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Kurt Wallander

Kurt Wallander(Swedish pronunciation:[vaˈlǎnːdɛr]) is a fictionalSwedish policeinspectorcreated by Swedish crime writerHenning Mankell(1948 – 2015). He is theprotagonistof manythriller/mystery novelsset in and around the town ofYstad,56 km (35 mi) south-east of the city ofMalmö,in the southern province ofScania.Wallander has been portrayed on screen by the actorsRolf Lassgård,Krister Henriksson,Kenneth BranaghandAdam Pålsson.

Kurt Wallander
Rolf Lassgårdas Kurt Wallander in 2003
First appearanceFaceless Killers
Last appearanceThe Troubled Man
Created byHenning Mankell
Portrayed byRolf Lassgård
Krister Henriksson
Kenneth Branagh
Gustaf Skarsgård
Lennart Jähkel
Adam Pålsson
In-universe information
GenderMale
OccupationPolice Officer
SpouseMona Wallander
ChildrenLinda Wallander
NationalitySwedish

Fictional character biography

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Wallander is said to live on Mariagatan in Ystad.

Wallander was born in 1948.[1]His mother died when he was about 14.[2]After completing national service,[3]he joined the police. As a young police officer, he was nearly killed when a drunk whom he was questioning stabbed him with abutcher'sknife(this is mentioned in the account of his first case). He has a sister, Kristina. Wallander was once married, but his wife Mona left him and he has since had a difficult relationship with his rebellious only child, Linda, who barely survived a suicide attempt when she was fifteen. He also has issues with his father, an artist who has painted the same landscape 7,000 times for a living; the elder Wallander strongly disapproved of his son's decision to join the police force and frequently derides him for it.

Wallander is a great fan ofopera;while in his car he regularly listens to recordings of famous opera singers such asMaria Callas,and when he can find the time goes to opera performances, sometimes crossing over toCopenhagen,Denmarkfor this purpose. At one time, Wallander had dreamed of making opera his life, leaving the police force and becoming theimpresarioof his friend, Sten Widén, atenorwho aspired to sing opera. But Widén's voice was not good enough and the dream came to naught—a crushing disappointment in Wallander's life (as in Widén's).

Inspector Wallander has few close friends and is known for his less-than-desirable lifestyle; he consumes too muchalcoholandjunk food,exercises very little, and sometimes struggles with anger. He frequently regards the crimes he investigates on a very personal level, throwing himself into catching criminals and going against the orders of his superiors to try to solve a case, often with negative effects on his emotional stability.

Over the years he has grown increasingly disillusioned with his work and often wonders whether he should have become a police officer at all. He was once falsely sued and harassed forpolice brutalityand still lives with the guilt of having shot and killed a man in the fog, an act which drove him into depression and nearly led to his resignation. His relationships with his colleagues are tentative; they are alternately amazed by his intellect and frustrated by his brusque manner and aggressive tactics.

He is frequently at loose ends socially and with his family. After the breakup of his marriage, he had an affair with Annette Brolin, the prosecutor with whom he was working on some cases — but she was married and had children, and would not consider divorcing for his sake ( "Faceless Killers"). In later years, he maintains a somewhat inconsistent romantic relationship with Baiba Liepa, a woman inRiga,Latvia,whom he met while investigating a murder there, until it eventually dissolves. Over the course of the series he is diagnosed withdiabetes,and towards the end of his career he suffers from memory lapses, discovering he has developedAlzheimer's disease,with which his father was also afflicted.

Novels

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The following Kurt Wallander novels have been translated into English. They are listed in the order that they were originally published in Sweden:

  1. Mördare utan ansikte(1991; English translation bySteven T. Murray:Faceless Killers,1997)
  2. Hundarna i Riga(1992; English translation byLaurie Thompson:The Dogs of Riga,2001)
  3. Den vita lejoninnan(1993; English translation byLaurie Thompson:The White Lioness,1998)
  4. Mannen som log(1994; English translation byLaurie Thompson:The Man Who Smiled,2005)
  5. Villospår(1995; English translation bySteven T. Murray:Sidetracked,1999)
  6. Den femte kvinnan(1996; English translation bySteven T. Murray:The Fifth Woman,2000)
  7. Steget efter(1997; English translation byEbba Segerberg:One Step Behind,2002)
  8. Brandvägg(1998; English translation byEbba Segerberg:Firewall,2002)
  9. Pyramiden(1999; short stories; English translation byEbba SegerbergwithLaurie Thompson:The Pyramid,2008)
  10. Handen(2004; novella; originally published in Dutch (2004) asHet Graf(The Grave).[4]Published in Swedish, 2013. English translation byLaurie Thompson:An Event in Autumn,2014)
  11. Den orolige mannen(2009; English translation byLaurie Thompson:The Troubled Man,2011)

