Author | Henning Mankell |
---|---|
Original title | Het Graf |
Translator | Laurie Thompson |
Country | The Netherlands |
Language | Dutch |
Series | Kurt Wallander |
Genre | Crime, Mystery novel |
Publisher | De Geus |
Publication date | 2004 |
Published in English | 2014 |
Media type | Print (Hardcover, Paperback) |
Pages | 176 pp (Eng. hardback trans.) |
ISBN | 978-0-8041-7064-2 (Eng. trans.) |
Preceded by | The Pyramid |
Followed by | The Troubled Man |
An Event In Autumn is a crime novel by Swedish author Henning Mankell. It is the twelfth installation in the Inspector Wallander series, which was made into the television series Wallander. It was translated by into English by Laurie Thompson in 2013, and published in August 2014 by Vintage Books. The novel follows Wallander as he attempts to solve the murder of two unknown people. The novella was originally published in Dutch in 2004 as Het Graf. [1]
In the Swedish town of Ystad, aging Detective Kurt Wallander discovers a body when a skeletal hand surfaces in the garden of a house he is looking to buy. Forensics expert Stina Hurlén identifies the skeleton as having belonged to a woman of about fifty who had been hanged. After surveying the garden again, Wallander later discovers another skeleton, this one belonging to a man of around the same age as the first skeleton and who had been buried for the same amount of time. [2] Wallander questions neighbors and dives into the records of the home to discover who was killed, when, and who the murderer was. During his investigation, he runs into a red herring, or misleading clue, that later assists in solving the case. [3]
Wallander discovers that the murdered couple were travelers from Estonia who were said to have returned to Denmark after the end of World War II. Wallander’s investigation leads him to an elderly home where he meets the son of the Estonian travelers Ivar Pihlak, who had announced his parents' departure. [3] After speaking to Pihlak, Wallander returns to the police station, where he later learns that Pihlak has gone missing. Wallander tracks him to the house where the bodies were uncovered, and is then assaulted and knocked out by Pihlak. After Wallander regains consciousness, Pihlak confesses: his father, a controlling man, murdered his mother. In retaliation, Pihlak killed his father. He buried both bodies in the backyard of the house he was staying in. Now fearful that he will be jailed for his crime, he attempts to shoot Wallander. However, Pihlak’s gun explodes in his hand, killing him and leaving Wallander shaken but unscathed.
An Event in Autumn primarily follows the members of the Ystad Police Department. This includes Kurt Wallander, his daughter Linda Wallander, Officer Martinson, the forensic pathologist Stina Hurlén, Officer Nyberg, Officer Stefan Lindman, and the chief of police, Lisa Holgersson. Other characters include Evert and Elin Trulsson, who are nearby neighbors, and Ivar Philak, a war refugee. Karl Eriksson, who currently owns the house, and Ludvig Hansson, who owned the house at the time of the murder, are mentioned.
An Event in Autumn is set primarily within the town of Ystad, in the province of Skåne, Sweden. Ystad had a population of 29,696 in the year 2017, while Skåne had a population of 1,340,415. [4] Thus, while Skåne accounts for a large portion of Sweden’s overall population of 10,415,811 people, [5] Ystad accounts for less than 0.3% of the Swedish population.
Ystad is a small town. Attractions include an art museum, the Ystad Theatre, and the Ystad Monastery, which serves as the town history museum. [6] The newspapers referenced in the novel are most likely Ystads Allehanda, the only newspaper published in the town of Ystad. [7]
This section possibly contains original research .(May 2024) |
The murdered couple and their son were refugees from Estonia, fleeing World War II. This fact plays a large role in the investigation: Wallander had a hard time identifying the bodies because the family was not well-known in the town of Ystad, and they were not registered officially because they were refugees. [8] Their disappearance was initially not investigated due to this status; the townsfolk did not realize they were missing or believed that they had truly returned to Denmark.
This novel brings to light the struggles faced by war refugees, especially in Sweden. The Pihlak family struggled to find work and housing, resulting in their stay with Hansson. Due to the massive displacement of people caused by World War II - an estimated 65 million Europeans [8] - it was relatively easy for Ivar Pihlak to get away with his parents' murders, as disappearances were fairly common.
Henning Mankell (3 February 1948 – 5 October 2015) was a Swedish author, screenwriter, and playwright. [9] His most notable works are from the Kurt Wallander book series, including An Event in Autumn. These books have been adapted into two different Swedish television series and one English television series produced by the BBC. Mankell was a left-wing political activist, and split his time between Sweden and Africa, most often Mozambique, where he opened and financially supported a local theater. [9] [10] The character of Kurt Wallander was created as a response to what Mankell saw as an increase in racist sentiment in Sweden. [9] Mankell publicly announced that he had been diagnosed with cancer in 2014. [11] He died on the 5th of October, 2015. [12]
An Event in Autumn released to mostly positive reviews, with critics praising the strong characterization and melancholy mood of the novel. They also lament this being the final novel focusing on Kurt Wallander. [2] [3] [13]
Critics also mention the short length of the book, but most do not describe this as a negative aspect of the story. Kirkus Review claims that the length does not detract from the impact that Wallander has on the reader, and Alison Flood of The Guardian describes the book as a short but pleasant read. [2] [3] However, the review from Crime Fiction Lover does note that the briefness of the story reduces the potential for an interesting mystery. [13]
The story was adapted into an episode of the English-language British television series Wallander , starring Kenneth Branagh and was aired in 2012. [14] Because the episode was aired to English audiences prior to the release of the novella's English translation, some confusion was caused among fans that were unfamiliar with the source material.[ citation needed ]
Ystad Municipality is a municipality in Scania County in southern Sweden. Its seat is the town of Ystad. The present municipality was created in 1971 by the amalgamation of the former City of Ystad with four surrounding municipalities.
