Stieg Larsson's family retorts in inheritance feud

[January 21, 2011]  STOCKHOLM (AP) -- Stieg Larsson's brother has rejected claims by the late crime novelist's longtime companion that the family is trying to squeeze every penny from Larsson's posthumous fame.

Joakim Larsson says he and his father -- who inherited the writer's estate -- plan to donate most of the 250 million kronor ($38 million) they've earned to date from the popular books to charity.

On a talk show airing Friday in Sweden, Joakim Larsson says the family hasn't "even thought about" keeping the money.

The writer's companion for three decades, Eva Gabrielsson, wants control of Larsson's works and says the family is commercializing his legacy for profit. She inherited nothing because they weren't married and Larsson didn't leave a will when he died in 2004.

[Associated Press]

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