I’m often asked what inspires the creation of a character. For me, my protagonist is typically drawn from several people who I know, who exist only in the literary world or who I might have seen and taken a photo of during my travels. This was the case for Galina-Elizabeta Ivanof.
Stieg Larsson’s detective character, Lisbeth Salander, the “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo,” was apparently inspired by Pippi Longstocking. It came from a work colleague.
Stieg got the idea for the character Lisbeth Salander after a discussion during a break from work. They were talking about how different characters from children’s books would manage and behave if they were alive and grown up. Stieg especially liked the idea about a grown up Pippi Longstocking, a dysfunctional girl, probably with attention deficit disorder who would have had a hard time finding a regular place in the “normal society,” and he used … those characteristics when he created Lisbeth Salander.
Lisbeth Salander has become an iconic and beloved character for several reasons. She is deeply complex with a unique mix of vulnerability and strength. Her personality is shaped by her traumatic past, yet she emerges as a fierce, independent, and intelligent individual.
Lisbeth challenges societal norms, particularly regarding gender roles. She refuses to conform to expectations and maintains her independence at all costs. This makes her a symbol of empowerment, particularly for women who see in her a figure of strength and self-reliance.
Her role in solving complex mysteries, often out of pure curiosity or a sense of justice, makes her a fascinating character in the crime fiction genre.
Her methods are unorthodox, but her results are impressive. And her distinctive appearance, including her tattoos, piercings, and punk fashion, visually symbolizes her rejection of societal expectations. I also like the face that she makes morally ambiguous decisions.
So in case you haven’t guessed, Galina shares some of these qualities but is a softer version of Lisbeth.
This is how Galina introduces herself to the other competitors at the start of the survival competition in Alone with a Tasman Tiger.
‘I’m thirty-six. You are unlikely to remember my name so you can call me Betty. My mother is Estonian, my father was Australian. He died. What are my strengths?’ She spat on the ground. ‘I’ve killed a bear. Does that count? Yes, the bear was protected but my dog was not. I’ve spent many nights in the forest in Estonia. I think that will be useful. There are few things that frighten me. To relax I smoke. When I can’t smoke, I play the drums. I’ve entered this game because, well, why not?’
Later on the story, she reveals her feistiness when a man attempts to pick her up in a bar…
‘Hello gorgeous. Which yacht did you sail in on?’
Galina swivelled around in her chair and looked at the inebriated sailor wearing a shirt identifying him as crew of the Eagle Express. It was obvious from the tone of his question, and the glassy look in his eyes that he was hoping to leverage his team’s recent race success, to success in other areas.
‘I’m not a sailor,’ she replied.
‘Then a model, perhaps?’ he asked. Galina sighed and regarded the man carefully.
‘No. I work at an abattoir. My speciality is disembowelling pigs.’ The man froze, suddenly lost for words.
Intrigued? You can learn about Galina in Alone with a Tasman Tiger. Available from all major online book stores.
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