Agaton Sax
Encyclopedia
Nils-Olof Franzén
Nils Olof Franzén was a Swedish author who wrote the Agaton Sax series. He was born 23 August 1916 in Oxelösund. He died on 24 February 1997 at age 81.He was director of programmes for Swedish Radio from 1956 to 1973, and also wrote a number of biographies....
and illustrated by Åke Lewerth. The English edition was illustrated by Quentin Blake
Quentin Blake
Quentin Saxby Blake, CBE, FCSD, RDI, is an English cartoonist, illustrator and children's author, well-known for his collaborations with writer Roald Dahl.-Education:...
.
A short, round Swede, Sax has a dog named Tikkie and an aunt named Matilda, and tracks down criminals such as Octopus Scott and Julius Mosca. He is a master of underwater ju-jitsu and of several obscure languages. With his supposed superior intellect he easily deciphers the so-called "double talk" of his nemesis "the Boss" (in which, for example, "KO" means "OK"). He is an early adopter of the computer for crime-solving purposes, though Aunt Matilda dismisses it as his "confuser". He has no known love interests and a pronounced dislike of garlic. As well as his detective agency, he also runs the Bykoping Post - First with the News - The Smallest Paper - but the Best.
The novels are an ironic pastiche of the detective genre: for example Agaton Sax's colleague, the hapless Inspector Lispington of the Yard, is clearly modeled on Inspector Lestrade
Inspector Lestrade
Inspector G. Lestrade is a fictional character, a Scotland Yard detective appearing in several of the Sherlock Holmes stories by Arthur Conan Doyle. Doyle used the name of a friend from his days at the University of Edinburgh, a Saint Lucian medical student by the name of Joseph Alexandre Lestrade....
of Sherlock Holmes
Sherlock Holmes
Sherlock Holmes is a fictional detective created by Scottish author and physician Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The fantastic London-based "consulting detective", Holmes is famous for his astute logical reasoning, his ability to take almost any disguise, and his use of forensic science skills to solve...
fame. Like Holmes, Sax smokes pipes (in his case Meerschaum
Meerschaum
Meerschaum , also sepiolite, is a soft white mineral sometimes found floating on the Black Sea, and rather suggestive of sea-foam, whence the German origin of the name, as well as the French name for the same substance, écume de mer.-Overview:...
s); he has one for every day of the week, which he smokes when thinking. Franzén was also inspired by another children's books detective in Sweden, Ture Sventon by Åke Holmberg
Åke Holmberg
Åke Robert Holmberg was a Swedish author and translator, most famous for his nine children's books about detective Tam Sventon .-References:...
. Franzén died in 1997, aged 81.
As with many foreign language novels translated into English, the style and idiosyncrasies of the translator were at least as important as the original author's story to the popularity and success of the English editions.
The unique visual style of the illustrator who was used for the English editions, Quentin Blake
Quentin Blake
Quentin Saxby Blake, CBE, FCSD, RDI, is an English cartoonist, illustrator and children's author, well-known for his collaborations with writer Roald Dahl.-Education:...
, also made a huge contribution, adding to the humour with his inimitable cartoon style.
The books
| Swedish title | Published | English title | Published |
|---|---|---|---|
| Agaton Sax klipper till | 1955 | Agaton Sax and the Big Rig (extended) | 1976 |
| Agaton Sax och den ljudlösa sprängämnesligan | 1956 | Agaton Sax and the League of Silent Exploders | 1974 |
| Agaton Sax och vita möss-mysteriet | 1957 | Agaton Sax and the Haunted House | 1975 |
| Agaton Sax och de slipade diamanttjuvarna | 1959 | Agaton Sax and the Diamond Thieves Agaton Sax and the Diamond Thieves Agaton Sax and the Diamond Thieves is a book about detective Agaton Sax by Swedish author Nils-Olof Franzen.-Plot summary:... |
1965 |
| Agaton Sax och det gamla pipskägget | 1961 | Agaton Sax and the Scotland Yard Mystery | 1969 |
| Agaton Sax och Byköpings gästabud | 1963 | Agaton Sax and the Criminal Doubles | 1971 |
| Agaton Sax och bröderna Max | 1965 | Agaton Sax and the Max Brothers (a.k.a. Bank Robbers) | 1970 |
| Agaton Sax och den bortkomne mr Lispington | 1966 | Agaton Sax and the Colossus of Rhodes | 1972 |
| Agaton Sax och de okontanta miljardärerna | 1967 | Not published in the UK | |
| Agaton Sax och den svällande rotmos-affären | 1970 | Agaton Sax and the London Computer Plot | 1973 |
| Agaton Sax och den mörklagda ljusmaskinen | 1978 | Agaton Sax and Lispington's Grandfather Clock | 1978 |
Characters
Agaton SaxThe protagonist in the series, Agaton Sax is described as a pleasant, large man with a mustache. As well as running his detective agency, he also runs the Bykoping Post - First with the News - The Smallest Paper - but the Best.
Chief Inspector Joshua Lispington
Agaton Sax's good friend, who, when having trouble solving a case, calls in Agaton Sax for assistance.
Aunt Matilda
Aunt Matilda cares for Agaton, providing him food and company in her old age.
Tickie
Agaton Sax's dog.
Clever Dick
Agaton Sax's futuristic computer. Aunt Matilda refers to it as a 'confuser'
Adaptations
Several of the novels were read for television for the BBC's series JackanoryJackanory
Jackanory is a long-running BBC children's television series that was designed to stimulate an interest in reading. The show was first transmitted on 13 December 1965, the first story being the fairy-tale Cap o' Rushes read by Lee Montague. Jackanory continued to be broadcast until 24 March 1996,...
, starting with Agaton Sax and the Max Brothers in 1972, with Kenneth Williams
Kenneth Williams
Kenneth Charles Williams was an English comic actor and comedian. He was one of the main ensemble in 26 of the Carry On films, and appeared in numerous British television shows, and radio comedies with Tony Hancock and Kenneth Horne.-Life and career:Kenneth Charles Williams was born on 22 February...
as the storyteller intercut with the illustrations by Quentin Blake.
A 77-minute animated film Agaton Sax and the Bykoebing Village Festival was made in Swedish in 1976, with a plot loosely based on Agaton Sax and the Criminal Doubles. The English-language version again featured Kenneth Williams voicing all the characters.