As a journalist and editor of the magazine Expo , Larsson was active in documenting and exposing Swedish extreme right and racist organisations. When he died at the age of 50, Larsson left three unpublished thrillers and unfinished manuscripts for more. The first three books The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo , The Girl Who Played With Fire and The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets' Nest have since been printed as the Millenium series. These books are all bestsellers in Sweden and in several other countries, including the United States and Canada.
Born as Karl Stig Erland Larsson on 15 August 1954 in Vesterbottens Ian, Sweden to Erland Larsson and Vivianne Bostrom. His father and maternal grandfather were employed in the Ronnskarsverken smelting plant.
He was left with his maternal grandfather for the first nine years as his father moved to Stockholm. He resigned from his job due to arsenic poisoning in the smelting plant.
He moved back to the city of Umea after his grandfather Severin Bostrom died of heart attack at the age of 50. He was not found of the city environment and cherished the village environment of his grandparents place.
His wife Eva Gabrielsson described in her book “There Are Things I Want You To Know” About Stieg Larsson and Me”, that his time in his grandparent’s village were the inspiration for him to write “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo” based on that place.
He had to undergo compulsory military service for 16 months after he was drafted into Swedish Army in 1974.
He received a typewriter as a gift from his parents on his twelfth birthday. His first attempt on writing was a science fiction genre.
He developed an interest in science fiction from an early age and became active in science fiction fandom in Sweden in 1971. He also attended his first science fiction convention in Stockholm in 1972.
Larsson’s friend John Henri Holmberg wrote a biographical essay titled “The Tattooed Girl” which includes his fanzine writings and short stories. It also includes part of his life at the SFSF.
He was the editor or co-editor of many science fiction magazines including Sfaren and Fijagh. He also became the president of Skandinavisk Forening for Science Fiction (SFSF), a Swedish Science Fiction Fan Club in 1978 – 1979.
He changed the spelling in his name from Stig Larsson to Stieg Larsson in his early twenties to avoid confusion with his good friend Stig Larsson. His friend became a well known author much before Stieg.
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