David Lagercrantz

Swedish author David Lagercrantz grew up in Solna, Stockholm. This author of over 12 books, including novels and autobiographies, worked as a crime reporter before taking up writing full-time.

This 55-year-old author is a winner of several awards. He is best known for I am Zlatan Ibrahimovicć, the biography of Swedish football player Zlatan Ibrahimovic, which sold over 5,00,000 copies in six weeks, earning the distinction of the ‘fastest-selling book of all time’ in Sweden. His other noteworthy books include The Girl in the Spider’s Web, Fall of Man in Wilmslow, and The Girl Who Takes an Eye for an Eye. His books have been translated into 30 languages.

Excerpts from an interview:

When did you know you were going to be a writer?
During one warm summer in London, where I was studying literature, I read A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce, and felt I wanted to become a writer.

What does it mean to be a writer?
To be a writer is to tell a story that gets to the reader, and at its best manages to make some difference. Also, it is to get under the skin of a human being, to get behind the façade that we all are so eager to show.

Your favourite genre?
All genres where I find a good story, learn something new, and widen my perspective.

If not a writer, what would you be?
An actor.

What book do you wish you had written?
The Harry Potter series.

Your all-time favourite read...
A difficult question to answer, but I can say Jorge Luis Borges.

Your current read...
I had the great honour of meeting John le Carré in London recently, now I am reading his A Legacy of Spies.

If granted three wishes, what would they be?
A wiser world with reasonable leaders, all happiness in the world for my family, and some more hours of sleep at night.

Best advice you’ve ever been given?
My father’s advice to me to stop doubting myself.

What keeps you awake at night?
My general neurosis, my feverish head, my constant anxiety, and sometimes a very good book.

How do you relax?
I exercise, drink good wine and spend time with my family.

What would you change about yourself?
I wish I could sharpen my concentration, and be a bit more stable.

Something that never goes out of fashion...
Storytelling.

Your worst habit?
Digital habits that have a negative effect on my work and reading habits. I feel like flushing my phone down the toilet sometimes.

Five favourite things...
Reading, family, tailored suits, good wine and my bookshelf.

Your chosen cuisine...
Japanese and Indian, provided they are not too hot.

A sport you’d like to support...
Football.

One person you admire...
Bertrand Russell.

A cause dear to your heart...
Promoting good journalism. We live in a world of corrupt leaders, so good investigative journalism is more important than ever.

Any chapter of your life you’d like to rewrite?
I regret most of it, but slowly come to terms with it.