The White Lioness
Encyclopedia
The White Lioness is a crime novel by Swedish writer Henning Mankell
, the third in the Inspector Wallander series.
nationalist group Broederbond
in 1918, the story takes place in 1992. The plot follows two parallel patterns, one during late apartheid South Africa
where incumbent president
F.W. de Klerk, leader of the Afrikaner
minority which is on the brink of losing power to the African majority under the leadership of the ANC
, about to end 44 years of suppression by the Broederbond rule. Simultaneously, detective chief inspector Kurt Wallander is investigating a case of a missing female Methodist real-estate agent outside Ystad
. Upon the eventual recovery of her body, as well as the discovery of a black cut-off finger at the crime scene, detective Wallander realizes the case has deep roots in the history and current development in South Africa, where an extremist cell of the Broederbond is about to orchestrate the assassination
of Nelson Mandela
, wishing to plunge the country into a long and devastating civil war
.
Mankell, who himself is deeply interested in questions concerning South Africa and its history and who resides in the country part-time, released the book in 1993 during the reign of the National Party and the Afrikaner
rule.
into a theatrical movie, starring Rolf Lassgård
as Wallander.
Henning Mankell
Henning Mankell is a Swedish crime writer, children's author, leftist activist and dramatist, best known for a series of mystery novels starring his most famous creation, Inspector Kurt Wallander.-Life and career:...
, the third in the Inspector Wallander series.
Synopsis
Apart from a prologue following the formation of the BoerBoer
Boer is the Dutch and Afrikaans word for farmer, which came to denote the descendants of the Dutch-speaking settlers of the eastern Cape frontier in Southern Africa during the 18th century, as well as those who left the Cape Colony during the 19th century to settle in the Orange Free State,...
nationalist group Broederbond
Afrikaner
Afrikaners are an ethnic group in Southern Africa descended from almost equal numbers of Dutch, French and German settlers whose native tongue is Afrikaans: a Germanic language which derives primarily from 17th century Dutch, and a variety of other languages.-Related ethno-linguistic groups:The...
in 1918, the story takes place in 1992. The plot follows two parallel patterns, one during late apartheid South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
where incumbent president
President of South Africa
The President of the Republic of South Africa is the head of state and head of government under South Africa's Constitution. From 1961 to 1994, the head of state was called the State President....
F.W. de Klerk, leader of the Afrikaner
Afrikaner
Afrikaners are an ethnic group in Southern Africa descended from almost equal numbers of Dutch, French and German settlers whose native tongue is Afrikaans: a Germanic language which derives primarily from 17th century Dutch, and a variety of other languages.-Related ethno-linguistic groups:The...
minority which is on the brink of losing power to the African majority under the leadership of the ANC
African National Congress
The African National Congress is South Africa's governing Africanist political party, supported by its tripartite alliance with the Congress of South African Trade Unions and the South African Communist Party , since the establishment of non-racial democracy in April 1994. It defines itself as a...
, about to end 44 years of suppression by the Broederbond rule. Simultaneously, detective chief inspector Kurt Wallander is investigating a case of a missing female Methodist real-estate agent outside Ystad
Ystad
Ystad is a "locality", or town, and the seat of Ystad Municipality, Skåne County, Sweden, with 17,286 inhabitants .Settlement dates back to the 11th century and the town has become a busy ferryport, local administrative centre and tourist attraction...
. Upon the eventual recovery of her body, as well as the discovery of a black cut-off finger at the crime scene, detective Wallander realizes the case has deep roots in the history and current development in South Africa, where an extremist cell of the Broederbond is about to orchestrate the assassination
Assassination
To carry out an assassination is "to murder by a sudden and/or secret attack, often for political reasons." Alternatively, assassination may be defined as "the act of deliberately killing someone, especially a public figure, usually for hire or for political reasons."An assassination may be...
of Nelson Mandela
Nelson Mandela
Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela served as President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999, and was the first South African president to be elected in a fully representative democratic election. Before his presidency, Mandela was an anti-apartheid activist, and the leader of Umkhonto we Sizwe, the armed wing...
, wishing to plunge the country into a long and devastating civil war
Civil war
A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same nation state or republic, or, less commonly, between two countries created from a formerly-united nation state....
.
Mankell, who himself is deeply interested in questions concerning South Africa and its history and who resides in the country part-time, released the book in 1993 during the reign of the National Party and the Afrikaner
Afrikaner
Afrikaners are an ethnic group in Southern Africa descended from almost equal numbers of Dutch, French and German settlers whose native tongue is Afrikaans: a Germanic language which derives primarily from 17th century Dutch, and a variety of other languages.-Related ethno-linguistic groups:The...
rule.
Adaptation
In 1996, The White Lioness was adapted by Swedish public broadcaster Sveriges TelevisionSveriges Television
Sveriges Television AB , Sweden's Television, is a national television broadcaster based in Sweden, funded by a compulsory fee to be paid by all television owners...
into a theatrical movie, starring Rolf Lassgård
Rolf Lassgård
Rolf Lassgård is a Swedish actor.-Biography:A keen amateur ice hockey player in his youth, Lassgård also joined theatre teacher Ingemar Lind's Institute for the Performing Arts in the village of Storhögen outside Östersund. He then attended the Stage School in Malmö from 1975-78...
as Wallander.