Nordic noir

American  

[nawr-dik nwar] / ˈnɔr dɪk ˈnwar /

noun

1. a genre of fictional literature, television, and film set in Scandinavia and featuring dark, complex stories of crime that unfold within an otherwise ordinary or bland social environment, usually expressed in very plain language.

   I’d read a bit of Nordic noir, but it wasn’t until I watched a miniseries from Denmark that I realized how awesome this genre is.

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Etymology

Origin of Nordic noir

First recorded in 2005–10; modeled on film noir ( def. )

Example Sentences

Among the shows that did: Sandra Oh’s follow-up to “Killing Eve,” a new series teaming Steve Martin and Martin Short, and the first American appearance of a classic of Nordic noir.

From New York Times • Jun. 3, 2021

How could Martin Beck, the father of Nordic noir, have been overlooked?

From Washington Post • Apr. 9, 2021

Even the most successful exponents of Nordic noir, however, do sometimes chafe against the constraints of the genre.

From The Guardian • Mar. 3, 2020

Glum and murky, Dublin Murders makes literal what French only alludes to in pursuit of a Nordic noir melancholy that doesn’t quite gibe with the series’ Irish setting.

From Slate • Nov. 8, 2019

British and American readers woke up to Nordic noir with Stieg Larsson’s “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo,” translated into English in 2008.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 10, 2019