Henning Mankell's Wallander

[Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 7,210
Forum Member
Anyone read / reading a Wallander mystery?

http://www.inspector-wallander.org/

Now they intend filming them in Sweden with a UK cast

http://observer.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,,1810958,00.html
«1

Comments

  • billiesmithbilliesmith Posts: 11,912
    Forum Member
    ✭✭
    Yes I have read a few of them and enjoyed them. I have said before on this forum that Wallander is kind of like a Swedish Rebus.

    I don't tend to watch much tv or films and have never seen any of the Rebus tv series. John Hannah being originally cast as Rebus certainly put me off and I haven't seen any of the new actor so I can't comment on him. I probably wouldn't watch any Wallander programmes either.

    But if you enjoy a good detective story give them a try (there was one set mainly in South Africa which I particulary enjoyed but I can't remember the name of it at the moment).
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 7,210
    Forum Member
    Yes I have read a few of them and enjoyed them. I have said before on this forum that Wallander is kind of like a Swedish Rebus.

    I don't tend to watch much tv or films and have never seen any of the Rebus tv series. John Hannah being originally cast as Rebus certainly put me off and I haven't seen any of the new actor so I can't comment on him. I probably wouldn't watch any Wallander programmes either.

    But if you enjoy a good detective story give them a try (there was one set mainly in South Africa which I particulary enjoyed but I can't remember the name of it at the moment).

    The White Lioness

    My two favourites are One Step Behind and Fifth Woman.

    I created a list of decent Swedish Detective Fiction on amazon

    http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/richpub/listmania/fullview/R2PWA072Y5BOOM/ref=cm_lm_detail_ctr_full_3/026-3291998-3614013
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 1,048
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    Yes, a Swedish Rebus is a good description. I listen to the audio book versions in the car, as I'm driving about a lot. Sometimes it's difficult to match up the Swedish pronounciation of people and place names with the written ones. For instance the W is pronounced as a V like in German. I can't imagine what a film would be like. Some of his murder scenes are a bit grisly.
  • billiesmithbilliesmith Posts: 11,912
    Forum Member
    ✭✭
    The White Lioness

    My two favourites are One Step Behind and Fifth Woman.

    I created a list of decent Swedish Detective Fiction on amazon

    http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/richpub/listmania/fullview/R2PWA072Y5BOOM/ref=cm_lm_detail_ctr_full_3/026-3291998-3614013

    Thanks for that list - it looks interesting. I am always on the look out for authors that I haven't read before and there are quite a few on there.

    Thanks also for jogging my memory re title.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 7,210
    Forum Member
    Thanks for that list - it looks interesting. I am always on the look out for authors that I haven't read before and there are quite a few on there.

    Thanks also for jogging my memory re title.


    The Hakan Nesser title is the second in an ongoing series. The first has not been published (yet). I like Mankell the most, closely followed by the Tursten books in my list.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 328
    Forum Member
    Interesting list. I love the Mankell books and am always on the look-out for new recommendations.
    Thank you.

    I had heard that they were going to make them into a series for British TV. Wonder who will play Wallander? Not convinced about some of the names mooted in the article.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 7,210
    Forum Member
    sybil wrote:
    Interesting list. I love the Mankell books and am always on the look-out for new recommendations.
    Thank you.

    I had heard that they were going to make them into a series for British TV. Wonder who will play Wallander? Not convinced about some of the names mooted in the article.


    No neither am I. A little more thought needs to be had rather than the names suggested. I think Clive Owen is a fantastic actor, but never in a million years could I see him as a convincing drunk divorced Wallander!! :)
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 7,210
    Forum Member
    There is one more Wallander book from 1998 not yet translated into English. I read it in Swedish around 2000 and it is full of short stories of Kurt Wallander set in the 60s and 70s when he meets his wife, the anti-Vietnam war protests ae happening too. Pyramiden translates simply to The Pyramid and might get a publishing here if enough fans contact the UK publishers of the other 8 novels.

    Harvill Secker is the part of Random House that has the UK rights. Email them at

    http://www.randomhouse.co.uk/index.html

    Pyramiden in Swedish

    http://www.kanalen.org/bok/rec.php?id=343
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 328
    Forum Member
    Are they in any sort of priority order?

    I have read ' When the Devil Holds the Candle' which I really enjoyed - very tense and a good twist, but that's it out of that list. Which would you particularly recommend?
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 7,210
    Forum Member
    sybil wrote:
    Are they in any sort of priority order?

    I have read ' When the Devil Holds the Candle' which I really enjoyed - very tense and a good twist, but that's it out of that list. Which would you particularly recommend?


    Mainly in the correct chronological order as was published in Norway.

