITH ONE FINAL QUESTION --
WAS THERE ANOTHER BOOK?
Fegan: HE HAD HIS MANUSCRIPT FOR A FOURTH BOOK.
TWO THIRDS OF IT WAS ALREADY FINISHED.
-- Captions by VITAC -- www.vitac.com
CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS
Narrator: NOVEMBER 9, 2004 --
WRITER AND JOURNALIST STIEG LARSSON
ARRIVES AT THE STOCKHOLM OFFICES OF EXPO,
THE MAGAZINE HE FOUNDED IN 1995.
HE FEELS ILL AND WEAK.
A STEADY DIET OF COFFEE, CIGARETTES, AND FAST FOOD
ARE STARTING TO TAKE THEIR TOLL.
DANIEL POOHL IS A FORMER COLLEAGUE OF LARSSON'S AT EXPO.
Poohl: STIEG WASN'T THE ROLE MODEL
IF YOU WANTED TO LIVE A HEALTHY LIFE.
Narrator: INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER ALI FEGAN
EXPLORED THE CASE IN HIS DOCUMENTARY,
"THE MILLENNIUM MILLIONS."
HE SMOKED A LOT, DRANK A LOT OF COFFEE,
DIDN'T WORK OUT, AND WORKED EXTREME AMOUNTS A DAY.
Narrator: LARSSON'S CHEST PAINS GROW MORE SEVERE.
HIS COWORKERS DECIDE TO RUSH HIM TO THE HOSPITAL.
ONE OF HIS COLLEAGUES COLLECTS LARSSON'S BACKPACK
OFF THE FLOOR,
A RANDOM ACT THAT WILL PROVE MEANINGFUL
IN THE MONTHS TO COME.
WRITER AND ARCHITECT EVA GABRIELSSON,
LARSSON'S GIRLFRIEND OF 32 YEARS,
IS AWAY ON BUSINESS.
Fegan: SHE GOT THIS CALL AND THEY TOLD HER WHAT HAPPENED,
AND SHE, OF COURSE, RAN TO THE TRAIN STATION
AND ON THE WAY TO THE HOSPITAL.
Narrator: HE HAS A HEART ATTACK,
AND HOSPITAL STAFF SPENDS THE NEXT 40 MINUTES
TRYING TO REVIVE HIM IN VAIN.
THE 50-YEAR-OLD LARSSON IS DECLARED DEAD AT 4:22 P.M.
LARSSON'S HANDS ARE STILL WARM
WHEN GABRIELSSON WRAPS THEM IN HER OWN.
Fegan: AFTER LOSING YOUR LIFE COMPANION,
THE PERSON YOU HAVE LIVED WITH FOR 30 YEARS,
SHARED EVERYTHING WITH -- IF YOU LOSE THIS PERSON,
OF COURSE IT'S GONNA TAKE YOU HARD
AND YOU'RE GONNA BE IN A DEEP, DEEP SHOCK AND SORROW.
Narrator: LARSSON'S FATHER, ERLAND, AND HIS BROTHER, JOAKIM,
ARRIVE FROM THE NORTH OF SWEDEN.
MAGDALENA HEDLUND WILL LATER SERVE AS THEIR AGENT.
Hedlund: THEY WERE IN COMPLETE SHOCK.
WHEN YOUR SON AND YOUR BROTHER HAS DIED,
IT'S A NATURAL REACTION, I WOULD SAY.
Narrator: STIEG LARSSON BIOGRAPHER JAN-ERIK PETTERSSON.
Pettersson: THERE WAS A LOT OF GRIEF, A LOT OF SORROW,
AND A LOT OF BEWILDERMENT AMONG THOSE WHO WORKED WITH HIM
BECAUSE THEY DIDN'T KNOW WHAT WOULD HAPPEN TO EXPO.
Poohl: IT DIDN'T TAKE A LONG TIME
BEFORE WE DECIDED WE HAVE TO SHOW ALL THE PEOPLE OUT THERE
THAT WE CAN ACTUALLY EXIST WITHOUT STIEG
BECAUSE THAT IS WHAT HE WOULD'VE WANTED US TO DO.
Narrator: GABRIELSSON CHOOSES THE DAY THE NOBEL PRIZE IS TO BE AWARDED
AS THE DAY FOR LARSSON'S FUNERAL.
THIS WAY, THE BURIAL WILL GO MOSTLY UNNOTICED
BY ENEMIES OF LARSSON'S.
Fegan: STIEG LARSSON --
HE WAS QUITE FAMOUS AS A JOURNALIST HERE IN SWEDEN,
WRITING ABOUT -- COVERING RIGHT-WING POLITICAL EXTREMISM
AND THE NEO-NAZI MOVEMENT.
Narrator: ANNA-LENA LODENIUS COLLABORATED WITH LARSSON ON A 1991 BOOK
EXPOSING RIGHT-WING MOVEMENTS IN SWEDEN.
Lodenius: WE HAD A VERY SPECIAL SITUATION IN SWEDEN
AT THE END OF THE '80s, BEGINNING OF THE '90s
BECAUSE YOU COULD SEE THAT RACISM, XENOPHOBIA
WERE GROWING A LOT
AND YOU HAD LOTS OF PEOPLE ACTING ON THAT.
Narrator: WHILE GABRIELSSON IS SEARCHING
FOR MEMENTOS OF HER LIFE WITH LARSSON
TO SHARE AT THE FUNERAL,
SHE COMES ACROSS HIS 1977 WILL.
IN IT, LARSSON BEQUEATHS ALL OF HIS PERSONAL THINGS
AND HIS WRITINGS TO HER.
Fegan: SHE KNEW THAT THERE WAS A BIG HERITAGE OF STIEG LARSSON --
ALL HIS TEXTS, ALL HIS POLITICAL TEXTS,
ALL HIS BOOKS,
AND THESE NEW NOVELS THAT WAS ABOUT TO BE PUBLISHED.
Narrator: LARSSON'S WISHES ARE CLEAR,
BUT THE WILL ISN'T WITNESSED AND, SO, IT ISN'T VALID.
EVA LEARNS FROM HER LAWYER THAT UNDER SWEDISH LAW,
THAT'S A PROBLEM
BECAUSE LARSSON AND GABRIELSSON AREN'T MARRIED.
THERE IS A VERY WEAK PROTECTION FOR COUPLES WHO ARE NOT MARRIED
UNDER THE SWEDISH LAW.
Fegan: EVA GABRIELSSON AND STIEG LARSSON --
THEY LIVED TOGETHER FOR MORE THAN THREE DECADES,
AND THEY PRACTICALLY SHARED EVERYTHING.
SHE WAS ALSO INVOLVED IN HIS PROJECTS, LIKE EXPO.
SHE WAS VERY MUCH INVOLVED IN DISCUSSING WITH HIM
THE DETAILS IN THE NOVELS, THE CHARACTERS.
SOME OF HER KNOWLEDGE AS AN ARCHITECT
YOU CAN FIND IN SOME OF THE NOVELS.
Narrator: WHEN LARSSON DIES, OWNERSHIP OF HIS ESTATE IS UP IN THE AIR
BECAUSE GABRIELSSON IS NOT HIS NEXT OF KIN.
KURDO BAKSI IS STIEG LARSSON'S FRIEND AND COLLEAGUE
AT EXPO MAGAZINE.
EVERYBODY SAID THE BOOKS WILL NOT SELL SO MUCH,
AND, SO, WE SAID, "OKAY, STIEG IS DEAD, AND THE STORY'S OVER,"
BUT THE STORY'S NOT OVER.
