Per Wahloo
SwedenBiography of Per Wahlöö
Per Wahlöö (1926-1975) was a Swedish writer and master of the detective genre. He was the founder of the sociological detective genre, also known as the "sociological detective." Wahlöö, along with his wife Maj Sjöwall, wrote a series of ten novels from 1965 to 1975 about the homicide department of the Stockholm police under the leadership of Martin Beck.
Early Life and Career
Per Wahlöö was born in the parish of Tölö, near Gothenburg. After graduating from Lund University in 1946, he worked as a reporter for various Swedish newspapers and magazines, covering sports and criminal chronicles. In the 1950s, he participated in several movements, mostly left-radical, both in Sweden and abroad, including Spain, which led to his expulsion from the country in 1957 as persona non grata.
After returning to Sweden, Wahlöö worked as a screenwriter for radio and television. He also served as editor for several magazines. As a writer, he made his debut in 1959 with the novel "Himmelsgeten" (The Heavenly Goat), which, like his subsequent works such as "Vinden och regnet" (The Wind and the Rain), "Lastbilen" (The Truck), "Uppdraget" (The Mission), "Det växer inga rosor på Odenplan" (No Roses Grow on Odenplan), and "Generalerna" (The Generals), criticized abuses of power and the dark sides of bourgeois society, both in Sweden and other countries, real and imaginary. Russian readers are familiar with only two of his books, the Inspector Jensen series, which includes "Mord på 31:a våningen" (The Murder on the 31st Floor) and "Stålsprånget" (The Steel Leap), which have been published in detective and science fiction collections.
Later Life and Death
In addition to his fiction works, Wahlöö translated several novels, particularly detective novels by Evan Hunter (Ed McBain) and political thrillers, into Swedish. He also conducted sociological research comparing police work methods in Sweden, the United States, England, and the Soviet Union.
Per Wahlöö passed away in 1975 in Malmö at the age of 49, due to pancreatitis (according to other sources, pancreatic cancer).
