John-Henri Holmberg
Encyclopedia
John-Henri Bertilson Holmberg (born 22 June 1949 in Essingen
, Stockholm
) is a Swedish
author, critic, publisher and translator, and a well-known science fiction
fan
. In the early 1960s he edited Science fiction Forum with Bertil Mårtensson
and Mats Linder and published over 200 science fiction fanzine
s of his own, in addition to his professional career as editor and critic. One of the fans with whom he worked was fellow Swede Stieg Larsson
.
As editor and later publisher at Askild & Kärnekull, Lindfors
, Bokförlaget Bra Böcker/Wiken and later with his own publishing house Replik he has introduced many current authors into Sweden, including several science fiction authors. A leading libertarian
, he introduced Ayn Rand
into Swedish debate in the 1970s and later saw to the publication in Swedish
of her main literary works.
He is a contributor to The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction
and to The Encyclopedia of Fantasy
, edited by John Clute
and Peter Nicholls
; and has written three major literary overviews in Swedish, a two-volume work about science fiction
and one-volume works on psychological suspense fiction and on fantasy
. As a translator, he has rendered Lemony Snicket
's and many of Stephen King
's novels into Swedish. He is a member of the Swedish Crime Fiction Academy and since 2004 edits and publishes the quarterly, resurrected Nova science fiction (which in its earlier incarnation he also edited from 1982 to 1987), the largest Scandinavia
n science fiction magazine
.
Holmberg is a frequent guest on Swedish television and radio for discussions about science fiction and other literature; in 2010, this has often included discussions of his relationship with fellow SF fan Stieg Larsson and the question of whether Larsson left behind fourth or even fifth novels in his series. He now is in the process of writing a book in collaboration with Dan Bursteing and Arne De Keijzer, titled The Tattooed Girl: The Enigma of Stieg Larsson and the Secrets Behind the Most Compelling Thrillers of Our Time. Rights to the book have been presold in a number of languages.
He lives in Viken, Sweden
in the south of Sweden.
Essingen
Essingen is a municipality in the Ostalbkreis in the State of Baden-Württemberg in Germany. It lies about 73 km east of Stuttgart, just outside of the city of Aalen...
, Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
) is a Swedish
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
author, critic, publisher and translator, and a well-known science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
fan
Science fiction fandom
Science fiction fandom or SF fandom is a community or "fandom" of people actively interested in science fiction and fantasy and in contact with one another based upon that interest...
. In the early 1960s he edited Science fiction Forum with Bertil Mårtensson
Bertil Mårtensson
Bertil Mårtensson is a Swedish author of science fiction, crime fiction and fantasy and also an academic philosopher...
and Mats Linder and published over 200 science fiction fanzine
Science fiction fanzine
A science fiction fanzine is an amateur or semi-professional magazine published by members of science fiction fandom, from the 1930s to the present day...
s of his own, in addition to his professional career as editor and critic. One of the fans with whom he worked was fellow Swede Stieg Larsson
Stieg Larsson
Karl Stig-Erland Larsson , who wrote professionally as Stieg Larsson, was a Swedish journalist and writer, born in Skelleftehamn outside Skellefteå. He is best known for writing the "Millennium series" of crime novels, which were published posthumously...
.
As editor and later publisher at Askild & Kärnekull, Lindfors
Lindfors
Lindfors may refer to:*Adolf Lindfors , a Finnish wrestler and Olympic champion in Greco-Roman wrestling*Arthur Lindfors , a Finnish wrestler and Olympic medalist in Greco-Roman wrestling...
, Bokförlaget Bra Böcker/Wiken and later with his own publishing house Replik he has introduced many current authors into Sweden, including several science fiction authors. A leading libertarian
Libertarianism
Libertarianism, in the strictest sense, is the political philosophy that holds individual liberty as the basic moral principle of society. In the broadest sense, it is any political philosophy which approximates this view...
, he introduced Ayn Rand
Ayn Rand
Ayn Rand was a Russian-American novelist, philosopher, playwright, and screenwriter. She is known for her two best-selling novels The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged and for developing a philosophical system she called Objectivism....
into Swedish debate in the 1970s and later saw to the publication in Swedish
Swedish language
Swedish is a North Germanic language, spoken by approximately 10 million people, predominantly in Sweden and parts of Finland, especially along its coast and on the Åland islands. It is largely mutually intelligible with Norwegian and Danish...
of her main literary works.