    Anne Holt is good. I haev not read her Punishment, however I read (in Swedish) Blind Goddess (1995) which has not had an English translation (yet). This was excellent, so I expect Punishment to be equally good.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 7,210
    Forum Member
    Anyone into a Wallander mystery at the moment?
  • tanstaafltanstaafl Posts: 21,814
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    I read The Dogs of Riga a year or so ago. What I mainly remember is that it was full of Latvians, none of whom were what they seemed to be. However, he's on my list of authors to be read again sometime.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 7,210
    Forum Member
    I wish that the final Wallander novel The Pyramid would get a translation into English.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 68
    Forum Member
    I like the Wallander books but he annoys me a little by the drawn out descriptions sometimes which, to me, affects the pace of the story.
  • Paper DollPaper Doll Posts: 3,398
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    If you've read all the Wallander books and want to read something (very) similar I'd recommend Arnuldur Indridason's Tainted Blood and the Gold Dagger winning Silence of the Grave.

    I can't believe that Sjowall and Wahloo aren't on your Swedish Crime List, Vinegar Vera, because there's no-one better, The Laughing Policeman is the best police procedural novel ever written, Roseanna and The Man Who Went Up in Smoke are also fantastic.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 7,210
    Forum Member
    Paper Doll wrote:
    If you've read all the Wallander books and want to read something (very) similar I'd recommend Arnuldur Indridason's Tainted Blood and the Gold Dagger winning Silence of the Grave.

    I can't believe that Sjowall and Wahloo aren't on your Swedish Crime List, Vinegar Vera, because there's no-one better, The Laughing Policeman is the best police procedural novel ever written, Roseanna and The Man Who Went Up in Smoke are also fantastic.


    I was trying to make it a modern (well 1990 - present) list really. But yes I do love the Sjowall Wahloo series with Beck. Some of the recent films have been good with him too.

    Mankell is by far my favourite though and I have yet to read three of the Wallander books. I like the series so much, I want to make it last!!
  • Miss_MooMiss_Moo Posts: 8,997
    Forum Member
    Do you have to read the stories in order? I've just picked up a copy of 'The Man Who Smiled' but I don't want to read it if it will mess up the books before it.
  • ElanorElanor Posts: 13,326
    Forum Member
    ✭✭
    Miss_Moo wrote: »
    Do you have to read the stories in order? I've just picked up a copy of 'The Man Who Smiled' but I don't want to read it if it will mess up the books before it.

    I don't think so, although they do make little references to things that have happened in the past. But I started reading them in the middle, read three in a row and then went back to the beginning. They made sense and there weren't any problems. But after reading the first ones, little things in the later books fell into place for me.

    I love Wallander. Not hugely keen on the one about the African guy who's in Ystad to murder someone, because there were huge chunks without any Wallander, told from the murderer's perspective, and I got bored and missed Kurt.

    I'm currently reading The Return of the Dancing Master, which isn't Wallander but is about Stefan Lindman (who you'll know if you've watched the Swedish Wallander series) before he came to Ystad. It's really good, and I'm gripped so far.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 708
    Forum Member
    ✭✭
    Miss_Moo wrote: »
    Do you have to read the stories in order? I've just picked up a copy of 'The Man Who Smiled' but I don't want to read it if it will mess up the books before it.

    I don't think it will ruin the rest but I think you would be best reading them in order. If you google Henning Mankell (or any other author) you will find a site www.fantasticfiction which lists all the books in order of publication. I use this site a lot and then order the books from my library.
  • pjayem1964pjayem1964 Posts: 279
    Forum Member
    Elanor wrote: »

    I'm currently reading The Return of the Dancing Master, which isn't Wallander but is about Stefan Lindman (who you'll know if you've watched the Swedish Wallander series) before he came to Ystad. It's really good, and I'm gripped so far.

    I too enjoyed Return Of The Dancing Master. Stefan Lindman is also mentioned fairly frequently in Before The Frost, which is a Linda Wallander novel. We briefly see Svartman too, who is in the Swedish Wallander series but not in the earlier Wallander books.

    Bye for now

    Paula
  • dosanjh1dosanjh1 Posts: 8,727
    Forum Member
    Just in case there are any Wallander fans still out there I thought I'd post this mickey take link from the Guardian

    http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2011/mar/28/the-troubled-man-henning-mankell

    It's a bit old but sums up the books perfectly!
  • VerenceVerence Posts: 104,578
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭✭
    pjayem1964 wrote: »
    I too enjoyed Return Of The Dancing Master. Stefan Lindman is also mentioned fairly frequently in Before The Frost, which is a Linda Wallander novel. We briefly see Svartman too, who is in the Swedish Wallander series but not in the earlier Wallander books.

    Bye for now

    Paula

    Oh Svartman!!
  • ElanorElanor Posts: 13,326
    Forum Member
    ✭✭
    dosanjh1 wrote: »
    Just in case there are any Wallander fans still out there I thought I'd post this mickey take link from the Guardian

    http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2011/mar/28/the-troubled-man-henning-mankell

    It's a bit old but sums up the books perfectly!

    It's worth noting that that contains ALL the spoilers for the last Wallander novel. Avoid the link if you haven't read it yet.

    It's a very apt summary. Not the jolliest of reads at all.
  • doom&gloomdoom&gloom Posts: 9,051
    Forum Member
    Most people read them out of order because they were translated out of order, same thing happened with Jo Nesbo.
Sign In or Register to comment.