Eberto blog

Brother of 'Millennium' author rejects memoir

STOCKHOLM (AFP) – The brother of Stieg Larsson, the Swedish author behind the best-selling "Millennium" trilogy, on Wednesday rejected claims published in a book by his long-time partner amid an ongoing dispute.

Eva Gabrielsson, who was Larsson's partner for over three decades, last week published a memoir titled "Millennium, Stieg and Me" in which she claimed that his brother and father, his heirs, built a "Stieg Larsson industry."

The brother, Joakim, hit back at the allegation in an online open letter writing: "We have not contributed to a 'Stieg Larsson industry' aside from books and films, which was Stieg?s own wish."

"On the contrary, we have actively prevented attempts at this. But now that so many falsehoods and misleading statements have been repeated in book form, I would like to present my picture in greater detail," he wrote.

"For some time now, Eva Gabrielsson has spread a distorted picture of Stieg Larsson... No single person can have a monopoly on the picture of Stieg Larsson and his life."

After Larsson's sudden death in 2004 from a heart attack, Gabrielsson did not inherit the rights to his works nor the millions of dollars he earned posthumously because the pair had not married. His brother and father Erland instead were his heirs.

"There are lots of things which aren't true in that book. We only want to say what the truth is and say 'this and this is not true.' And then we can put an end on this story between us and her and move on," Joakim told AFP.

Last year Gabrielsson turned down the family's 2.1-million-euro ($2.88-million) offer and a seat on the board of directors of the company that manages the rights to Larsson's work, Moggliden.

Joakim also said that most of the receipts from Larsson's publications went to anti-racist and anti-domestic violence groups as well as a fund to protect journalists faced with threats, like his brother, due to his reporting on extremists.

"We have no intention to use the money in any other way than as Stieg intended... (Gabrielsson) is part of my family still and she's always been a part of my family," said Joakim.

When asked about her intentions on completing the series' unfinished fourth volume, Joakim told AFP that she "shouldn't try."

"I don't want to speculate in what will happen. But I hope she calls me," he added.

The Millennium series have sold more than 45 million copies and include the titles: "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" (2005), "The Girl Who Played with Fire" (2006) and "The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets' Nest," (2007).