Henning Mankell

Henning Mankell is a Swedish crime writer, children's author, leftist activist and dramatist, best known for a series of mystery novels starring his most famous creation, Inspector Kurt Wallander. Mankell was born in Stockholm, Sweden, and grew up in Sveg and Borås . Mankell's father, Ivar, was a judge and his grandfather, also named Henning Mankell , was a composer. At the age of 20 he had already started a career as author and assistant director at the Riksteater in Stockholm. In the following years he collaborated with several theatres in Sweden. In his youth Mankell was a left-wing... political activist and a strong opponent of the Vietnam War, South African apartheid and Portugal's colonial war in Mozambique. In the 1970s Mankell moved from Sweden to Norway and lived with a Norwegian woman who was a member of the Maoist Communist Labour Party of Norway. Mankell took part in the party's activities but did not join the party. After living in Zambia and other African countries, Mankell was invited to become the artistic director of Teatro Avenida in Maputo, the capital of Mozambique.
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