Swedish Crime Writer Henning Mankell Chronicles His Cancer Journal for Newspaper

Posted on February 1, 2014

Swedish crime writer Henning Mankell, who is best known for his series of novels starring Inspector Kurt Wallender, has announced that he has a serious diagnosis of cancer. Markell has decided to chronicle his illness and treatment for the Swedish newspaper Goteborgs-Posten. His articles are in Swedish on the newspaper's website, but they appear in English translation on his personal website.

Mankell's first post for details how he found out he had cancer. He had been suffering back and neck pain and travelled to Stockholm to see an orthopedist who had treated him before. He thought the diagnosis would be a slipped disc in his neck, but instead he got a cancer diagnosis. He has tumors in the neck and in his lung. He is now deciding on a treatment plan with his doctors.

He writes, "My anxiety is very profound, although by and large, I can keep it under control. At a very early stage I decided to try to write about this. I have decided to write just as it is. But I will do it from the perspective of life, not death... I begin now. I have begun now."