Lodenius: "WHAT IS GOING TO HAPPEN?" --
WE WERE THINKING AT THE TIME
BECAUSE WE DID NOT KNOW
IF THE BOOKS WERE GOING TO BE ABLE TO BE PUBLISHED.
Narrator: THE BOOKS IN QUESTION ARE THREE NOVELS LARSSON COMPLETED
IN THE YEARS PRIOR TO HIS DEATH,
NOVELS FEATURING JOURNALIST MIKAEL BLOMKVIST,
WHO, LIKE LARSSON,
STRIVES TO EXPOSE SWEDEN'S SOCIAL AND POLITICAL INJUSTICES.
LINDA ALTROV-BERG IS A LITERARY AGENT
FOR THE SWEDISH PUBLISHER NORSTEDTS.
Altrov-Berg: WHEN WE GOT TO KNOW THAT HE HAD PASSED AWAY,
WE HAD HAD ALREADY INDICATIONS FROM THE MARKET IN SWEDEN
THAT THIS WAS GOING TO BE SOMETHING HUGE.
Narrator: A BATTLE IS BREWING OVER CONTROL OF STIEG LARSSON'S LEGACY,
ONE THAT WILL DIVIDE THOSE WHO LOVED HIM
AND TARNISH THE BELIEFS THAT LARSSON HELD MOST DEAR.
Pettersson: YEAH, SHE WAS VERY BITTER.
Fegan: THERE'S A REALLY NASTY BLACKMAILING STORY HERE.
Narrator: STIEG LARSSON AND EVA GABRIELSSON
ARE LOVERS, COLLEAGUES, SOUL MATES,
BUT THEY ARE NOT MARRIED.
WHEN LARSSON DIES WITHOUT A VALID WILL IN 2004,
LEAVING A TRILOGY OF SOON-TO-BE-PUBLISHED BOOKS
IN HIS WAKE,
GABRIELSSON IS LEFT WONDERING WHO WILL CONTROL
HOW THE "MILLENNIUM" NOVELS WILL BE RELEASED TO THE WORLD.
KARL STIG-ERLAND LARSSON IS BORN ON AUGUST 15, 1954.
HIS FAMILY MOVES TO STOCKHOLM WHEN LARSSON IS 1,
BUT THE CITY'S CRAMPED LIVING CONDITIONS
FORCE HIS PARENTS TO SEND HIM AWAY TO HIS GRANDPARENTS
500 MILES NORTH OF STOCKHOLM.
FREDRIK QUITSBERGH CO-PRODUCED "THE MILLENNIUM MILLIONS"
WITH ALI FEGAN.
Quitsbergh: THE LARSSON FAMILY WAS NOT POOR,
BUT THEY WERE SORT OF
A MIDDLE-CLASS, HARD-WORKING FAMILY
FROM NORTH OF SWEDEN.
HIS GRANDFATHER WAS A LEFTIST MAN,
AND, ALSO, HIS MOTHER WAS A SOCIAL DEMOCRAT,
AND I THINK THEY GAVE HIM A LOT OF VALUES
WHEN HE WAS A VERY LITTLE CHILD.
Narrator: ACCORDING TO GIRLFRIEND EVA GABRIELSSON,
THIS SEPARATION WILL MARK LARSSON'S RELATIONSHIP
WITH HIS FAMILY.
1963 -- STIEG RETURNS TO LIVE WITH HIS PARENTS
AFTER HIS GRANDFATHER, SEVERIN,
DIES OF A HEART ATTACK IN HIS EARLY 50s.
THE LARSSONS NOW LIVE IN UMEA IN THE NORTH OF SWEDEN
WHERE THE YOUNG LARSSON BECOMES A VORACIOUS READER.
ONE OF THE THINGS THAT INTRIGUED HIM WITH SCIENCE FICTION
WAS PROBABLY THAT IT SAID
SOMETHING ABOUT THE SOCIETY TODAY.
Poohl: STIEG WAS BROUGHT UP IN A POLITICAL FAMILY,
IN A FAMILY WHERE YOU DISCUSSED,
IN A FAMILY WHERE IDEAS WERE IMPORTANT.
Pettersson: HE LIKED TO WRITE, AND HE GOT A TYPEWRITER WHEN HE WAS 12,
I THINK, FROM HIS PARENTS,
SO HE SAT THERE WRITING ALL THE TIME.
Baksi: VIVIANNE LARSSON, THE MOTHER OF STIEG LARSSON,
WAS THE FIRST LADY WHO STARTED EQUALITY COMMUNITY
IN THE NORTH OF SWEDEN,
AND SHE HAD A BIG HEART FOR EVERYBODY,
AND SHE DIED VERY EARLY IN HER LIFE.
Narrator: THIS PERIOD IS CRUCIAL
IN SHAPING LARSSON'S POLITICAL VIEWS.
LARSSON GROWS RESTLESS AND IS EAGER TO SEE MORE OF THE WORLD.
HE RELOCATES TO STOCKHOLM IN THE EARLY '70s.
LARSSON MEETS POLITICAL ACTIVIST EVA GABRIELSSON
SHORTLY THEREAFTER.
Fegan: THEY SHARED, MORE OR LESS, EVERYTHING,
FROM POLITICS, IDEOLOGY, SCIENCE FICTION.
THEY DISCUSSED EVERYTHING EVERY DAY,
AND THEY, MORE OR LESS, WORKED TOGETHER.
Lodenius: SHE WAS PART OF HIS PROJECTS,
AND SHE KNEW A LOT ABOUT THE THINGS THAT HE WAS WRITING ABOUT,
AND SHE WAS VERY INTERESTED IN THAT.
Narrator: LARSSON BEGINS HIS CAREER AS A JOURNALIST,
WRITING AND SPEAKING ABOUT THE RISE OF RIGHT-WING EXTREMISM
IN SWEDEN.
Fegan: HE WAS PROBABLY THE FOREMOST EXPERT
ON RIGHT-WING POLITICAL EXTREMISM IN SWEDEN.
Poohl: IT'S ACTUALLY RISKY TO STAND UP FOR DEMOCRACY.
IT'S ACTUALLY RISKY TO SAY
THAT YOU LIKE THE IDEA OF A MULTICULTURAL SOCIETY.
IT'S ACTUALLY RISKY TO SAY THAT YOU DON'T LIKE RACISM.
Narrator: LARSSON IS PLACED ON A NEO-NAZI LIST
OF DANGEROUS JOURNALISTS WHOSE CAREER SHOULD BE CUT SHORT.
Fegan: WE KNOW FOR A FACT
THAT HE RECEIVED A LOT OF THREATS FROM NEO-NAZIS.
I HAVE MYSELF HEARD SOUND RECORDINGS FROM HIS TELEPHONE
OF PEOPLE THREATENING HIM TO DEATH.
Narrator: DESPITE THE DEATH THREATS,
GABRIELSSON REMAINS BY LARSSON'S SIDE.
IN FACT, THEY ARE INSEPARABLE, BUT THEY DECIDE NOT TO MARRY.
Poohl: THEY WERE, IN ONE SENSE, ONE PERSON --
YOU KNOW, DOING THE THINGS TOGETHER
AND DISCUSSING AND THINKING ABOUT DIFFERENT PROJECTS
AND SO ON.
SO THEY WERE KIND OF --
THEY BELONGED TO EACH OTHER IN A VERY CLEAR WAY
AND A VERY BEAUTIFUL WAY FROM WHAT I SAW.
Lodenius: THEY COULD EASILY HAVE BEEN GETTING MARRIED.
MANY PEOPLE IN THE LEFTIST MOVEMENT --
THEY WOULD SAY THAT, "IT'S NOT IMPORTANT TO BE MARRIED.
