Leif G. W. Persson
Encyclopedia
Leif Gustav Willy Persson (born 12 March 1945 in Stockholm
) is a Swedish
criminologist and novel
ist. He was a professor
in criminology
at the Swedish National Police Board from 1992 to 2008. He is known for his crime fiction
novels and for his regular appearances as an expert commentator on notable crime cases in television and newspapers. Between 1999 and 2009, he participated as an expert commentator on the television show Efterlyst
on TV3
. Nowadays he participates in the television show Veckans Brott, which is primarily about unsolved Swedish criminal cases.
In 1977, while working at the Swedish National Police Board, Persson was used as the whistleblower
by journalist Peter Bratt
in the so called Geijer affair when he confirmed a classified memo sent by then National Police Commissioner Carl Persson to Prime Minister Olof Palme
about the alleged ties of the Minister of Justice, Lennart Geijer, to a prostitution ring in Stockholm. Following this affair he was fired from the National Police Board. The string of events almost drove Persson to suicide, but he soon returned as lecturer at Stockholm University
. The prostitution ring affair inspired him to write his first novel, Grisfesten. He returned as a professor at the National Police Board in 1992.
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
) is a Swedish
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
criminologist and novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
ist. He was a professor
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
in criminology
Criminology
Criminology is the scientific study of the nature, extent, causes, and control of criminal behavior in both the individual and in society...
at the Swedish National Police Board from 1992 to 2008. He is known for his crime fiction
Crime fiction
Crime fiction is the literary genre that fictionalizes crimes, their detection, criminals and their motives. It is usually distinguished from mainstream fiction and other genres such as science fiction or historical fiction, but boundaries can be, and indeed are, blurred...
novels and for his regular appearances as an expert commentator on notable crime cases in television and newspapers. Between 1999 and 2009, he participated as an expert commentator on the television show Efterlyst
Efterlyst
Efterlyst is a Swedish TV program, equivalent of America's Most Wanted. The show plays security camera footage, reconstructions of crimes, and then takes calls and tips from the Swedish public...
on TV3
TV3 (Sweden)
TV3 is a television channel targeted at a Swedish language audience owned by Viasat . It was founded on 31 December 1987 by entrepreneur Jan Stenbeck as joint Scandinavian channel, but Denmark and Norway soon got their own versions of TV3...
. Nowadays he participates in the television show Veckans Brott, which is primarily about unsolved Swedish criminal cases.
In 1977, while working at the Swedish National Police Board, Persson was used as the whistleblower
Whistleblower
A whistleblower is a person who tells the public or someone in authority about alleged dishonest or illegal activities occurring in a government department, a public or private organization, or a company...
by journalist Peter Bratt
Peter Bratt
Peter Bratt is a Swedish journalist. For many years he worked for the national Swedish newspaper Dagens Nyheter until he stopped there in 2003. Through he career he has written many critical texts on the Swedish Social Democratic Party....
in the so called Geijer affair when he confirmed a classified memo sent by then National Police Commissioner Carl Persson to Prime Minister Olof Palme
Olof Palme
Sven Olof Joachim Palme was a Swedish politician. A long-time protegé of Prime Minister Tage Erlander, Palme led the Swedish Social Democratic Party from 1969 to his assassination, and was a two-term Prime Minister of Sweden, heading a Privy Council Government from 1969 to 1976 and a cabinet...
about the alleged ties of the Minister of Justice, Lennart Geijer, to a prostitution ring in Stockholm. Following this affair he was fired from the National Police Board. The string of events almost drove Persson to suicide, but he soon returned as lecturer at Stockholm University
Stockholm University
Stockholm University is a state university in Stockholm, Sweden. It has over 28,000 students at four faculties, making it one of the largest universities in Scandinavia. The institution is also frequently regarded as one of the top 100 universities in the world...
. The prostitution ring affair inspired him to write his first novel, Grisfesten. He returned as a professor at the National Police Board in 1992.
Novels
- Grisfesten (The Pig Party, 1978)
- Profitörerna (The Profiteers, 1979)
- Samhällsbärarna (The Pillars of Society, 1982)
- Mellan sommarens längtan och vinterns köld (Between Summer's Longing and Winter's Cold, 2002)
- En annan tid, ett annat liv (Another Time, Another Life, 2003)
- Linda - som i Lindamordet (Linda - as in the Linda Murder Case, 2005)
- Faller fritt som i en dröm (Falling Freely, as in a Dream, 2007)
- Den som dödar draken (He Who Kills the Dragon, 2008)
- Den döende detektiven (The Dying Detective, 2010)
Film and TV series adaptations
- Profitörerna (TV series, 1983)
- Mannen från Mallorca (The Man from MajorcaThe Man from MajorcaThe Man from Majorca is a 1984 Swedish film directed by Bo Widerberg. The film is based on the novel Grisfesten by Leif G. W. Persson. The novel has big similarities with the Geijer affair . Leif G.W...
) (film, 1984) - I lagens namn (film, 1986)