The following novel features Wallander's daughter Linda in the lead, while he is a secondary character:

It was intended as the first of a spinoff trilogy. However Mankell was so distraught after the suicide ofJohanna Sällström,the actress playing the character at the time in the Swedish TV series, that he decided to abandon the series after only the first novel.[5]

The order that the novels occur in thetimeline of the seriesis shown below (with the title of the English translation shown in parentheses). Note that there is some overlap in the timeline among the novels as there are three separate series.[6]

  1. Pyramiden(The Pyramid)
  2. Mördare utan ansikte(Faceless Killers)
  3. Hundarna i Riga(The Dogs of Riga)
  4. Den vita lejoninnan(The White Lioness)
  5. Mannen som log(The Man Who Smiled)
  6. Villospår(Sidetracked)
  7. Den femte kvinnan(The Fifth Woman)
  8. Steget efter(One Step Behind)
  9. Brandvägg(Firewall)
  10. Innan frosten(Before the Frost)
  11. Handen(An Event in Autumn)
  12. Den orolige mannen(The Troubled Man)

TV and film

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Film series (Swedish)

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Main article:Wallander (film series)

Between 1994 and 2007, all nine Wallander novels published at the time were made into films in Sweden starringRolf Lassgårdas Wallander:

  • Mördare utan ansikte[Faceless Killers], 1994
  • Hundarna i Riga[The Dogs of Riga], 1995
  • Den vita lejoninnan[The White Lioness], 1996
  • Villospår[Sidetracked], 2001
  • Den 5e kvinnan[The Fifth Woman], 2002
  • Mannen som log[The Man Who Smiled], 2003
  • Steget efter[One Step Behind], 2005
  • Brandvägg[Firewall], 2006
  • Pyramiden[The Pyramid] (video only), 2007

TV series (Swedish)

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Main article:Wallander (Swedish TV series)
Krister Henriksson,who portrays Wallander in the Swedish TV series, pictured at the48th Guldbagge Awards

From 2005 to 2006, 13 new stories, starringKrister Henrikssonas Kurt Wallander andJohanna Sällströmas Linda Wallander, were produced. The first film, based onBefore the Frost,was released in cinemas. The rest are original stories not based on any of Mankell's books, and were released on DVD, with the exception ofMastermindwhich was also released in cinemas.

  • Innan frosten[Before the Frost].
  • Byfånen[The Village Idiot].
  • Bröderna[The Brothers].
  • Mörkret[The Darkness].
  • Afrikanen[The African].
  • Mastermind[Mastermind].
  • Den svaga punkten[The Tricksters].
  • Fotografen[The Photographer].
  • Täckmanteln[The Container Lorry].
  • Luftslottet[The Castle Ruins].
  • Blodsband[Bloodties].
  • Jokern[The Joker].
  • Hemligheten[The Secret].

Two of these films were directed by BAFTA award-winning Swedish directorJonas Grimås,who outside Sweden is best known for his work on British television such as the 1990s crime dramaSecond Sight(Kingdom of the Blind) starringClive Owen,police drama seriesHeartbeat,andHamish Macbeth.[7]

Yellow Birdannounced in March 2008 that 13 new Swedish language Wallander films were to be made withKrister Henriksson.Production started in 2008. These new films were to have a more political slant than the previous films starring Henriksson.[8][9]The first production in the second series,Hämnden[The Revenge],was given a cinematic launch in Sweden on 9 January 2009 before being released on DVD. The theme over the closing credits is "Quiet Night", sung byAnna Ternheim.The remaining were scheduled to be released on DVD during early 2010:

  • Hämnden[The Revenge].
  • Skulden[The Guilt].
  • Kuriren[The Courier].
  • Tjuven[The Thief].
  • Cellisten[The Cellist].
  • Prästen[The Priest].
  • Läckan[The Leak].
  • Skytten[The Sniper].
  • Dödsängeln[The Angel of Death].
  • Vålnaden[The Phantom].
  • Arvet[The Heritage].
  • Indrivaren[The Collector].
  • Vittnet[The Witness].[10]

A third series consisting of six episodes was released in 2013. This is the last season with Krister Henriksson. In these final episodes, Kurt Wallander suffers from memory problems because ofAlzheimer's disease,and he cannot continue to work as a policeman.