IT'S AN OLD-FASHIONED WAY OF BEING TOGETHER,"
AND ALL THAT.
Narrator: THERE IS ANOTHER REASON THAT PREVENTS THE TWO FROM MARRYING.
MARTEN SHULTZ IS A LAW PROFESSOR AT STOCKHOLM UNIVERSITY.
Schultz: ONE OF THE REASONS THEY NEVER GOT MARRIED
IS BECAUSE OF THE WORK STIEG LARSSON WAS DOING,
ESPECIALLY ON EXTREME RIGHT-WING MOVEMENT.
Fegan: IF THEY WOULD HAVE GOT MARRIED, SOME OF THEIR CONTACTS,
DETAILS OF THEIR ADDRESSES AND THINGS LIKE THIS,
WOULD GO PUBLIC --
THAT'S HOW THE REGISTERS WORK HERE IN SWEDEN.
Schultz: HE DIDN'T WANT TO RISK
EVA BEING DRAGGED INTO THAT WORLD, BASICALLY.
Narrator: KEEPING THINGS PRIVATE
IS STIEG'S WAY OF KEEPING EVA SAFE.
DECADES LATER,
THE DECISION NOT TO MARRY WILL COME BACK TO HAUNT GABRIELSSON.
SHE SPENDS THE FIRST HALF OF 2005
TRYING TO ESTABLISH HER LEGAL ENTITLEMENT
TO STIEG LARSSON'S ESTATE.
LARSSON'S FATHER, ERLAND, AND BROTHER, JOAKIM,
WHO ARE INITIALLY SUPPORTIVE OF HER EFFORTS,
ARE NOW INCREASINGLY HARD TO REACH.
Fegan: SHE, OF COURSE, CONTACTED THE PUBLISHING HOUSE
AND ASKED WHAT WAS GOING ON,
AND, FIRST, I THINK SHE THOUGHT THAT SHE HAD THE RIGHTS
TO BE INVOLVED IN THE PROCESS OF PUBLISHING HIS BOOKS.
Narrator: BUT A LETTER FROM THE SWEDISH TAX BUREAU
CONFIRMS HER VERY WORST FEARS -- SHE IS TO INHERIT NOTHING.
LARSSON'S FATHER AND BROTHER ARE THE LEGAL HEIRS TO THE ESTATE
AND IMMEDIATELY BEGIN DISCUSSIONS WITH NORSTEDTS
ON HOW TO RELEASE THE "MILLENNIUM" BOOKS,
THE BOOKS LARSSON HAD BEEN WORKING ON UP UNTIL HIS DEATH.
WHEN THE SWEDISH LAW FINALLY DECIDED THAT THE ESTATE --
THE FATHER AND THE BROTHER
SHOULD HAVE THE LEGAL INHERITANCE --
WE HAD TO START TALKING TO THEM
ABOUT THINGS THAT HAD TO DO WITH STIEG'S AFFAIRS.
EVA, IN THAT SITUATION -- IT WAS VERY HARD FOR HER.
FIRST, SHE LOST HER LIFE PARTNER,
AND THEN SHE LOST CONTROL
OVER EVERYTHING THEY WORKED WITH TOGETHER.
Hedlund: LEGALLY, THERE ARE NO QUESTION MARKS AT ALL
IN THIS CASE.
JOAKIM AND ERLAND LARSSON INHERITED STIEG
BECAUSE THERE WAS NO WILL BETWEEN STIEG AND EVA.
Narrator: LARSSON'S WRITINGS INCLUDE NOT ONLY THE "MILLENNIUM" BOOKS
BUT A VAST COLLECTION OF ARTICLES
AND SEVERAL NON-FICTION BOOKS
ABOUT SWEDEN'S TUMULTUOUS POLITICAL CLIMATE.
STIEG LARSSON -- HE WROTE SEVERAL BOOKS
ON THE SUBJECT OF RIGHT-WING EXTREMISM.
ONE WAS CALLED "EXTREMHOGERN,"
PROBABLY ONE OF THE MOST IN-DEPTH REPORTAGE BOOKS
ON THE SUBJECT.
Lodenius: WE DECIDED THAT WE SHOULD MAKE IT
SOME KIND OF INVESTIGATION
IN TELLING "WHO ARE THEY?"
AND WHAT GROUPS ARE OPERATING AND WHO'S BACKING THEM.
Narrator: THE BOOK, RELEASED IN 1991,
RAISES THE IRE OF THE NEO-NAZI PARTY'S STAUNCHEST SUPPORTERS.
HE DEDICATED HIS LIFE TO THE ANTI-RACIST CAUSE,
AND THE ONE THING THAT MADE HIM SO SPECIAL,
I THINK, THAT DIFFERS HIM FROM MOST OTHER JOURNALISTS,
THAT HE REALLY TOOK A DEBATE WITH THE RIGHT-WING PEOPLE.
SO, I THINK HE WAS THE MOST IMPORTANT ACTIVIST IN SWEDEN
IN THE LAST 30 YEARS.
Narrator: LARSSON CO-FOUNDS THE SWEDISH EXPO FOUNDATION
IN 1995
TO COUNTERACT THE GROWTH
OF THE EXTREME-RIGHT AND WHITE-POWER CULTURE.
HE ALSO BECOMES EDITOR OF EXPO MAGAZINE.
Poohl: WE HAD A LARGE GROUP OF YOUNG JOURNALISTS AND REPORTERS
WHO WANTED TO WORK FOR EXPO,
BUT THERE WASN'T MONEY ENOUGH TO GIVE A SALARY.
Pettersson: I'VE ASKED SOME OF THE PERSONS WHO HAVE WORKED WITH HIM,
AND THEY SAY THAT,
"WELL, MAYBE MILLENNIUM IS SOME KIND OF IDEALIZED EXPO.
IT'S THE EXPO THAT STIEG WOULD HAVE WANTED AND LOVED
BECAUSE IT'S GOT A MUCH HIGHER CIRCULATION,
IT'S GOT MUCH BIGGER RESOURCES THAN EXPO, AND SO FORTH."
HE ACTUALLY WAS THERE ALMOST ALL THE TIME,
ALMOST ALL HIS SPARE TIME.
SO, EVEN IF IT WAS A VERY SMALL MAGAZINE,
EVEN IF WE HAD FINANCIAL PROBLEMS,
HE GAVE ALL HIS TIME FOR THIS MAGAZINE.
Narrator: STARTING IN 1997,
LARSSON SPENDS HIS EVENINGS AND WEEKENDS
WORKING ON A NEW TYPE OF BOOK,
A FICTIONAL TALE WHOSE THEMES OF VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN
ARE INSPIRED BY AN EVENT HE WITNESSED
WHEN HE WAS A TEENAGER.
IT'S A TRAUMATIC EVENT
THAT EVENTUALLY LEADS TO THE CREATION
OF ONE OF THE MOST FAMOUS LITERARY CHARACTERS
OF THE 21st CENTURY.
Baksi: TWO OF HIS FRIENDS -- THEY *** A LITTLE GIRL,
AND STIEG DIDN'T DO ANYTHING TO HELP THIS LITTLE GIRL.
Narrator: STIEG LARSSON DIES AND LEAVES AN IMMENSE BODY OF WORK
THAT INCLUDES THREE UNPUBLISHED NOVELS.
SOME SAY HE LOOSELY BASES "MILLENNIUM'S" MIKAEL BLOMKVIST,
THE BOOK'S CRUSADING JOURNALIST, ON HIMSELF,
WHILE LISBETH SALANDER TAKES THE SHAPE OF A GHOST
FROM LARSSON'S PAST.
