In search of answers: my feature interview with Henning Mankel in this week's New Zealand Listener (full version now available online)

My first-ever large feature article for the New Zealand Listener was recently published in the April 9-15 2011). It's a three page article, "In search of answers", based on my interview with Henning Mankell. I was fortunate enough to be the only New Zealand journo granted an interview with Mankell in the lead-up to the release of his tenth and latest Wallander title, THE TROUBLED MAN. Although, as anyone who's spent some time on the Internet recently will realise, Mankell has given plenty of interviews about this book to other overseas publications.

Still, I think my article is well worth reading, and that I've taken a somewhat different tack to many of the other features out there. And now, the full version is available online.

In search of answers
A decade after his last Inspector Wallander novel, Henning Mankell has brought back his most popular creation for a final encore. By Craig Sisterson

It always starts with a question, says acclaimed Swedish writer Henning Mankell, his heavily accented voice resonating down the phone line. “In everything I write, there must be a question, there must be something I do not know, something I would like to find an answer to, something I would like to explore,” he says.

Whether it’s his internationally bestselling series of crime novels starring dogged and dour Inspector Wallander, his gripping stand-alone thrillers, his 40-plus radio and theatre plays, his socially conscious children's stories or his atmospheric novels set in Africa, Mankell is always inspired by questions, by a need to tackle the things that concern him about society, about our modern world, about life.

READ FULL ARTICLE BY CLICKING HERE or by clicking on the image above.

Comments welcome - on Wallander, Mankell, the article, or whatever you wish...

In search of answers: my feature interview with Henning Mankel in this week's New Zealand Listener

My first-ever large feature article for the New Zealand Listener has been published in this week's issue (dated April 9-15 2011). It's a three page article, "In search of answers", based on my recent interview with Henning Mankell.

I was lucky enough to be granted the only New Zealand interview with Mankell in the lead-up to the release of THE TROUBLED MAN, the final Wallander novel (note - a NZ newspaper also published an interview with Mankell recently, but this was a republication of a Guardian article). So for all of you in New Zealand, go out and grab a copy of this week's issue of the New Zealand Listener. The feature is on pages 34-36.

I've been fortunate enough to be given the opportunity to write for many great publications here in New Zealand and overseas, and I'm very pleased to now be contributing (occasionally) to the New Zealand Listener as well. It's a great magazine.

Traditionally the New Zealand Listener places the first paragraph of its articles online, and then about three weeks after an issue is published in print places the entire article online for anyone to read. However, just this week the magazine's website has had a major overhaul (it looks terrific), and it doesn't seem the entire contents of the current issue are listed. I'm not sure if or when my feature will now be placed online - I will let you know as soon as I do. [EDIT: I have this afternoon been told by the NZ Listener Books Editor that articles will continue to be freely available online two weeks after the issue is no longer current - so for all of you overseas I will link to the online version of my feature when it's available].

You can search for and read previous Books articles from the Listener, here. For example, you can read Guy Somerset's terrific feature on New Zealand crime fiction and the Ngaio Marsh Award here, and Jane Bowron's feature on Paul Cleave here.

The New Zealand Listener has long been considered one of our premier magazines. It is a weekly current affairs and entertainment magazine, renowned (amongst other things) for having one of the best books sections around. Near the end of each year the Listener also publishes a “100 Best Books of the Year” issue, where its reviewers compile their list of best novels, short stories, poetry, biography, memoir, and other non-fiction books of the year. You can see the crime fiction content from last year's Top 100 list here.

Have you picked up this week's Listener, and perhaps read my article? If so, what do you think? Have you read THE TROUBLED MAN, or do you intend to? Are you a Wallander fan (in books or on TV)? What do you think of the Listener's new website? Thoughts and comments welcome.