The Rock Blaster

An early gem from the creator of the Kurt Wallander series, charting the life of a principled man through tragedy, heartbreak, true love and the battle for a nation's soul.

Zusatztext A very engaging portrait . . . There is a powerful lack of sentimentality to the telling of the story [and] a lovely and genuinely moving love story at the heart of the book. Informationen zum Autor Henning Mankell (1948-2015) became a worldwide phenomenon with his crime writing, gripping thrillers and atmospheric novels set in Africa. His prizewinning and critically acclaimed Inspector Wallander Mysteries continue to dominate bestseller lists all over the globe and his books have been translated into forty-five languages and made into numerous international film and television adaptations. Klappentext Oskar Johansson, 1888-1969. A working class hero is something to be.But Oskar Johansson's status as one is earned by unimaginable suffering. Working to blast tunnels through the rock for a new railway line, he is the victim, in his early twenties, of a horrific life-changing accident. It is a miracle that he survives, and yet he does, disfigured but unbowed. Despite his injuries, Johansson finds love and finds renewed purpose. As Sweden grows from a poor backwater to a rich nation, there are as many losers as there are winners, and Johansson throws his energies into fighting for their cause. And yet, when his own son grows up, he can't resist the lure of a big house and flashy car, establishing his own business and, in Johansson's eyes, betraying his own class.Shaped by events such as the Vietnam War, the Hungarian uprising and the threat of nuclear war, The Rock Blaster is a deft portrayal, told through a fractured narrative, of one man's fight for equality in the face of forces far beyond his control. As the first published novel of one of Europe's most celebrated crime writers, it is also a fascinating insight into the social concerns that fuelled his later work. Zusammenfassung At 3 p.m. on a Saturday afternoon in 1911! Oskar Johansson is caught in a blast in an industrial accident. The local newspaper reports him dead! but they are mistaken. Because Oskar Johansson is a born survivor. Though crippled! Oskar finds the strength to go on living and working. The Rock Blaster charts his long professional life - his hopes and dreams! sorrows and joys. His relationship with the woman whose love saved him! with the labour movement that gave him a cause to believe in! and with his children! who do not share his ideals. Henning Mankell's first published novel is steeped in the burning desire for social justice that informed his bestselling crime novels. Remarkably assured for a debut! it is written with scalpel-like precision! at once poetic and insightful in its depiction of a true working-class hero. Translated from the Swedish by George Goulding ...

Autorentext

Henning Mankell (1948-2015) became a worldwide phenomenon with his crime writing, gripping thrillers and atmospheric novels set in Africa. His prizewinning and critically acclaimed Inspector Wallander Mysteries continue to dominate bestseller lists all over the globe and his books have been translated into forty-five languages and made into numerous international film and television adaptations.

Klappentext

Oskar Johansson, 1888-1969.

A working class hero is something to be.

But Oskar Johansson's status as one is earned by unimaginable suffering.

Working to blast tunnels through the rock for a new railway line, he is the victim, in his early twenties, of a horrific life-changing accident. It is a miracle that he survives, and yet he does, disfigured but unbowed.

Despite his injuries, Johansson finds love and finds renewed purpose. As Sweden grows from a poor backwater to a rich nation, there are as many losers as there are winners, and Johansson throws his energies into fighting for their cause. And yet, when his own son grows up, he can't resist the lure of a big house and flashy car, establishing his own business and, in Johansson's eyes, betraying his own class.

Shaped by events such as the Vietnam War, the Hungarian uprising and the threat of nuclear war, The Rock Blaster is a deft portrayal, told through a fractured narrative, of one man's fight for equality in the face of forces far beyond his control. As the first published novel of one of Europe's most celebrated crime writers, it is also a fascinating insight into the social concerns that fuelled his later work.

Zusammenfassung

At 3 p.m. on a Saturday afternoon in 1911, Oskar Johansson is caught in a blast in an industrial accident. The local newspaper reports him dead, but they are mistaken.

Because Oskar Johansson is a born survivor.
***
Though crippled, Oskar finds the strength to go on living and working. The Rock Blaster* charts his long professional life - his hopes and dreams, sorrows and joys. His relationship with the woman whose love saved him, with the labour movement that gave him a cause to believe in, and with his children, who do not share his ideals.

Henning Mankell's first published novel is steeped in the burning desire for social justice that informed his bestselling crime novels. Remarkably assured for a debut, it is written with scalpel-like precision, at once poetic and insightful in its depiction of a true working-class hero.

Translated from the Swedish by George Goulding