How awesome is it that Lisbeth Salander has a
Wikipedia page? A fictional character from
The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo/Millennium Series books, Lisbeth has enough spirit to inhabit several "real" people. Yes, this is a dangerous woman. But not in the tired old Femme Fatale mold.
A lot can and has been said about Lisbeth Salander. While there is so much to like about this character, what I find especially appealing is that she fights back. Lisbeth Salander fights back
hard. Is there anything more disgusting in the human realm than the way many men treat women? I'm not talking about talk - sure, words can hurt. But actual physical intimidation and bodily harm is far more brutal and common place than any decent person would care to know about. Understanding that there will always be a physical disadvantage, and cowardly males willingly to exploit this difference, Salander has no qualms with picking up a broken bottle to level the playing field.
Add to this fighting attitude a list that includes: whip-smart, irreverent, intense, curious, uniquely attractive, brutally honest...Lisbeth - you had me at
broken bottle!
In a nod to Lisbeth's computer hacking, the above drawing was lifted from
this site.
Yeah, yeah...I know the Millennium Series books were a huge deal a couple of years ago and everybody and their brother was reading them. What can I say? I tend to run a bit outside the pack and often find things when I find them. Sometimes I'm an early adapter. Other times I stare blankly and mutter
wha? to unimpressed hipsters. But if you haven't read any of the books or seen any of the films, I highly recommend them. Having rented all three of the Swedish movies and also watched
David Fincher's US version of
...Dragon Tattoo, I can say
they're all good with a straight face. Faithful to the spirit of the books and totally engaging.
There are far better authorities on the
Millennium Series and author Stieg Larsson than me, but I will relay this one fact that also hooked me into this series and Lisbeth. As a teenager attending a summer camp in Sweden, Stieg Larsson witnessed the gang rape of a young girl. He froze. He did nothing. The girl's name was Lisbeth. This event haunted him for the rest of his life, and he ended up writing the
Millennium Series and naming the heroine after this girl in what I suspect was a cathartic act and attempt at some sort of redemption for failing to act. Straight to the point right out of the gate, the original Swedish title of
The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo is
Men Who Hate Women. While he may have been too frightened as a teenager, as an adult, much like Lisbeth Salander, Larsson pulled no punches when confronting cruelty and injustice - particularly the kind that too many men inflict on too many women.
We need more dangerous writers. We need more dangerous women.