He is a contributor to The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction
The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction
The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction is an English language reference work on science fiction.- Publication history :The first edition, edited by Peter Nicholls with John Clute and Brian Stableford appeared in 1979, published by Granada. It was retitled The Science Fiction Encyclopedia in the US...
and to The Encyclopedia of Fantasy
The Encyclopedia of Fantasy
The Encyclopedia of Fantasy is a 1997 reference work on fantasy, edited by John Clute and John Grant. Other contributors include Mike Ashley, Neil Gaiman, Diana Wynne Jones, David Langford, Sam J. Lundwall, Michael Scott Rohan, Brian Stableford and Lisa Tuttle.The book was well-received upon...
, edited by John Clute
John Clute
John Frederick Clute is a Canadian born author and critic who has lived in Britain since 1969. He has been described as "an integral part of science fiction's history."...
and Peter Nicholls
Peter Nicholls (writer)
Peter Nicholls is an Australian literary scholar and critic. He is the creator and a co-editor of The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction ....
; and has written three major literary overviews in Swedish, a two-volume work about science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
and one-volume works on psychological suspense fiction and on fantasy
Fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...
. As a translator, he has rendered Lemony Snicket
Lemony Snicket
Lemony Snicket is the pen name of American novelist Daniel Handler . Snicket is the author of several children's books, serving as the narrator of A Series of Unfortunate Events and appearing as a character within the series. Because of this, the name Lemony Snicket may refer to both a fictional...
's and many of Stephen King
Stephen King
Stephen Edwin King is an American author of contemporary horror, suspense, science fiction and fantasy fiction. His books have sold more than 350 million copies and have been adapted into a number of feature films, television movies and comic books...
's novels into Swedish. He is a member of the Swedish Crime Fiction Academy and since 2004 edits and publishes the quarterly, resurrected Nova science fiction (which in its earlier incarnation he also edited from 1982 to 1987), the largest Scandinavia
Scandinavia
Scandinavia is a cultural, historical and ethno-linguistic region in northern Europe that includes the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, characterized by their common ethno-cultural heritage and language. Modern Norway and Sweden proper are situated on the Scandinavian Peninsula,...
n science fiction magazine
Science fiction magazine
A science fiction magazine is a publication that offers primarily science fiction, either in a hard copy periodical format or on the Internet....
.
Holmberg is a frequent guest on Swedish television and radio for discussions about science fiction and other literature; in 2010, this has often included discussions of his relationship with fellow SF fan Stieg Larsson and the question of whether Larsson left behind fourth or even fifth novels in his series. He now is in the process of writing a book in collaboration with Dan Bursteing and Arne De Keijzer, titled The Tattooed Girl: The Enigma of Stieg Larsson and the Secrets Behind the Most Compelling Thrillers of Our Time. Rights to the book have been presold in a number of languages.
He lives in Viken, Sweden
Viken, Sweden
Viken is a bimunicipal locality situated in Höganäs Municipality and Helsingborg Municipality in Skåne County, Sweden with 3,753 inhabitants in 2005. It has a surface area of 224 hectares. 223 of these are in the Höganäs municipality....
in the south of Sweden.
Works
- Drömmar om evigheten, Askild & Kärnekull 1974.
- Befria människan, Dalia Books 1985.
- Fantasy, fantasylitteraturens historia, motiv och författare, Replik 1995.
- Dunkla drifter och mörka motiv - den psykologiska thrillern. Bibliotekstjänst 1997.
- Inre landskap och yttre rymd, del 1 – science fictions historia från H. G. Wells till Brian Aldiss. Bibliotekstjänst 2002.
- Inre landskap och yttre rymd, del 2 – science fictions historia från J. G. Ballard till Gene Wolfe. Bibliotekstjänst 2003.
- Filmtema. Bibliotekstjänst 2006.
- Credited as author in NationalencyklopedinNationalencyklopedinNationalencyklopedin is the most comprehensive contemporary Swedish language encyclopedia, initiated by a favourable loan from the Government of Sweden of 17 million Swedish kronor in 1980, which was repaid by December 1990...
of the following articles: "Cyberpunk," "Fantasy:litteratur," "Skräcklitteratur," "J. R. R. TolkienJ. R. R. TolkienJohn Ronald Reuel Tolkien, CBE was an English writer, poet, philologist, and university professor, best known as the author of the classic high fantasy works The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, and The Silmarillion.Tolkien was Rawlinson and Bosworth Professor of Anglo-Saxon at Pembroke College,...
," "Undergroundlitteratur," & "Science fiction."