  • Den orolige mannen
  • Försvunnen
  • Sveket
  • Saknaden
  • Mordbrännaren
  • Sorgfågeln.

TV series (British)

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Kenneth Branagh in 2011
Main article:Wallander (UK TV series)

The novels have also been adapted as twelve television films for theBBC,produced byYellow BirdandLeft Bank Pictures.The series starsKenneth Branaghas Wallander. The episodes have not been filmed in the order in which the original novels were published, resulting in changes to the backstories of the lead characters in the films. The first series consisted of the novelsSidetracked,FirewallandOne Step Behind.These three were shot on location in Ystad in the summer of 2008, with a combined budget of £6 million ($12 million). They aired in late 2008 on the BBC.

A second series of Wallander adaptations was commissioned by the BBC from the same production team in 2008. Broadcast in January 2010, the second series was composed of adaptations ofFaceless Killers,The Man Who Smiled,andThe Fifth Woman.

The third series began shooting in Ystad andRiga,Latviain the Summer of 2011 and continued into the winter. Broadcast in July 2012, it consists of adaptations ofAn Event in Autumn,The Dogs of RigaandBefore the Frost.While the novelBefore the Frosthas Wallander's daughter Linda as its protagonist detective, the story was adapted for television so that Wallander himself became the lead.

The BBCWallanderseries concluded in May 2016 with a three-episode fourth series consisting of an adaptation ofThe White Lionessand a two-episode adaptation of Mankell's final Wallander novel,The Troubled Man.[11]

Special appearances

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Mankell's friend and writerJan Guillouused Kurt Wallander in the 10th book of hisCarl Hamilton-seriesEn medborgare höjd över varje misstanke[A Citizen Above Suspicion].Guillou and Mankell also co-wrote the Swedish crime-drama mini seriesTalismanenand here we also encounter Kurt Wallander as a supporting character, this time portrayed by actorLennart Jähkel.[12]

Young Wallander

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Starting in September 2020, streaming serviceNetflixlaunched a new English-language series based on the character, entitledYoung Wallander.The series depicts Wallander (Adam Pålsson) as a rookie detective in present-day Malmö, as opposed to the usual setting of Ystad. The show is not based on any of the novels, nor does it feature any of the familiar supporting characters from Mankell's works.

Young Wallanderis a Swedish-UK co-production, with Pålsson the sole Swedish actor, amidst a mostly British cast. In November 2020, the series was renewed for a second season.

See also

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References

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  1. ^Mankell, Henning (2013). "How It Started, How It Finished And What Happened In Between".An Event in Autumn.London: Penguin Random House - Vintage.ISBN978-1-7847-0084-3.
  2. ^Mankell, Henning (2009). "Chapter 30".The Troubled Man.London: Random House - Vintage.ISBN978-0-099-54840-9.
  3. ^Mankell, Henning (2009). "Chapter 4".The Troubled Man.London: Random House - Vintage.ISBN978-0-099-54840-9.
  4. ^"Inspector Wallander.org website".Archived fromthe originalon 2019-09-04.Retrieved2014-03-21.
  5. ^Gallagher, Paul (27 December 2009)."Henning Mankell creates a 'female Wallander' following star's suicide".The Observer.
  6. ^Inspector-Wallander.org."Timeline of the Kurt Wallander Stories".Archived fromthe originalon 2010-03-08.Retrieved2010-03-20.
  7. ^Filmography by TV series for Jonas Grimås,IMDb.
  8. ^"Klart för 13 mer politiska Wallanderfilmer"(in Swedish).Dagens Nyheter.2008-03-25. Archived fromthe originalon 2008-12-08.Retrieved2009-11-06.
  9. ^Rehlin, Gunnar (2008-03-26)."TV4 picks up more Wallander pics – Yellow Bird to produce another 13 films".Variety.Retrieved2009-11-06.
  10. ^"Second Swedish language production"(announcement). SE: Yellow Bird. 2008-03-25.Retrieved2010-01-08.
  11. ^Gilbert, Gerard (2012-06-23),"Wallander: Swede dreams are made of this",The Independent(feature),UK.
  12. ^"Kurt Wallander",IMDb(character)

Further reading

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