Wallander author Mankell dies at 67

Henning Mankell, the internationally renowned Swedish crime writer whose books about the gloomy, soulsearching police inspector Kurt Wallander enticed readers around the world, died early Monday, his publisher said. He was 67.

The hesitant figurehead of Scandinavian crime fiction, who last year revealed he had cancer, died in his sleep, his publisher said.

Mankell wrote some 50 novels and numerous plays, selling more than 40 million copies worldwide.

Following in the footsteps of the popular 1960s Swedish crime-writing duo of Maj Sjowall and Per Wahloo, Mankell’s Wallander series helped define the Scandinavian genre that became known as Nordic noir. Set in the bleak landscapes of southern Sweden, the series drew on the dark, morally complex moods of its main protagonist and was heavily infused with social commentary.

Mankell himself was deeply engaged in social and political issues. Since the mid-1980s he had divided his time between Sweden and Mozambique, where he helped build a village for orphaned children to raise awareness about HIV and AIDS. He was also among the activists who were attacked and arrested by Israeli forces as they tried to sail to the Gaza Strip with humanitarian supplies in June 2010.

The first Wallander novel, Faceless Killers, was published in 1991 and the series was completed in 2009 with the 10th novel, The Troubled Man. The books have been translated into more than 40 languages and been adapted into films and TV series in Sweden, and a popular BBC series starring Kenneth Branagh.

Mankell’s success paved the way for other Scandinavian authors abroad, including The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo author Stieg Larsson.