The Mafia a Hit in Germany, Sweden
by Staff -- Publishers Weekly, 10/22/2007
Two books on the Mafia were among the top sellers in Germany and Sweden in September. Roberto Saviano's Gomorrha, an exploration of organized crime in Naples, debuted at #2 in Germany. The book was a bestseller in Italy and will be published in the U.S. later this month by Farrar, Straus & Giroux. There is no American publisher for the top nonfiction title in Sweden, The Swedish Mafia, which examines how the crime gangs are organized in that country. And there is no American house for the new #1 Swedish novel, Liza Marklund's Lifetime. Although Marklund's crime thrillers are popular in Europe, she has had limited success in the U.S.
Germany's bestselling crime novelist in September, Andrea Schenkel, claims the top two spots on the fiction list, but she, too, doesn't have an American publisher.
Both the fiction and nonfiction lists were filled with newcomers in France. The only holdover among the top 10 nonfiction titles was Coloring Book for Adults Who Are Bored in the Office, which has spawned a sequel, Coloring Book for Adults Who Want to Drop Everything. Sitting atop the fiction list was Amelie Nothomb's Not from Eve, nor Adam; several of Nothomb's earlier novels have been released in the U.S., with the most recent, Sulphuric Acid, out in August from Faber and Faber.
| France | ||
| Fiction | Nonfiction | |
| 1 | Not from Eve, nor Adam Amelie Nothomb Albin Michel | Failed, Yet Singing Calude Allegre, Dominique de Montvallon Plon |
| 2 | In the Morning, in the Evening, and at Night Yasmina Reza Flammarion | What Do You Learn in Elementary School 2007–2008 Education Ministry (Editor) XO |
| 3 | The Hedgehog's Elegance Muriel Barbery Gallimard | Coloring Book for Adults Who Want to Drop Everything Claire Fay Panama |
| For week ending September 22, used by arrangement with Livres Hebdo/Ipsos. | ||
| Germany | ||
| Fiction | Nonfiction | |
| 1 | Tannod Andrea Schenkel Edition Nautilus | I Am Off for a Little While Hape Kerkeling Rowohlt Berlin |
| 2 | Josef Kalteis Andrea Schenkel Edition Nautilus | Gomorrha Roberto Saviano Hanser |
| 3 | Millionaire Tommy Jaud Scherz | The Secret Rhonda Byrne Arkana |
| For week ending September 22, used by arrangement with Buchreport. | ||
| Sweden | ||
| Fiction | Nonfiction | |
| 1 | Lifetime Liza Marklund Pirateforlaget | The Swedish Mafia Matti Larson/Lasse Wierup Norstedts |
| 2 | Castles in the Sky Stieg Larsson Norstedis | The Mias Sisters Kerstin Weig/Mia Eriksson Ordupplaget |
| 3 | Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows J.K. Rowling Bloomsbury | The Secret Rhonda Byrne Energica |
| For week ending September 22, used by arrangement with Svensk Bokhandel. | ||