Henning Georg Mankell was a Swedish crime writer, children's author, and dramatist, best known for a series of mystery novels starring his most noted creation, Inspector Kurt Wallander. He also wrote a number of plays and screenplays for television.
Ystad is a town and the seat of Ystad Municipality, in Scania County, Sweden. Ystad had 18,350 inhabitants in 2010. The settlement dates from the 11th century and has become a busy ferryport, local administrative centre, and tourist attraction. The detective series Wallander, created by Henning Mankell, is set primarily in Ystad.
Faceless Killers is a 1991 crime novel by the Swedish writer Henning Mankell, and the first in his acclaimed Wallander series. The English translation by Steven T. Murray was published in 1997.
Kurt Wallander is a fictional Swedish police inspector created by Swedish crime writer Henning Mankell. He is the protagonist of many thriller/mystery novels set in and around the town of Ystad, 56 km (35 mi) south-east of the city of Malmö, in the southern province of Scania. Wallander has been portrayed on screen by the actors Rolf Lassgård, Krister Henriksson, Sir Kenneth Branagh and Adam Pålsson.
Sidetracked is a crime novel by Swedish author Henning Mankell, the fifth in his Kurt Wallander series. Translated into English, it won the UK Crime Writers' Association annual Gold Dagger award for "best crime novel" in 2001.
Johanna Maria Ellinor Berglund-Sällström was a Swedish actress, best known for her portrayal of Linda Wallander in Wallander. She worked as an actress for more than 15 years, before her death in 2007.
The White Lioness is a crime novel by Swedish writer Henning Mankell, the third in the Inspector Wallander series.
The Man Who Smiled is a novel by Swedish crime-writer Henning Mankell, and is the fourth in the Inspector Wallander series, although the English translations have not been published in chronological order.
One Step Behind is a 1997 crime novel by Swedish author Henning Mankell, the seventh in his acclaimed Inspector Wallander series.
Before the Frost is a novel by Swedish crime-writer Henning Mankell.
Rolf Holger Lassgård is a Swedish actor. He is known for his many roles in crime dramas.
Wallander is a British television series broadcast from 2008 to 2016. It was adapted from a Swedish series based on the Swedish novelist Henning Mankell's Kurt Wallander novels and starring Kenneth Branagh as the eponymous police inspector. It was the first time the Wallander novels had been adapted into an English-language production. Yellow Bird, a production company formed by Mankell, began negotiations with British companies to produce the adaptations in 2006. In 2007 Branagh met Mankell to discuss playing the role. Contracts were signed and work began on the films, adapted from the novels Sidetracked, Firewall and One Step Behind, in January 2008. Emmy-award-winning director Philip Martin was hired as lead director. Martin worked with cinematographer Anthony Dod Mantle to establish a visual style for the series.
Yellow Bird is a Swedish film and television production company. In 2003 Danish producer Ole Søndberg and Swedish author Henning Mankell started a collaboration on a series of television films based on Mankell’s famous fictional detective Kurt Wallander and Yellow Bird was born. The success of the initial Wallander films was followed by Stieg Larsson’s Millennium trilogy, Jo Nesbø’s Headhunters, Liza Marklund’s Annika Bengtzon series as well as the British version of Wallander starring Kenneth Branagh.
The Troubled Man is a crime fiction novel by Swedish author Henning Mankell, featuring police inspector Kurt Wallander. It is the twelfth and final novel in the Wallander series. The pace of The Troubled Man is significantly slower than the previous Wallander stories, with several chapters between murders.
Wallander – Innan frosten is a 2005 Swedish drama film about the fictional police detective Kurt Wallander, directed by Kjell-Åke Andersson. It is based on the 2002 novel of the same name, by Henning Mankell.
Wallander is a Swedish television series adapted from Henning Mankell's Kurt Wallander novels, starring Krister Henriksson in the title role. The first season of thirteen films was produced in 2005 and 2006, with one taken directly from a novel and the remainder with new storylines suggested by Mankell. The second season of thirteen films was shown between 2009 and 2010. The stories are set in Ystad, Skåne near the southern tip of Sweden.
Italian Shoes is a 2006 novel by Swedish writer Henning Mankell. The English translation is by Laurie Thompson and in contrast with Mankell's other well-known novels has been written in the first person.
The Dogs of Riga is a Swedish detective mystery by Henning Mankell, set in Riga, the capital of Latvia. It is the second book of the Kurt Wallander series, and was translated into English by Laurie Thompson.
Young Wallander is a crime drama television series, based on Henning Mankell's fictional Inspector Kurt Wallander. The series premiered on Netflix on 3 September 2020. Star Adam Pålsson explained that the pre-imagining made more sense than a straight prequel, as it allowed for the social commentary which is a strong element of Mankell's original Wallander. This choice of setting the series in the modern day has been criticised in a number of reviews.