4 starsThis is Henning Mankell's first novel published only now in English. It is a distinct departure from his Wallander series. I loved the Wallander novels for the most part and was interested in reading this book about a different topic. This is the story of Oskar Johansson from his point of view as told to a friend and fishing companion later in Oskar's life. The book alternates between 1911 and later in Oskar's life – about the 1960's. As with many of us, Oskar's memories have a way of shi...

🤔 Compelling working man tale but too fragmentedI started this story looking forward to the tale, written by a favorite author, of a working man's life and times after a terrible work 💥accident in 1911. What came through of that story was compelling. Oskar Johansson and the working class men and women in his life lived on the edge of deprivation and despair through the early part of the 20th century and through the economic crisis of the 1930's. Their constant hard work, physical struggles and p...

This story. Tiny beads of narrative that string together to form a rosary.In June 1911, 23 year-old Swedish rock blaster Oskar Johansson is blown to kingdom come in a dynamite accident that claims much of his right arm, three fingers of his left hand, and an eye. He's reported dead in the newspaper, but, in fact, he returns to rock blasting, marries and has three children, and lives to the ripe old age of 80.This is Mankell's first novel, published in Sweden in 1973, long before he achieved inte...

I don’t seem to remember where I found this book such that I requested it from the library, except that I do try to read books by non-American authors sometimes. It’s also labeled “new” according to the library, as the English translation just came out this year, but the book itself was written in the early 1970s and the foreword in 1997, so the book is truly older than I am.Oskar Johansson is a young man working as a rock blaster in 1911, and in a freak accident, he is nearly blown to bits. Suf...

This caught my eye on the Ashbourne leg of my Derbyshire Libraries book tour for a number of reasons: first it was part of a large forward facing display of new books, rapidly followed by the striking cover, the author name, and the simplicity of the title. I am working my way through Mankell's celebrated Wallander crime series, having made the mistake of reading the final novel too soon... and although The Rock Blaster is his first novel, written when he was 25 and soon after all the excitement...

Mankell’s first novel is about the life of Oskar a rock blaster who survives a dynamite blast minus an eye and hand. It is told in flashback from when he is elderly to his youth, adulthood and how his life has been lived. Set between 1910-1969. It gives a snapshot of Sweden and the poverty and class system. The introduction of socialism with anticipation by Oskar that life would change. The poster is symbolic of capitalism with the workers on the bottom tier of the pyramid. Things do change but

I have not read a lot of books by Henning Mankell. I think for most people he is known as a Swedish mystery writer along the same lines as Steig Larsson. If you have read a lot of his books I am sure you also know of the Wallander series which was made into a British TV series starring Kenneth Branagh. I liked the TV series but really couldn't get into the books all that much.I think I have read 3 of the Wallander books but it was at a time where I was reading less and less of the mystery/crime

Before Swedish author Henning Mankell became a crime fiction superstar he penned this quietly devastating novel first published in 1973 but only recently translated into English.The Rock Blaster tells the story of a young man, Oskar Johansson, who is seriously injured in an industrial accident blasting rock with dynamite to make way for a road. He’s not expected to survive — indeed, the local newspaper reports him dead — but he defies the odds, albeit losing an eye and a hand, and manages to ret...

Released in English in 2020, the 1973 first novel of Henning Mankell is an unvarnished and meticulous look at the life of a member of the poor working class in Sweden from 1911 until his death in 1969.The story opens describing an event that leaves 23 year-old Oskar Johansson, a member of a blasting team, forever changed. Told primarily through the voice of The Narrator, Oskar’s story is a dour portrait. Sequentially voiced, the voices alternate between different periods of time and recollection...

Although this is the first book by Mankell that was published, it was the last one to be translated into english. It is not only the story of Oskar's life, it is also the story Swedish society and the struggle between capitalism and socialism. While I was reading this I was thinking that this book wasn't as good as the other books by Mankell but by the time I finished it I had changed my mind. The Rock Blaster, Oskar, was severely injured when the blasters were working on a Tunnel and Oskar was

This book was written in a very confusing style which slowed down the pace. It was an interesting look at Swedish working class and the profession of rock mining. This leaves me conflicted on how to rate it, in the end it was given a 3 star..

An understated novel about the trials of a worker involved in a crippling accident, the Rock Blaster is often poetic, but a largely scattershot narrative often left me feeling too confused to really appreciate the prose. Mankell uses the main character's gruesome injuries to highlight the struggles of the working class, following the character throughout his life as he attempts to deal with his new reality. The main issue is the rapid switch between POVs, timelines, and characters, which honestl...

This was Henning Mankell's first novel, written when he was 25. It tells the life story of a miner and rock blaster (The Rock Blaster is the English translation of the title) who was reported killed in a mining accident in 1911. He never succeeded in getting the newspaper report retracted, but lived his life with his injuries to the age of 81. Throughout his literary career, Mankell never neglected the humanity of his characters.

The Rock Blaster, Henning Mankell (1948-2015) Translated by George Goulding . 1972 first published, first English 14/2/2020 iBook, pre ordered. Henning Mankell's first novel, never before released in English, explores the reflections of a working class man who has struggled against the constraints of his station for his entire life. This is a challenging read however because it has a very different format, narrator, Oskar.....writer.....switching about in time and memory. Took awhile to get a rh...

This was very good but also made me very sad. A lot about the destructive effects of capitalism on life but also just about an individual’s perception of existence. The main character was exceptionally well developed I thought. Very Swedish writing. Recommend

I loved the first half. The way it kept switching from Oskar’s early years before the accident to years later right before his death. I loved the way it was written from an anonymous narrator. I loved learning about the effects of his accident during the course of his life, and I loved seeing the contrast of how he viewed his life to be so little and nothing vs what he actually went through and did. The reason why I’m rating 3 though is because it became political in the second half of the book,...

Oskar is a rock blaster meaning he uses dynamite to blow up rocks so construction can be done. One of his charges does not go off so he goes to see what happens and there is a delayed explosion causing him severe injuries. As an old man he tells his story to the narrator during the summer. The narrator then puts his story together so we know what Oskar's life was.This is an odd book. Little snippets tell Oskar's story. It's as if he remembers one little piece at a time. It is not told linearly.

Not as I expectedI was expecting a novel like his other books I have read. I almost decided not to read it. I'm glad I finished it. If you're expecting something a happy book, don't bother. I will think about this one for a long while.

First published in 1973 in Swedish, The Rock Blaster was not translated into English until 2020, after the late Henning Mankell had established iconic status as a writer of masterful thrillers. However, those of us who have followed Mankell beyond that series have long been aware of his leftist leanings, his love for Africa most notably Mozambique, and his charitable activities. So this slim novel featuring a Swedish everyman comes as no surprise.

3-1/2 stars. This is Mankell's very first published novel, and is only now available in English translation. The writing is excellent, and the main character, Oscar, truly comes to life. The organization of the book was initially a bit puzzling, as it moved back and forth in time a bit abruptly, but as I grew accustomed to that, I found it didn't matter, and in fact added to my understanding of Oscar, looking back as he was on often vague memories from his past. In the end, I was sad for him, en...