A mystery writer I like . . .
One Step Behind Firewall Sidetracked The White Lioness
Henning Mankell is a Swedish mystery writer whose
books seem to suddenly be appearing in print here in the States. That's good
news. Mankell's detective, Kurt Wallender, is by turns brooding, remorseful,
sentimental, angry, and anxious. But rather than representing some neo-noir
detective-as-schmuck, Mankell creates a compelling character - - driven to solve
crimes yet consistently horrified by the truths he discovers.
The mysteries, set in Swedish provincial towns and cities almost always revolve around two big themes: the steady decline of social-democratic Swedish culture (especially as a kind of Euro-neo-liberalism gnaws away at it) and Sweden's increasing integration into a world economy and culture, though often not the kind of gleaming, just-in-time economy of world cars, digital lifestyles, and MTV infotainment.
Sidetracked for instance opens with the shocking self-immolation of a young girl in a field in rural Sweden. It turns out the girl is a teenager from the Dominican Republic and how she arrived at distant field loaded with gas cans dovetails with Wallender's other investigation into a gruesome serial murderer.
Does this make it sound like Wallender is some kind of Scandanavian isolationist? GIven Mankell's engagement with globalization (he splits his time between Sweden and directing a community theater project in Africa), I doubt it. Mankell seems to be implying that Sweden's decline is part of a larger descent.
In any case, the mysteries are meaty page turners which don't sacrifice character for plot, but instead use the plot to help explore the social fabric of Sweden and the rich psychological territory of Wallender's consciousness. Like a fine drug, these novels will push deeper and deeper you into the late hours of the night.
The mysteries, set in Swedish provincial towns and cities almost always revolve around two big themes: the steady decline of social-democratic Swedish culture (especially as a kind of Euro-neo-liberalism gnaws away at it) and Sweden's increasing integration into a world economy and culture, though often not the kind of gleaming, just-in-time economy of world cars, digital lifestyles, and MTV infotainment.
Sidetracked for instance opens with the shocking self-immolation of a young girl in a field in rural Sweden. It turns out the girl is a teenager from the Dominican Republic and how she arrived at distant field loaded with gas cans dovetails with Wallender's other investigation into a gruesome serial murderer.
Does this make it sound like Wallender is some kind of Scandanavian isolationist? GIven Mankell's engagement with globalization (he splits his time between Sweden and directing a community theater project in Africa), I doubt it. Mankell seems to be implying that Sweden's decline is part of a larger descent.
In any case, the mysteries are meaty page turners which don't sacrifice character for plot, but instead use the plot to help explore the social fabric of Sweden and the rich psychological territory of Wallender's consciousness. Like a fine drug, these novels will push deeper and deeper you into the late hours of the night.
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Published On: May 23, 2004 01:07 PM
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Published On: May 23, 2004 01:07 PM