“My partner said to me, ‘You like to be miserable’

When you think of Tinder, you’re probably thinking of the joys of casual sex, conversations that begin enthusiastically and are abruptly interrupted, awkward silences served alongside semi-dry wine, and perhaps even a love story, that we will not know. But Hugh Nesbo thinks of serial killers.

“A good friend of mine, who is also my climbing instructor, was single and started dating. I asked her if it was okay if I wrote a book about Tinder. I did not want to date myself, so I became her wingman. She would come home and tell me what happened,” he says. Turned in a video interview with Ynet. Although he is at home, he wears a visor cap and wears sunglasses. He looks like a rock star, talks like a rock star – and not sure it’s your business, but he also earns like a rock star. Anyway, back to business.

“The idea of ​​a blind date started to fascinate me years ago, long before Tinder, but deep into the age of dating sites. I would go to my local cafe because I preferred to write there rather than at home, and saw tables next to men and women talking. Because of the politeness with which they spoke it “With that, each in turn and without interruption, I was sure it was a job interview. But then I realized it was a date. And I was fascinated by the strangeness and embarrassment: their stiff bodies, the forced eye contact. That’s how the idea for the book came about.”

Nesbo talks about “Thirst”, a thriller that is currently being published in Hebrew (Yedioth Seforim), in which he brings back to life Detective Harry Hula. Brave but haunted, problematic but kind-hearted – everything you could expect from a detective, but with the addition of sarcasm and a huge fondness for pop songs. Hula is now in his late 40s, comfortably married, and living a life free of addictions and complications. But as expected, the serenity vanishes unexpectedly, as an anonymous man begins to murder one by one women from Tinder. For Hula, this is particularly bad news because he is preparing some of them personally and he has been forced to return to the job.

Do you recognize a connection between the dating world and the behavior of psychopaths?
“Yeah. I think it’s interesting that dating apps allow you to reinvent yourself and present yourself as something you are not. It’s actually an opportunity to shape a different personality for yourself, without anyone knowing. It’s very fitting for psychopaths.”

In your books, and also in this book, are you trying to say something about the contemporary world – or is it just serving as a backdrop for the plot?
“You got on me. Society and modern life, in my books, are just opportunities to tell unusual stories. It’s a cliché, but I believe that in the end every writer writes about himself. It’s weird, but I do not always understand it while I write. Only years Then, as I write introductions to books in honor of their overseas translations, I suddenly realize that the plot refers to what happened in my life at that time. It can not be a coincidence that my life appears on the page. ”

Nesbo goes on to speak in a general tone: “You have to take the story from somewhere, and usually it’s from your life. Ultimately what you write about it is your experience and your reflections. Even in a genre seemingly as far away from you as ‘who did it’, in the end You can be found there. “

The day we talk, the weather in Israel is gloomy. “Like with you in Norway,” I say to Nesbo, who still lives in his homeland. From here, there is a conversation about the weather, but it does not focus on manners and demeanor, but on examining clichés. “It is claimed that the gloomy weather in you, and in Scandinavia in general, encourages dark and mysterious literature. It is time to ask – does it really matter?” Turn around laughing. “I do not think so. Most of my novels were written in the southern hemisphere at all, in hot countries. Sometimes I go out to climb rocks all over Asia or Greece, and there I write, two months at a time. And once I wrote an entire book in Argentina. So I do not think there is a connection. Look. Some dark novels come from Los Angeles. ”

Harry Hula has been with you for almost 25 years. You brought him into the world when you were in your mid-30s smiling, and today you are 60. Who is he for you?
“When I started writing about him, I never intended him to be my alter ego – and he is not. On the other hand, I obviously attribute a lot of my views and inclinations to him, more than to other characters – whether it has to do with politics or pop culture. I want to believe he’s a darker character From me and ultimately that’s what he is – a character that only exists within this world.I do not meet my characters in the grocery store or anything.Harry is like a friend you can spend a week with, but do not call again because you had enough of him.It is intense. And after spending so much time in the dark, you need a few light days. “

“Thirst” begins with a description of a calm, almost perfect reality that becomes a nightmare. Do you feel that happiness is a fragile thing?
“I think happiness is like an emergency. Even when I’m happy, I know it’s not going to last long, it’s a temporary situation and someday things will go back to normal. It’s not necessarily the rest of the time it’s bad and dark, but average. My partner once told me, ‘ “You know what, yo? I think you like to be unhappy.” And I think that’s true to some extent. If not unhappy, at least melancholy. “

So what motivates you if not the pursuit of happiness?
“I enjoy creating things, whether it’s books or music. I love this process: taking an idea and turning it into a particular product. You get up in the morning and a year later you have an affair. It’s a wonderful thing. And there’s a big difference between reading and walking. Between listening to music Or play for yourself. ” And here Nesbo admits that like all of us, he too wants a hug: “When you realize you have the ability to create something, you want to bring it to the table. Like when you sit with friends and say something funny and everyone laughs and you feel proud. It’s the desire to be appreciated.”

