Engman's Femicide wins 2023 Petrona Award for Best Scandinavian Crime Novel of the Year

Pascal Engman’s Femicide, translated from the Swedish by Michael Gallagher (Legend Press), has been announced as the winner of the 2023 Petrona Award for the Best Scandinavian Crime Novel of the Year. Engman will receive a trophy, and both the author and translator will receive a cash prize of £100 each.

The Swedish thriller was described as "page-turning, absorbing and uncomfortable" by the judges. It’s a book about murder, sexual assault and "incels", centred around the story of a young woman who is murdered in her apartment just when her violent ex is released from prison.

The judges praised the book for the way it "captured the zeitgeist of the early 21st century", saying that it "opens the reader’s eyes to the steadily increasing threat of the incel movement". They also said that the "writing is well informed, the book has a good sense of urban space". 

Engman added: "It feels incredibly significant to win this award. Several of my major idols and heroes in this genre have been recipients of it. I consider it an honour, a great honour. Writing Femicide was a unique experience. The research on the incel movement was very challenging.

"I was pulled towards their darkness in many ways. Therefore, I also want to thank Linnea, my fiancée, for putting up with me then, as she does now."

Gallagher commented: "Pascal Engman certainly belongs to the Nordic Noir tradition, but his writing and his characters deftly reflect the tectonic shifts underway in Sweden and the wider world. Always unsettling and compelling, he is not bound by conventions or old cliches. I am delighted that the jury has recognised his talent and that my translation seems to have done it justice!"

Cari Rosen, commissioning editor at Legend Press, added: "We are so thrilled that Femicide has been chosen as the winner of this year’s Petrona Award. The novel delves into the world of incels after a series of brutal attacks against women, and perfectly encapsulates the pace, drama and drive of Pascal’s writing."

The award was privately sponsored by David Hicks, and last year’s winner was Fatal Isles by Maria Adolfsson, translated from the Swedish by Agnes Broomé (Zaffre).