When I first encountered the phenomenon, I assumed it was a modern marketing campaign. However, it turns out that the origins of påskekrim go back almost 100 years.
In February 1923, two young Norwegian authors Nordahl Grieg and Nils Lie wrote a crime novel. But it was the involvement of publisher Gyldendal that would both propel the novel to fame and create a nationwide obsession for years to come.
The publisher arranged a front page advertisement on the Norwegian newspaper Aftenposten with the slogan
Bergenstoget plyndret i natt (Bergen train looted in the night), referring to the world-famous
Oslo to Bergen railway.
So many people confused the stunt for a real news story that the stunt achieved widespread coverage and the book became a bestseller. Ever since, crime novels and easter have been happy bedfellows.
Gyldenhal's Bjarne Buset told
Visit Norway that the easter tradition of staying at a cabin enables påskekrim: “Few other countries have as many days off during easter as Norway. The length of our holiday means that we have time to read.”