Baksi: IN THE SUMMER OF 1969,
STIEG LARSSON AND TWO FRIENDS WENT TO A CAMPING HOUSE,
AND TWO OF HIS FRIENDS -- THEY *** A LITTLE GIRL,
AND STIEG DIDN'T DO ANYTHING TO HELP THIS LITTLE GIRL.
AND ONCE HE CAME HOME,
HE FELT VERY BAD, AND HE COULD NOT SLEEP.
Narrator: THE GIRL'S NAME IS "LISBETH."
THE *** WOULD FOREVER MARK THE AUTHOR,
WHO VOWED NEVER TO LET SUCH ACTS GO UNPUNISHED,
AT LEAST NOT IN HIS NOVELS.
Baksi: AND NOW STIEG HAS WRITTEN OVER 2,000 PAGES
25, 30 YEARS LATER
JUST TO ANSWER MAYBE TO THIS LITTLE GIRL
IN THE NORTH OF SWEDEN.
SO, THIS IS THE STORY.
Narrator: LARSSON BEGINS WRITING THE "MILLENNIUM" SAGA IN 1997.
Fegan: WHEN HE WAS WORKING AT EXPO,
HIS COLLEAGUES USED TO SEE HIM SIT AND GRIN,
WITH A SMILE ON HIS FACE,
AND THAT WAS WHEN HE WAS ACTUALLY,
INSTEAD OF WRITING THINGS TO PUBLISH IN EXPO,
HE WAS ACTUALLY WORKING ON HIS NOVELS
BECAUSE HE WAS SO PASSIONATE ABOUT IT.
Lodenius: HIS MAIN PROJECT WAS TO FINISH THOSE THREE BOOKS,
AND HE WROTE THEM AT THE SAME TIME,
AND BEFORE HE EVEN WENT TO THE PUBLISHING COMPANY,
HE HAD THESE THREE BOOKS.
HE HAD A WAY OF WRITING, A WAY OF EXPRESSING HIMSELF,
WHICH YOU, BY THE WAY, CAN SEE IN THE BOOKS.
I REMEMBER THE FIRST TIME I READ THE BOOKS.
I COULD ALMOST HEAR STIEG'S VOICE, BASICALLY,
BECAUSE HE WAS -- IT'S VERY STIEG-ISH WAY OF WRITING.
Lodenius: AND HE WAS VERY INTERESTED IN CRIME NOVELS
THAT TRIES TO TELL SOMETHING ABOUT PROBLEMS IN THE SOCIETY
AND THE POLITICAL SITUATION.
SO, WHEN I LEARNED
THAT HE ACTUALLY TRIED TO MAKE THESE KINDS OF BOOKS HIMSELF,
I WAS NOT SURPRISED.
THE THEMES IN THE BOOK,
FOR EXAMPLE, VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN --
THAT'S A PART OF WHAT STIEG ALWAYS TALKED ABOUT
BUT THAT HE COULDN'T WRITE IN EXPO
BECAUSE EXPO WAS KIND OF ISOLATED
TO CONFRONTING ORGANIZED INTOLERANCE.
Baksi: HE WAS NOT WAITING, EXPECTING ALL THESE SUCCESSES --
I MEAN, ALL THESE THINGS TO BE FAMOUS
AND THIS BOOK WOULD SELL SO MUCH.
HE SAID TO ME HE WANTED TO SELL ABOUT 1 MILLION COPIES
IN SCANDINAVIA AND GERMANY.
THAT WAS HIS DREAM, YOU KNOW -- IT WAS THE BIGGEST DREAM HE HAD.
SOME PEOPLE, YOU KNOW, HAVE A GARDEN,
SOME PEOPLE WATCH FOOTBALL, AND HE WROTE CRIME NOVELS.
Narrator: IN THE FALL OF 2003,
GABRIELSSON RETURNS HOME WITH A COPY OF THE MANUSCRIPT
FOR "THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO."
IT HAS BEEN RETURNED TO SENDER
FROM ONE OF SWEDEN'S LARGEST PUBLISHERS,
BUT GABRIELSSON ISN'T GOING TO TAKE NO FOR AN ANSWER.
Fegan: WELL, EVA GABRIELSSON --
SHE HAS ALWAYS BEEN A TOUGH PERSON.
Narrator: WEEKS LATER,
THE PRISTINE MANUSCRIPT IS SENT BACK TO LARSSON.
IN FACT, IT'S TOO PRISTINE.
Fegan: THEY RECEIVED THE FIRST MANUSCRIPT OF THE FIRST BOOK,
"THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO,"
BUT THEY ACTUALLY NEVER READ IT.
Narrator: A FRIEND OF LARSSON'S
WITH CONNECTIONS TO SWEDISH PUBLISHERS
OFFERS TO PITCH THE NOVEL TO NORSTEDTS.
THE REACTION FROM THE COMPANY IS IMMEDIATE.
WE AT NORSTEDTS WERE SO THRILLED WHEN STIEG CAME TO US
WITH HIS FREE, WONDERFUL MANUSCRIPTS,
AND WE STARTED TO MAKE PLANS TOGETHER WITH HIM,
BOTH FOR PUBLISHING HIS BOOKS AND SELLING THEM,
RIGHTS FOR TRANSLATION, AS WELL AS FILM RIGHTS.
STIEG WANTED TO USE THE MONEY THAT HE GOT FROM THE BOOKS
TO SECURE THE MAGAZINE, EXPO,
AND HE ALSO WANTED TO GET MONEY
FOR DIFFERENT ANTI-RACIST ACTIVITIES.
THAT WAS PART OF THE GOAL.
Altrov-Berg: SO, NORMALLY,
WHEN AN AUTHOR COMES TO A PUBLISHING HOUSE,
THEY HAVE ONE SCRIPT -- HOPEFULLY, ONE SCRIPT.
AND IN THIS CASE, WE HAD LIKE THREE --
TWO ENTIRE SCRIPTS AND A THIRD ONE ALMOST DONE.
AND OUR PLAN WAS TO PUBLISH ONE EVERY YEAR.
Narrator: NORSTEDTS GIVES LARSSON AN ADVANCE
AGAINST FUTURE ROYALTIES ON THE THREE BOOKS
OF 591,000 SWEDISH KRONA, OR $88,000 U.S.
HE AND GABRIELSSON AGREE TO USE THE MONEY
TO PAY OFF THEIR MORTGAGE
AND SLOWLY BEGIN TO MAKE PLANS ON HOW TO USE FUTURE PAYMENTS,
INCLUDING DONATING ROYALTIES FROM A FOURTH BOOK
TO EXPO MAGAZINE.
Fegan: STIEG LARSSON HAD PLANS ON WRITING 10 BOOKS
ABOUT LISBETH SALANDER AND THESE CHARACTERS.
Poohl: HE SAID THAT,
"WELL, EXCEPT FOR BUYING A HOUSE OUTSIDE STOCKHOLM,
I WILL USE THIS MONEY AS A PLATFORM TO SPREAD MY IDEAS,
NOT HAVE TO CARE
ABOUT WHAT PEOPLE THINK OF WHAT I'M WRITING,
NOT TO HAVE TO BE SCARED OF LOSING MY JOB.
Narrator: PUBLISHER NORSTEDTS CHOOSES THE FRANKFURT BOOK FAIR,
THE BIGGEST SUCH FAIR IN THE WORLD,
TO SELL THE INTERNATIONAL RIGHTS TO THE BOOKS.
Pettersson: AND IT TURNED OUT THAT THERE WAS A LOT OF INTEREST,
AND INTERNATIONAL PUBLISHERS QUEUED
BEFORE THE NORSTEDTS' STAND TO GET READING COPIES.