But apart from the desire to create and feel loved, Nesbo also talks about something else – the desire to contribute. And here, the pose of the bad boy changes in a moment in the tone of the cordial neighbor. “We have such a social reflex. Harry, too, as a character, hates his job but perseveres in it because it allows him to contribute to society. I think it’s the strongest urge for most people, it’s almost biological. To contribute to the world. It’s something even outsiders like. Carpenter “You drive to work and you can stop at a red light and see a house you built and people living there. And even if no one knows you built it, you will feel satisfied. It’s more important than the money and the reward – knowing you did something good.”

Since the early 1990s, there has also been a member of the rock band “Di Dre”, which is a significant success in his country. In fact, in Norway people knew him as a musician even years before he became famous as a writer, and that was in its infancy in his early days. “When I started writing novels, people said they print only because I’m a famous musician. And you know what? It’s fair and it was true. At least at first.”

Is music as important to you as writing?
“Look,” Nesbo said and a smile popped out of his cropped, bright beard. “To be honest, I’m the worst musician in my band, but I’m also the guy with the confidence to write the songs. All the other members of the band are really good, while I can not even play music I hear in my head. So as a musician, I really have to fight. I love “I write more songs than I like to be in the studio, play and work on the small details – I want to get over it already. In writing novels it’s just the opposite – I sit alone for hours and invest in all the details.” By the way, do not expect a performance of “Di Dre” in Israel. Since all words are in Norwegian, this rarely happens. “We got to travel the world a bit and it was fun. We managed to get the Czechs to sing in Norwegian.”

In an age where every second series is based on a book, and every successful book is sold for processing – Nesbo also experienced adventure in the world of television. This is only to be expected, when you are considered one of the most successful suspense writers in the world, and having won almost every possible award in your country. The series “Occupied” hit the screens in 2015, based on a screenplay by Nesbo and directed by Eric Skoldberg and is considered one of the most expensive ever produced in Norway (later sold to the world and also aired in Israel, on Netflix). If you did not watch, and without spoilers, “occupation” takes place in futuristic, not to mention dystopian, Norway, which is under Russian occupation. This is after a nationwide energy crisis, caused by the Norwegian government’s decision to delay oil and gas production for environmental reasons.

Do you plan to continue writing for television?
“I enjoy it and love it. My writing style is influenced by movies and fits TV. I belong to a generation that has read a lot, but spent even more time in front of screens,” Nesbo says, making it clear that he “contributes” to screenplays more than writes them himself. Either way, for him there is no substitute for literature – and not necessarily because of his fondness for the medium. This is a different kind of freedom. “The most amazing thing about writing novels is that you know it will be published, and you will not have to mess with actors, producers and film crews. When you write, you play all the lead roles yourself and that’s it.”

And Nesbo also has a prophecy, depressing in terms of the TV industry but optimistic in terms of publishers. “The industry has changed in recent years, and it seems to me that now everyone is a bit apprehensive about taking risks. I think in some respects, the golden age of television may already be behind us. It’s true that there are now a huge abundance of series, but I’m not sure it proves itself and that the chains are happy with their niche products. For example, I’m not sure if a bold series like ‘Meter Man’ could have been created today. “

So the novel is not dead, contrary to what is said.
“Absolutely not. A lot of people think that in the world of culture there is not enough space for everyone, so you have to divide it between books and movies for example. But in practice, the cake is only getting bigger. People consume a lot of books every year, it just keeps growing. I remember my grandparents “They were educated people, they kept a lot of books at home. They just never read the same book twice. Today people no longer accumulate books.”

Will you write books until you get tired? “I’ll try to stop before I get tired. But my luck is that I do not have to write, “he says, referring of course to the economic aspect of the matter. In terms of impulse, it’s a different story.” I always ask myself – does the world need this book at all? And many times the answer is, ‘No, he’s not. But I need this book. “