Uppsala University in fiction

If we go back to the 1950s, there was a librarian at Carolina Rediviva with a penchant for murder. Elise Dufva – whose real name was Gurli Taube – made her debut in 1952, in true Maria Lang style, with the detective novel Mordet på Cristina (The Murder at Cristina). The “Cristina” in the book bore a striking resemblance to the library at which the author worked in real life. A new edition of the book was published in 2018 to mark Uppsala University Library's 400th anniversary in 2020-2021.

But the trend has just gone on and on. Another Uppsala librarian who wrote crime novels was Thomas Brylla. In 2006, he published Mord i den eviga ungdomens stad (Murder in the City of Eternal Youth), a book about crime novels set in Uppsala – within the academy as well as the city itself – spanning the years 1915 to 2005.

Although Jonas Gardell is not a librarian, his work also has a connection to the Uppsala University Library. In his novel Ett lyckligare år (A Happier Year) (2021), he tells the story of the philosopher Pontus Wikner, a prominent figure in Uppsala during his time. In 1879, Wikner wrote down his Psykologiska självbekännelser (Psychological Confessions), placed them in a tin box, and requested that the box with the manuscript be stored at the Uppsala University Library after his death. The box was not to be opened until his wife and children had been dead for at least 50 years. However, Maria Lang herself – the pseudonym of Dagmar Lange – did take a peek inside the box while writing her doctoral thesis, which she successfully defended in 1946, on Pontus Wikner as a literary author.

Crime fiction boom and staff turned authors

Fictional crimes in Uppsala appear to have escalated in the 2020s. Mari Jungstedt kicked things off in 2019 with her book Jag ser dig (I See You) in which parts of the story – told through flashbacks – are played out in Uppsala. Uppsala University has a significant role in the plot.

2023 and 2024 saw a major crime fiction boom in Uppsala. Several of the authors live in Uppsala and even University staff wrote detective novels. Johan Tralau, a professor of political science, made his literary début with Höken sjunger om död (The Hawk Sings of Death), a murder mystery set in a university milieu. Its sequel, Ormens öga (The Serpent’s Eye), was published in 2025. The book includes not only descriptions of several of the buildings occupied by Uppsala University, but also characters who bear a suspiciously strong resemblance to real people at the University.

Karolina Schützer was employed as a communications officer and research communicator at Uppsala University – including a stint at the Department of Peace and Conflict Research – when her book Dödens lustgård (Eden of Death) was published in 2024. The story centres around a murder at a doctoral thesis defence party in the Botanical Garden. A retired journalist and a philosophy student join forces in Filosofiska klubben (The Philosophy Club) to solve the crime. Its sequel, Mördarens melodi (The Murderer’s Melody), followed the next year. In it, the club solves the murder of a world-famous conductor.

Physician and author Jonas Moström completed his studies in medicine here in Uppsala. He even relocated a series of detective novels from Sundsvall to Uppsala. Or rather, he merged two series into one. He even lets psychiatrist Nathalie Svensson (from Uppsala) and Detective Inspector Johan Axberg (from Sundsvall) become romantically involved. Several of his books are set in Uppsala, such as Skytten (The Shooter) (2019), Blindspår (Blind Spot) (2022), and Rovdjur (Predator) (2023).

A walk through Uppsala and a prestigious university

Uppsala-based author Christina Wahldén has written many books, including several detective novels. In Dödens sömn (The Sleep of Death) (2026), Uppsala Cathedral plays a central role, but the book also takes the reader on a veritable walk all through Uppsala. The University is mentioned – specifically the Linnaean Gardens and in particular the tropical greenhouse in the Botanical Garden – as is the University’s museum, Gustavianum.

British author Elly Griffiths was named Uppsala University’s Adam Helms Lecturer in 2021 but was unable to deliver her lecture until the following year, 2022, due to the pandemic. In her novel The Night Hawks (published in Swedish translation in 2021 with the title Nattfalkarna), she refers to Uppsala University as a prestigious university. The final instalment in her Ruth Galloway series, The Last Remains (Swedish translation published in 2023 with the title Den sista utgrävningen), also contains references to the University.

Student life in these novels

But what about the students? They, too, are portrayed in fiction about the city. As early as 1877, August Strindberg published his short story collection Från Fjärdingen och Svartbäcken (From Fjärdingen and Svartbäcken) in which he writes about student life. Unfortunately, he was not overly positive about it.