WE THOUGHT THAT THERE WAS SO MUCH TIME WITH STIEG,
BUT THERE WASN'T.
Narrator: BUT BY MAY OF 2005,
EVA GABRIELSSON, LARSSON'S LONG-TIME COMPANION,
LEARNS THAT JOAKIM AND ERLAND LARSSON
ARE THE RIGHTFUL HEIRS TO HER LATE PARTNER'S ESTATE,
INCLUDING HIS UNPUBLISHED NOVELS.
SHE BELIEVES THAT THEY ARE UNWORTHY OF MANAGING HIS LEGACY
AND CLAIMS
THAT LARSSON'S RELATIONSHIP TO HIS BROTHER AND FATHER
WAS TENUOUS AT BEST.
IT STOOD QUITE CLEAR THAT THEY WEREN'T THAT CLOSE.
I MEAN, JOAKIM LARSSON -- WHEN I ASKED HIM,
"WHEN DID YOU MEET YOUR BROTHER LAST TIME?"
HE COULDN'T ANSWER AT FIRST, AND THEN HE SAID,
"ABOUT TWO YEARS -- TWO YEARS BEFORE HE DIED."
THAT WAS THE LAST TIME THEY MET.
Poohl: WHEN I WAS GETTING A TICKET TO GO TO UMEA, HE TOLD ME,
"YOU HAVE TO VISIT MY FATHER BECAUSE I HAVEN'T VISITED HIM,"
WHICH IS A VERY STRANGE THING TO DO.
BUT HE ASKED ME TO VISIT HIM AND JUST TO POP BY AND SAY HI,
AND I DID.
Fegan: THEY LIVE IN DIFFERENT PARTS OF SWEDEN.
THEY COULD, I THINK, HAVE A CLOSER CONTACT,
BUT, YOU KNOW, STIEG LARSSON WAS A VERY POLITICAL PERSON,
AND HE WAS VERY CONCERNED IN POLITICS.
HE DIDN'T SHARE THIS INTEREST WITH HIS BROTHER THAT MUCH
AS HE SHARED IT WITH EVA GABRIELSSON.
THAT'S OBVIOUS.
Narrator: MAGDALENA HEDLUND DOES NOT AGREE.
Hedlund: THE RELATIONSHIP STIEG HAD
WITH HIS FATHER AND WITH HIS BROTHER --
IT SEEMS TO ME AS IT WAS A PERFECTLY NORMAL RELATIONSHIP.
THEY LIVED FAR AWAY FROM EACH OTHER,
BUT THEY HAD CONTACT ON THE PHONE AND BY E-MAIL,
AND THEY SAW EACH OTHER EVERY NOW AND THEN.
Quitsbergh: SHE THINKS THAT SHE IS THE ONE WHO KNEW STIEG,
AND THAT'S THE REASON WHY
SHE WANTS TO HAVE CONTROL OVER HIS WRITINGS.
I THINK THIS IS SORT OF A CONTEST
OF WHO LOVED STIEG THE MOST,
AND WHO CAN YOU SAY THAT -- WHO'S THE WINNER OF THAT?
Narrator: THE MEMORIES OF THOSE DAYS ARE FAR FROM GABRIELSSON'S MIND
UPON LEARNING THAT JOAKIM AND ERLAND LARSSON
WILL INHERIT THE ENTIRETY OF STIEG LARSSON'S ESTATE,
AND THEY HAVE VERY DIFFERENT IDEAS
ABOUT HOW IT SHOULD BE MANAGED.
IT WILL SOON CREATE A DIVIDE
BETWEEN GABRIELSSON AND THE LARSSONS,
AND THINGS ARE ABOUT TO GET UGLY.
IT'S REALLY ONE OF THE WORST DEALS IN THE FILM HISTORY,
I THINK, FOR A SUCCESS SCRIPT LIKE THE "MILLENNIUM" TRILOGY.
SHE WAS NEVER INTERESTED IN THE MONEY.
SHE WAS ONLY INTERESTED IN THE HERITAGE OF STIEG LARSSON,
HER LIFE COMPANION.
Narrator: EVA GABRIELSSON CLAIMS THAT HER LOVER AND LIFE PARTNER,
WRITER STIEG LARSSON,
WAS NEVER CLOSE TO HIS BROTHER, JOAKIM, AND HIS FATHER, ERLAND,
AND THAT ONLY SHE HAS THE RIGHT TO MANAGE HIS ESTATE.
AS THE RELEASE OF "THE GIRL WITH DRAGON TATTOO" GROWS NEAR,
THE PUBLISHER, NORSTEDTS, AND THE NEW HEIRS OF THE ESTATE
REVISIT LARSSON'S UNSIGNED PUBLISHING DEAL.
NEW NEGOTIATIONS ARE BEGUN, NEGOTIATIONS THAT, TO SOME,
ARE TO THE LARSSON FAMILY'S DISADVANTAGE.
Fegan: IF EVA GABRIELSSON WOULD HAVE HAD THE RIGHTS TO THE NOVELS
AND TO ALL STIEG LARSSON'S TEXTS,
IT WOULD HAVE BEEN MUCH TRICKIER FOR NORSTEDTS,
THE PUBLISHING HOUSE, TO MAKE NEW DEALS.
THEY HAD TO WRITE NEW CONTRACTS,
THIS TIME, WITH THE LEGAL HEIRS, JOAKIM AND ERLAND LARSSON,
AND WE ACTUALLY GOT HOLD OF THESE NEW CONTRACTS
AND SHOWED THEM TO SOME EXPERTS,
AND MOST PEOPLE TOLD US THAT THESE WERE LOUSY --
I MEAN, HAVING THE FACT
THAT THIS WAS AN INTERNATIONAL SUCCESS,
THESE WERE LOUSY CONTRACTS.
THAT, OF COURSE, WAS VERY CONVENIENT FOR NORSTEDTS.
HERE, THEY HAVE TWO OLDER GUYS FROM NORTHERN SWEDEN
THAT DIDN'T KNOW ANYTHING.
OF COURSE, THAT WAS MUCH EASIER TO DEAL WITH
THAN THIS EVA GABRIELSSON, WHO WAS REALLY A FIGHTER.
Narrator: FOR THE PUBLISHER NORSTEDTS,
IT'S AN OPPORTUNITY TO BUILD A FRANCHISE.
THE FIRST BOOK HAD COME OUT, AND IT WAS ALREADY A BIG HIT,
AND EVERYBODY WAS EXPECTING THE SECOND BOOK,
AND EVERYBODY KNEW THERE WERE THREE BOOKS, A TRILOGY,
BUT, I MEAN, IT ALL EXPLODED.
Narrator: GABRIELSSON DISAPPROVES
OF THE ENGLISH TITLE OF THE FIRST BOOK,
"THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO,"
AND WILL WRITE IN HER AUTOBIOGRAPHY
THAT THE LATE AUTHOR PREFERRED THE MORE LITERAL TRANSLATION,
"MEN WHO HATE WOMEN."
SHE SUGGESTS THAT THE CHARACTERS AND EVENTS
PORTRAYED IN THE "MILLENNIUM" BOOKS
ARE BASED ON HER LIFE EXPERIENCES WITH LARSSON
AND TEASES THAT WHILE SHE DIDN'T NECESSARILY
GHOSTWRITE THE BOOKS,
SHE AND LARSSON DID OFTEN WRITE TOGETHER.
Schultz: IN SOME SITUATIONS,
YOU COULD HAVE A SPECIAL CASE FOR COMPENSATION,
AND THAT WOULD BE
IF EVA WOULD HAVE BEEN SEEN AS AN AUTHOR OF SOME OF HIS WORKS.
