Anders Burius


Erik Anders Burius, was a Swedish intellectual historian and director of the National Library of Sweden's manuscript department where he became known as the infamous "KB-mannen" after the theft and sale of several valuable books from the library's collection.

Biography

Anders Burius studied at Uppsala University where he in 1984 did his intellectual history dissertation "Ömhet om friheten - Studier i frihetstidens censurpolitik" . He also passed degrees in law, librarian, and real estate broker. After his studies he worked, among other, at the Caroline Institute's library. Towards the end of the 1980s he applied for the position of professor in History of Books at Lund University, but did not receive it despite ardent appeals in the appointment process. Instead, for a short period, Anders Burius pursued a legal career before returning to the library world in 1995 as director of the National Library of Sweden's manuscript department.
In a book released in 1995, "Biblioteken, kulturen och den sociala intelligensen", Anders Burius expressed in one article the view that all library history investigations need not be scientific in the strictest sense. Instead, Anders Burius emphasized the importance of practical experience and interaction with the current collections in his professional management. On behalf of the Swedish Academy, Anders Burius also wrote a commemorative book on the history of the Nobel Library.
After several years of thievery and selling of at least 56 stolen valuable books from the Nation Library's collection, Ander Burius was exposed and later confessed the thefts in 2004. On December 8th, 2004, at 04:39 in the morning SOS Alarm received calls about a major explosion in central Stockholm. Thirteen fire trucks from four fire departments was sent to the scene, sixteen police patrols blocked off the area, and fifty-five people was evacuated by bus. During a short release from pre-court custody Ander Burius had committed suicide by slitting his wrist and cutting the gas line in his apartment, which later resulted in an extensive explosion with about a dozen of injured. His body was found among the debris four days later.

Media

In 2009, Sveriges Radio channel P1 aired a documentary about Anders Burius, Bibliotekarien by Jesper Huor, that won Stora Radiopriset . During 2010 the drama series Bibliotekstjuven was made by SVT with Gustaf Skarsgård in the lead, inspired by the events surrounding "the RL Man", and aired on SVT1 in January 2011. The director Daniel Lind Lagerlöf termed the series "a drama inspired by a real story" and "not a drama documentary".