Uppsala journalist Maria Ripenberg published her début novel in 2019. Four years later, in summer 2023, her novel Brandnäva (Woolly Geranium) was released. It is about a young female student in Uppsala in the 1980s.

The following year, Martin Osterdahl’s thriller Kräftskivan (Crayfish Party) was published (2024). Although the plot unfolds in the Stockholm archipelago, the novel includes flashbacks to Uppsala University from 25 years earlier.

Susanne Kleman published her début crime novel, Mörker över Uppsala (Darkness over Uppsala), in 2024, a book about the student city of Uppsala and a missing student.

Ellinor Skagegård’s book Vildfåglar (Wild Birds) was published in late August 2026, It is the first instalment in the Uppsalakransen (Uppsala Garland) trilogy. Set in the early 20th century, the story follows Lottie Jung, a minister’s daughter who arrives in Uppsala to begin studying.

Uppsala in the past

Historical novels and crime fiction have been in vogue for some years now. Carina Burman received her doctorate from Uppsala University in 1988, but she has primarily made her career as an author. Her book Islandet (The Ice, 2015) is set partly in Uppsala – the city of learning and youth – in spring 1816. Here, the author has Erik Gustaf Geijer meet the beautiful and erudite Amalia von Helvig. They move through milieu such as academic lectures and literary salons.

Camilla Lagerqvist has her female detective Ester Tillman solve crimes in a 1920s Uppsala. Thus far, there have been four books about Ester Tillman. The first was published in 2024, the latest in 2026. In the second instalment, Likhandlaren (The Corpse Trader, 2025), the bodies of elderly people are transported to a fictional Department of Anatomy for research purposes.

In his book Jag vill inte tjäna (I Don’t Want to Serve, 2009), Uppsala author Ola Larsmo writes about Uppsala in the 1880s, focusing on the city medical officer and the local prostitutes – whose clientèle included the University’s students.

Three strands in the fictional University’s world

But why do authors like writing about so many gruesome crimes in Uppsala, often with links to Uppsala University? Although not all these books are detective novels, many of those about student life have such a grim tone. We put the question to Jana Rüegg, a researcher at the Department of Literature and Rhetoric.

“You could say there are three strands in fiction about Uppsala University from the 20th century to the present day: crime, student life and the historical. And if we stay with thriller fiction, there seems to be a demand for local crime fiction. There are detective novels set in almost every town in Sweden. The University is also a well-known place, and it’s historical. Many people dream of becoming writers and have an idea for a book, but work in other fields – such as at our University. It’s easy then to write about a milieu that you know well.”

When it comes to depictions of student life, there are two kinds: the very dark and the very light-hearted.

“There is something thrilling about people’s university years – they are a key aspect of coming of age,” continues Rüegg. “You arrive in Uppsala alone; it’s cold and dark. Some settle in quickly, while for others it’s a struggle. This duality – that it’s both gloomy and festive – can be found in Strindberg’s Uppsala short stories, as well as in Johan Svedjedal’s book about Gustaf Fröding’s student years, Dä kvetter (Whatever, 2025).”

Classic stories, and recommendations for historical and lighter novels

There are also more classic stories about student life.

“Gun-Britt Sundström published her first novel in 1966 with the title Student 64, which offers the reader an insight into a female student’s experiences,” notes Rüegg. “Kerstin Ekman’s Grand Final i skojarbranschen (Grand Finale in the Scoundrel Business, 2011) is another example that presents a female perspective.”

Turning to historical fiction, Rüegg mentions Elin Ylvasdotter’s book Skammen vi ärvde (Our Inherited Shame, 2026). It tells the story of Ruth and Carl, who meet in Uppsala in 1942 – one of Jewish heritage, the other a Nazi.”

Do you have any recommendations for some lighter reading?

“Yes, I have! Uppsala University is never explicitly mentioned in Gösta Knutsson’s Pelle Svanslös (Peter No-Tail) books, but it’s definitely a student milieu that is described through the eyes of the cats. The books offered educational family entertainment, and half the cast of characters have a connection to the University. Pelle Svanslös på nya äventyr (The Adventures of Peter No-Tail, 1940) features a spring concert and a spring ball. The concert includes performances by Allmänna Sången, Scandinavia’s oldest academic choir, of rewritten versions of famous songs traditionally sung in the spring.”

Ulrika Hurtig