IT'S VERY DIFFICULT TO BRING PROOF ON THAT AFTERWARDS,
THAT IT WAS, IN FACT, A COLLABORATIVE EFFORT.
Fegan: IT WASN'T EASY FOR HER TO FIND HERSELF
SO PUT ASIDE FROM EVERYTHING THAT THEY HAD SHARED TOGETHER,
SO I THINK SHE STARTED TO FIGHT TO GET THESE RIGHTS BACK.
Narrator: EVEN THOUGH SHE'S AT RISK OF LOSING HER HOME,
GABRIELSSON'S TRUE MOTIVE APPEARS TO BE NEITHER THE MONEY
NOR THE "MILLENNIUM" BOOKS THEMSELVES.
Fegan: THE REAL CONCERN FOR HER WAS THE POLITICAL TEXTS,
THE BOOKS THAT HE HAD WRITTEN
ABOUT THE RIGHT-WING MOVEMENTS HERE IN SWEDEN,
ALL THE TEXTS THAT HE HAD WRITTEN.
Narrator: GABRIELSSON BELIEVES
THAT LARSSON'S FOUR NON-FICTION BOOKS
ON SWEDEN'S EXTREME-RIGHT MOVEMENT
AND THE COUNTLESS MAGAZINE ARTICLES HE WROTE
ARE JUST AS IMPORTANT A COMMODITY
AS THE "MILLENNIUM" BOOKS
IF NOT FINANCIALLY, THEN AT THE VERY LEAST INTELLECTUALLY.
SHE WANTS CONTROL OVER ALL OF HIS WORK,
BOTH FICTION AND NON-FICTION.
Quitsbergh: I DON'T THINK EVA GABRIELSSON IS A GOLD DIGGER.
SHE MADE A PROPOSAL TO JOAKIM AND ERLAND LARSSON
THAT THEY SHOULD BE GIVEN ALL THE MONEY
FROM THE "MILLENNIUM" TRILOGY --
SHE JUST WANTED TO HAVE THE CONTROL OVER THE BOOKS.
Narrator: BUT THE LARSSONS REFUSE HER PROPOSAL.
MEANWHILE, THE FIRST BOOK IS BEGINNING TO MAKE WAVES
ALL AROUND THE WORLD.
Altrov-Berg: NOT ONLY IN SWEDEN, NOT ONLY IN NORWAY AND DENMARK
AND GERMANY AND FRANCE AND SPAIN AND ITALY,
THEY SAW IT EVERYWHERE,
AND WHEN THE BOOKS WERE LAUNCHED IN U.S.A., CANADA, U.K.,
THAT'S WHEN THE EXPLOSION CAME THROUGH WITH READERS.
IT WAS IMMENSE.
Lodenius: THIS IS THE KIND OF BOOK THAT YOU WOULD TAKE IT UP
AND THEN YOU WOULDN'T PUT IT DOWN.
I MEAN, THIS IS WHAT MAKES IT A SUCCESS,
BUT I COULD NOT HAVE REALIZED HOW BIG --
I MEAN, THIS IS HUGE, WORLDWIDE.
Narrator: THE BOOK IS A HOT TOPIC OF DISCUSSION.
Altrov-Berg: I THINK EVERY PUBLISHER AND EVERY READER, IN FACT,
HAS HIS OR HER IDEA
OF WHAT THEY THINK IS THE MAGIC IN THE BOOKS.
NO ONE CAN PUT LISBETH SALANDER AWAY.
SHE IS A MAGIC CREATURE.
BEFORE STIEG,
NO ONE HAD DESCRIBED A FEMALE MAIN CHARACTER
WHO WASN'T AFRAID OF ANYTHING, WHO HAD THIS STRENGTH,
WHO HAD HAD A TOUGH LIFE,
BUT WHO STOOD UP AND HAD STRONG IDEAS AND IDEALS.
Narrator: LINDA ALTROV-BERG RECALLS
NORSTEDTS INITIAL PACT WITH THE AUTHOR.
Altrov-Berg: SO, WHEN NORSTEDTS SIGNED STIEG LARSSON,
OUR PROMISE TO HIM WAS, OF COURSE,
TO SELL AS MANY BOOKS AS POSSIBLE IN SWEDEN,
FIRST OF ALL,
BUT ALSO TO SELL THE RIGHTS FOR TRANSLATION
IN AS MANY COUNTRIES AS POSSIBLE,
PLUS WE ALSO HAD THIS AGREEMENT TO SELL HIS FILM RIGHTS.
Narrator: NOT SO, WRITES EVA GABRIELSSON IN HER BOOK.
SHE CLAIMS THAT LARSSON OWNED THE FILM RIGHTS
AND HAD BEEN HOLDING OUT FOR A HOLLYWOOD ADAPTATION
WHEN HE DIED.
NEVERTHELESS,
NORSTEDTS ORCHESTRATES A DEAL FOR THE LARSSONS
IN WHICH THE THREE BOOKS WILL BE TURNED INTO SIX MOVIES
FOR SWEDISH TELEVISION,
THEN RELEASED WORLDWIDE AS A TRILOGY OF THEATRICAL FILMS.
Quitsbergh: THE DEAL THAT ERLAND AND JOAKIM CLOSED --
IT'S A VERY CRAPPY DEAL.
IT'S REALLY ONE OF THE WORST DEALS IN THE FILM HISTORY,
I THINK, FOR A SUCCESS SCRIPT LIKE THE "MILLENNIUM TRILOGY."
Narrator: NEITHER NORSTEDTS NOR THE LARSSON DIVULGE ANY DETAILS.
WHEN GABRIELSSON MAKES A PLEA TO THE LARSSONS
FOR EDITORIAL CONTROL OVER THE FILMS,
THEY TELL HER IN NO UNCERTAIN TERMS
THAT SHE WILL NOT HAVE ANY,
FURTHER PROOF FOR HER
THAT THE LARSSONS ARE BUILDING A COMMERCIAL EMPIRE
OUT OF HER LATE PARTNER'S LEGACY,
WHICH GOES COMPLETELY AGAINST WHAT STIEG WOULD HAVE WANTED.
OCTOBER 2005 --
AFTER MONTHS OF LEGAL SQUABBLING,
GABRIELSSON LEARNS
SHE HAS NO CLAIM TO THE LATE AUTHOR'S ESTATE.
SHE WILL LOSE EVERYTHING, INCLUDING HER APARTMENT
UNLESS SHE FULFILLS ONE IMPORTANT REQUEST.
HE HAD HIS MANUSCRIPT FOR A FOURTH BOOK.
TWO THIRDS OF IT WAS ALREADY FINISHED.
Narrator: A FILE ON THE LAPTOP COMPUTER RECOVERED FROM THE EXPO OFFICES
ON THE DAY LARSSON DIED BECOMES A HUGE BARGAINING CHIP.
COULD EVA GABRIELSSON
BE IN POSSESSION OF A FOURTH "MILLENNIUM" BOOK?
THIS IS A COMMERCIAL DYNAMITE.
Narrator: EVA GABRIELSSON LEARNS
THAT SHE WILL HAVE NO SAY OVER THE LEGACY OF HER LATE PARTNER,
AUTHOR STIEG LARSSON.
SHE WATCHES IN HORROR AS THE ESTATE'S LEGAL HEIRS,
HER DE FACTO IN-LAWS, JOAKIM AND ERLAND LARSSON,
ARE GIVEN FULL CONTROL OVER HOW TO RELEASE AND POSSIBLY EXPLOIT
THREE OF THE MOST POPULAR NOVELS IN THE 21st CENTURY,
BUT COULD THERE BE ONE MORE?
