Henning Mankell: Wallander author reveals he has cancer

Mankell will document his battle with the disease for a newspaper column

Criminal mastermind: Henning Mankell (Getty)

Henning Mankell, the Swedish writer best known for penning the Wallander novels, has confirmed he has cancer and plans to document his treatment in a newspaper column.

The 65-year-old revealed doctors discovered tumours in his lung and neck and fear the disease may have already spread to other parts of his body.

His illness was discovered two weeks ago when he visited an orthopaedic surgeon in Stockholm with what he believed was a slipped disc, he told the Göteborgs-Posten newspaper.

He said: “When I went back to Gothenburg the following day I did it with a serious diagnosis of cancer. I do not have any particular memories of the journey back to Gothenburg. Only the stubborn gratitude that my wife, Eva, was with me.”

Mr Mankell rose to fame for his detective novels centering around the activities of fictional character Kurt Wallander, which were adapted into a television series both in Sweden and in Britain, starring British actor Kenneth Branagh. He has also written plays and books for children.

"My anxiety is very profound, although by and large, I can keep it under control," Mankell said of his diagnosis.

"Very early I decided to try to write about this, because it is ultimately about the pain and suffering that afflicts so many people.

“I have decided to write it just as it is, about the difficult battle it always is," he added.

"But”, he added, “I will write from life's perspective, not death's."