Henning Mankell Books In Order

Publication Order of Joel Gustafsson Books

Publication Order of Kurt Wallander Books

Publication Order of Kurt Wallander Collections

Publication Order of Sofia Alface Books

Publication Order of Linda Wallander Books

Publication Order of Fredrik WelinBooks

Publication Order of Standalone Novels

Publication Order of Children's Books

Publication Order of Non-Fiction Books

Publication Order of Short Stories/Novellas

Publication Order of Anthologies

Born in Stockholm Sweden in the year 1948 on the 3rd of February to parents who divorced when he was just a year old, Mankell’s childhood must have been far from smooth. This is due to the absence of his mother during his early years. Iver Mankell -Henning’s father- was appointed as a high court judge in the small Swedish town of Sveg shortly after Henning’s birth .Mankell and his elder sister lived with him there for the greater part of their childhood. While reminiscing about his life , Mankell often recalls his childhood moments in Sveg as some of the best in his life. This is despite the occasional loneliness he felt due to the lack of motherly love and affection in his childhood. Underscoring the importance of Sveg in Mankell’s life is the fact that the four book ‘boy Joel’ series was based in this small yet serenely beautiful Swedish town.

Henning Mankell has revealed on numerous occasions that his childhood was characterised by wide reading that drove his imagination wild .Taught at the age of six by his grandmother to read ,Mankell recalls, with much delight , his child hood reading days. Perhaps, much credit should be accorded to Judge Mankell who Henning says always encouraged them to read although he never lay much emphasis on what he and his sister should read specifically. Mankell credits his later writing accomplishments to this early reading liberty that was granted by his father. Indeed , the role played by this early freedom in moulding his character and style as an author was very crucial.

Henning passed away in 2015.

Mankell moved to the Swedish town of Boras at the age of thirteen. Consequently ,he discontinued his secondary education at sixteen because of being bored with it. Henning then left for the French capital of Paris. However ,after a short stint in France, Henning left again to work as a sea man on a Swedish ship as a stevedore. Mankell would later, upon much thought and reflection, describe his experience on the ship as his real university. To this very day , Mankell greatly treasures his experiences aboard the vessel and recalls with deep affection ,respect and admiration the ship’s decent and diligent community.

Henning Mankell did not make his debut into the world of novel writing until 1973 shortly after the demise of his father. Mankell remembers, with great sadness, this unfortunate event and often wishes that his diligent and dedicated father had seen the onset of his prosperous and widely acclaimed writing career . However, despite his death, Mankell has always been certain of his father’s belief in and support for his work. Mankell’s first novel was titled
‘The stone Blaster’. The novel told the story of Swedish workers union movement and its success is proved by its continued printing even in the present day. Before releasing his first novel , Mankell had moved back to Paris and settled there in 1966.Mankell has described his financial situation during this time as extremely dire. Subsequently ,he moved to Stockholm to work as a stage hand. It was while working as a stagehand that Henning wrote his first play titled ‘The Amusement Park’. Henning Mankell then proceeded to write numerous novels and plays since then and cemented his place as one of the greatest novelists of all time.

One of the most outstanding works by Henning is the novel ‘Daisy Sisters ‘ which was published in 1982.The novel is about three generations of women in a Swedish history back drop. Written in a simple yet wonderful way, the novel is a literary masterpiece. In the novel , Elna is impregnated by a soldier after a gruesome act of rape on a journey with her penfriend ,Viv.This is a sharp and unexpected twist of events since Elna was initially very excited to meet her long time penfriend. The story then jumps to when Elna’s daughter ,Eivor, is a teenager and harbours her own dreams, visions and aspirations. After an intricate description of Eivor’s life, the story shifts focus to when Eivor is about 40 years old and has a teenage daughter .The storyline is not full of twists and turns like a typical novel. Instead, it revolves around depression and the fact that every time each of the women is about to become successful ,an unexpected pregnancy gets in their way and changes the course of their life in a significant and unexpected way.

‘Secrets In The Fire’ is another widely acclaimed novel that Henning Mankell is famed for writing. Just like the title, the novel is very captivating and full of intrigue. The novel is a children’s book and has been a great read for many children since its maiden publication. Revolving around a main character named Sofia ,the plot is centered around the attempts of the village’s wise woman trying to teach Sofia some secrets. Numerous adversities such incapacitation by a landmine and the loss of her sisters must be overcome by Sofia in the course of her life. Gradually, Sofia realises that she is not as weak she had previously thought and manages to master her inner strength to trudge on in life. The book certainly meets all criteria and standards of a literary masterpiece in most , if not all, respects.

Henning Mankell is more widely known for his Wallander crime series. The novels were so successful that they were made into a Swedish crime TV series. One of the first series produced in 2005 and 2006 was taken directly from the novels while the rest of the storylines were suggested by Henning himself. The Swedish TV versions that had 26 episodes were all aired on BBC .Few authors can lay claim to such an incredible fete. Some of the best novels in the wallander series are; Faceless killers, The Dogs Of Riga, The white lioness and Side Tracked.

It is also important to take note of the fact that Mankell spent most of his life in Africa .By his own admission, Henning Mankell reveals that this exposure to diverse cultures has played a crucial role in the molding of his character as an author. Since 1986 to the present day ,he spends at least half the year in Teatro Avenida in Maputo , Mozambique as an artistic leader.

3 Responses to “Henning Mankell”

1. Paul Jarvis: 1 year ago

   Wonderful author. I am trying to get hold of copies of Tea-Bag and The Daisy Girls in English language.
   My daughter and myself have then read every book Henning wrote.
   RIP Sir.

   Reply
2. Christine Christie: 2 years ago

   is Henning Mankell still alive?
   what are the last few book written be him please?

   Thank you

   Reply
   • Graeme: 2 years ago

     Unfortunately, he died in 2015.

     Reply