ON THE DAY HE DIED,
STIEG LARSSON CARRIED WITH HIM NOT ONLY A DYING HEART
BUT A HEAVY LAPTOP COMPUTER, AS WELL.
THE COMPUTER, PROPERTY OF EXPO MAGAZINE,
CONTAINED AN UNFINISHED NOVEL.
Fegan: HE HAD HIS MANUSCRIPT FOR A FOURTH BOOK.
TWO THIRDS OF IT WAS ALREADY FINISHED,
AND THIS WAS ALL IN HIS WORKING LAPTOP
THAT HE USED WHEN HE WAS WORKING FOR EXPO.
Pettersson: THERE HAS BEEN, OF COURSE, A LOT OF RUMORS,
AND PEOPLE ARE DEEMING
THAT THERE ARE SO-AND-SO MANY PAGES WRITTEN --
150 PAGES, 300 PAGES, AND SO FORTH.
Narrator: UPON LEAVING EXPO, ONE OF THE MAGAZINE STAFF MEMBERS
TAKES THE BACKPACK CONTAINING STIEG'S LAPTOP WITH HER.
IT'S PRACTICALLY AN AFTERTHOUGHT.
THIS IS A COMMERCIAL DYNAMITE. [ CHUCKLES ]
AFTER ALL THIS SUCCESS,
THERE IS A FOURTH MANUSCRIPT ALREADY ALMOST WRITTEN,
CLEAR, FINISHED?
SO, OF COURSE, ERLAND AND JOAKIM LARSSON,
WHO ACTUALLY HAVE THE LEGAL RIGHTS FOR THIS,
WHAT IS WRITTEN IN THIS COMPUTER --
THEY TRY TO GET A HOLD OF THIS COMPUTER.
Narrator: WHAT HAPPENS TO THE COMPUTER IN THE DAYS AND WEEKS
FOLLOWING STIEG LARSSON'S DEATH IS UNCLEAR.
EXPO RELEASES A STATEMENT SAYING
THEY ARE UNAWARE OF ITS WHEREABOUTS,
WHILE GABRIELSSON TEASES THAT SHE KNOWS WHERE IT IS
WITHOUT ADMITTING THAT IT'S IN HER POSSESSION.
Fegan: JOAKIM AND ERLAND LARSSON --
THEY ACTUALLY OWN HALF OF THE APARTMENT
THAT STIEG AND EVA WERE LIVING IN,
SO WHAT THEY DID WAS THAT THEY SAID THAT,
"IF YOU DON'T GIVE US THE COMPUTER BACK,
WE WILL MAKE YOU THROWN OUT OF THE APARTMENT."
SO I THINK SHE TOOK THAT VERY, VERY HARD.
Narrator: BUT THE FOURTH "MILLENNIUM" MANUSCRIPT
IS GABRIELSSON'S ACE IN THE HOLE,
AND SHE ISN'T GIVING IT UP WITHOUT A FIGHT.
THERE'S A REALLY NASTY BLACKMAILING STORY HERE.
Narrator: IN DECEMBER 2005,
JOAKIM THREATENS GABRIELSSON'S LAWYER
THAT NORSTEDTS WILL CANCEL THE PUBLISHING
OF THE SECOND AND THIRD NOVELS IN THE SERIES
UNLESS GABRIELSSON DELIVERS THE COMPUTER TO THEM.
NORSTEDTS, HOWEVER,
SAY THEY KNOW NOTHING ABOUT THE EXISTENCE OF A FOURTH BOOK.
AS FAR AS NORSTEDTS AND I AM CONCERNED,
WE HAVE NEVER SEEN A FOURTH MANUSCRIPT.
WE HAVE READ ABOUT IT IN PAPERS,
WE HAVE HEARD PEOPLE TALK ABOUT THEM IN TV SHOWS,
BUT WE HAVE NEVER SEEN NOT EVEN A GLIMPSE OF IT.
SO RUMORS, AS FAR AS IT COMES TO US, ARE RUMORS.
I KNOW VERY LITTLE ABOUT THE FOURTH BOOK.
WHAT I KNOW, I HAVE BASICALLY READ IN THE PAPERS --
LOTS OF SPECULATIONS.
JOAKIM AND ERLAND DO NOT KNOW WHERE THE MANUSCRIPT IS.
I DON'T KNOW IF EVA KNOWS WHERE IT IS.
Narrator: THE LARSSONS' THREATS PROVE BASELESS
AS NORSTEDTS RELEASES THE SECOND AND THIRD BOOKS
IN 2006 AND 2007.
LIKE THE FIRST NOVEL, THEY ARE HUGE BESTSELLERS.
MYSTERIOUSLY, THE FIGHT OVER THE FOURTH BOOK
IS DROPPED ENTIRELY AND NO EXPLANATION IS EVER GIVEN.
IN 2008, EVA GABRIELSSON AND ERLAND AND JOAKIM
ISSUED SOME KIND OF STATEMENT
THAT THE BOOK WAS NOT GOING TO BE PUBLISHED.
AS FAR AS I KNOW, THIS IS HOW IT STANDS RIGHT NOW.
Fegan: FOR PEOPLE LOVING "MILLENNIUM,"
IT'S A SHAME THAT IT HASN'T BEEN PUBLISHED,
BUT THE QUESTION IS, "WHO WOULD FINISH IT?"
Lodenius: IN A WAY, I THINK THAT MAYBE IT'S GOOD ENOUGH.
[ CHUCKLES ] WHY LONGING FOR A FOURTH BOOK?
I THINK THREE BOOKS MIGHT BE ENOUGH.
I WANT TO MENTION DENMARK, WHICH IS A SMALL COUNTRY.
THE PUBLISHER SAYS THAT THE BOOKS BY STIEG LARSSON
HAVE SOLD MORE COPIES THAN THE BIBLE.
I DO NOT KNOW HOW SHE HAD COUNTED IT,
BUT I'M SURE SHE'S RIGHT.
IT'S AMAZING. IT'S TOTALLY CUCKOO.
HOW COULD IT HAPPEN?
Narrator: GABRIELSSON'S CONTINUED ATTEMPTS
TO OBTAIN THE RIGHTS TO STIEG LARSSON'S WORK
ARE MET WITH THE SAME ANSWER EACH TIME --
NO.
Poohl: THE FIGHT AND THE MEDIA PUBLICITY OVER THE MONEY
IS MAYBE ONE OF THE SADDEST THINGS
ABOUT STIEG'S SUCCESS OF HIS BOOKS,
AND I WOULD GUESS THAT STIEG WOULD BE THE ONE
WHO HATED THE SITUATION MOST OF EVERYONE.
Fegan: AT FIRST, I THINK THAT A LOT OF PEOPLE FELT COMPASSION
TO EVA GABRIELSSON'S STORY,
AND THE MEDIA PICTURE OF THE LARSSON FAMILY
WAS THAT THEY WERE VERY GREEDY.
Lodenius: WELL, I WOULD SAY INITIALLY
THEY HAVE KIND OF SUFFERED IN SILENCE.
THEY HAVE RESPONDED TO SOME OF THE JOURNALISTS QUESTIONS,
BUT THEY HAVE ALSO FELT, FOR A LONG TIME,
THAT THE JOURNALISTS WEREN'T REALLY INTERESTED
IN REPORTING WHAT THEY HAD TO SAY.
Narrator: THEN IN THE FALL OF 2007,
SOMETHING UNEXPECTED HAPPENS...
THE LARSSONS GIVE THEIR SHARE OF THE APARTMENT TO GABRIELSSON.
SKEPTICS BELIEVE THE LARSSONS ARE BOWING TO PUBLIC PRESSURE.
