From Stieg Larrson to Henning Mankell

Henning Mankell, creator of the Kurt Wallander series

You remember “The Girl Who…” series. You know, first she had a dragon tattoo, then she played with fire, and finally kicked the hornet’s nest. It was a great series, if a tad on the violent side. When I read the books, I knew that the author, Stieg Larrson, was already dead. But, like a fool, I read all three compulsively in like 4 or 5 days. And instantly regretted it—I wanted more!

So what to do? Luckily, the popularity of Larrson’s books paved the way for a Swedish invasion of gritty, detail-rich and very Scandinavian detective stories. Henning Mankell, enormously popular in Sweden and writing since the 1970s, hadn’t really gained much popularity in the U.S. until “the Girl Who…” His series about Kurt Wallander is great. Though a universe away from Larrson’s action-packed, tech-heavy yarns with danger awaiting Mikael and Lisbeth on every page, Mankell’s stories share the emphasis on smart detective work, incorporation of social issues, and on the violence that somehow seems out of place in the Swedish landscape. In fact what they share most is the “Swedishness” of it all—the pervasive cold, the obstinate state apparatus and unflappable characters. Kurt Wallander (there are 10 books in the series) is a cranky, dogged, lonely character. He makes mistakes, alienates people, broods and has memory losses. His instincts are frequently spot on, though and he doesn’t give up.

The books have made into two TV series—one in Swedish with English subtitles, the other a BBC production with Kenneth Branagh as Kurt Wallander.  Mankell’s books and both TV series are available at the Wellesley Free Library.

–Rob Lerman