Hedlund: THE SWEDISH MEDIA HAD A VERY FIXED PICTURE
OF WHO THE BAD GUY WAS IN THIS STORY
AND WHO THE GOOD GUY WAS.
Narrator: THE LARSSONS APPARENT GOOD WILL DOESN'T END THERE.
Pettersson: ON ONE OCCASION,
ERLAND AND JOAKIM WERE OFFERING $20 MILLION TO EVA GABRIELSSON.
Narrator: THE LARSSON'S OFFER ALSO INCLUDES
ONE OF THE THREE SEATS ON THE BOARD
WHICH MANAGES THE LARSSON ESTATE,
BUT FURTHER INQUIRIES REVEAL
THAT GABRIELSSON'S POWER WOULD BE LIMITED
TO ACCESSING CONTRACTS AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS.
FULL CONTROL OVER THE ESTATE WOULD REMAIN WITH THE LARSSONS.
SHE DIDN'T WANT TO HAVE THAT.
SHE SAID SHE DIDN'T WANT TO BE BOUGHT BY THIS MONEY.
Quitsbergh: BECAUSE THIS IS NOT A QUESTION ABOUT THE MONEY.
IT'S A QUESTION ABOUT WHO HAS THE CONTROL
OVER THE LEGACY OF STIEG LARSSON.
Narrator: IN APRIL 2010,
GABRIELSSON'S LAWYER ASKS THE LARSSONS
FOR CONTROL OVER THE AUTHOR'S POLITICAL WRITINGS ONLY.
TWO MONTHS LATER, THE LARSSONS ANNOUNCE
THAT THEY WISH TO PERMANENTLY STOP ALL NEGOTIATIONS.
THERE'S LIKE A CANYON BETWEEN THEM.
SHE HAS WANTED TO HANDLE THE RIGHTS ON HER OWN
AND TO BE THE ONE
WHO HAS THE SAYING ABOUT WHAT SHOULD BE DONE AND NOT,
AND THERE, THE DISCUSSION HAVE ENDED, SO...
Narrator: 2011 -- GABRIELSSON RELEASES A BOOK OF HER OWN,
AN AUTOBIOGRAPHY.
IN IT, SHE MAKES INFLAMMATORY ACCUSATIONS AGAINST THE LARSSONS
AND HOW THEY HANDLED THE ESTATE.
Altrov-Berg: THIS WAS HER WAY, I THINK --
I DO NOT KNOW, I DO NOT KNOW HER --
THIS WAS HER WAY OF ANSWERING A LOT OF QUESTIONS
TO A LOT OF PEOPLE AT THE SAME TIME.
Narrator: IN IT, SHE SUGGESTS HER LIFE WITH LARSSON
INSPIRED THE CHARACTERS AND EVENTS
IN THE "MILLENNIUM" UNIVERSE
AND SPEAKS OUT AGAINST WHAT SHE CONSIDERS OUTDATED SWEDISH LAWS
THAT PREVENT COMMON-LAW PARTNERS FROM ENJOYING THE SAME RIGHTS
AS MARRIED COUPLES.
SHE ALSO SUGGESTS
THAT SHE KNEW STIEG LARSSON BETTER THAN ANYONE,
INCLUDING HIS OWN FAMILY.
Hedlund: I THINK THAT JOAKIM WAS UPSET
WHEN READING EVA GABRIELSSON'S BOOK
PARTLY BECAUSE IT CONTAINS THINGS THAT ARE NOT TRUE
AND, PARTLY, IT VERY MUCH GIVES THE IMPRESSION
THAT STIEG SHOULD NOT HAVE HAD ANY CONTACT
WITH HIS FATHER AND BROTHER.
Narrator: THE LARSSONS TAKE TO THE INTERNET
TO CHALLENGE SOME OF GABRIELSSON'S ACCUSATIONS.
THE WEBSITE AND FURTHER INTERVIEWS
APPEAR TO IMPROVE THE LARSSONS' PUBLIC IMAGE.
I THINK PEOPLE THEN STARTED REALIZING
THAT THE SITUATION WASN'T AS EASY
AS IT HAD BEEN PICTURED BEFORE.
Fegan: INTERNATIONALLY, WE KNOW FOR A FACT
THAT EVA GABRIELSSON HAS A LOT OF SUPPORT.
BUT HERE, I THINK THAT PEOPLE THINK THAT,
"WELL, THEY HAD THE LEGAL RIGHTS.
WHAT COULD THEY DO?"
THIS IS NOT A LEGAL QUESTION. IT'S A MORAL QUESTION.
Narrator: IN SEVEN SHORT YEARS,
THE "MILLENNIUM" BOOKS HAVE SOLD MORE THAN 65 MILLION COPIES
AND SPAWNED A SUCCESSFUL TRILOGY OF SWEDISH FILMS,
AS WELL AS AN AMERICAN REMAKE.
Poohl: SOME OF THE MONEY
THAT NOWADAYS COMES TO STIEG'S BROTHER AND HIS FATHER
ACTUALLY ARE GIVEN BACK TO EXPO --
A VERY SMALL PART OF THE MONEY, THOUGH.
IT'S 2 MILLION SWEDISH KRONOR A YEARS,
WHICH MAKES POSSIBLE FOR US
TO HAVE LIKE FOUR OR FIVE PEOPLE HIRED,
WHICH IS VERY IMPORTANT.
I MEAN, THAT IS -- WE'RE VERY THANKFUL FOR THAT.
Narrator: IN 2008,
PUBLISHER NORSTEDTS AND THE LARSSONS
ESTABLISH THE "STIEG LARSSON PRIZE,"
WHICH IS AWARDED TO A PERSON OR AN ORGANIZATION
WORKING AGAINST RACISM AND DEPRESSION.
BUT THE ENDING OF STIEG'S STORY
IS FAR MORE IRONIC THAN THAT OF ANY BOOK OR MOVIE.
JOAKIM AND ERLAND LARSSON --
THEY ARE IN A TRICKY SITUATION ALSO
BECAUSE, I MEAN, THEY'RE PROBABLY
ONE OF THE WEALTHIEST PEOPLE IN NORTH OF SWEDEN.
IF THEY STARTED TO FLASH WITH THIS MONEY
AND BUY VILLAS AND CARS,
PEOPLE WILL PROBABLY BE ANNOYED AND POINT FINGERS AT THEM
AND SAY, "LOOK AT THE GREEDY LARSSON FAMILY."
Hedlund: NATURALLY, THEY ARE SAD
THAT HE WAS NEVER ABLE TO EXPERIENCE THIS SUCCESS
THAT HE HAD ON HIS OWN.
Narrator: THE LARSSONS ARE AT A MORAL IMPASSE.
Fegan: I DON'T THINK THAT THEY CAN ACTUALLY USE ALL THIS MONEY
BEFORE THEY SOLVE THE SITUATION WITH EVA GABRIELSSON.
HOW IS THAT GONNA HAPPEN? I DON'T KNOW.
BUT UNTIL THEN, ALL THESE "MILLENNIUM" MILLIONS --
THEY'RE STILL IN A BANK ACCOUNT SOMEWHERE.
Narrator: STIEG LARSSON WAS A FIGHTER
AND WOULD HAVE NO DOUBT USED HIS INTERNATIONAL FAME
TO KEEP FIGHTING,
BUT HIS DEATH RAISES THE QUESTION --
"HOW DO YOU LIVE TO SEE HIS SUCCESS?
HOW MANY MORE BOOKS DID HE HAVE IN HIM?"
AND MORE IMPORTANT TO STIEG HIMSELF,
"HOW MUCH MORE MIGHT HIS PLEAS FOR TOLERANCE
HAVE RESONATED AROUND THE WORLD?"