Open Book - 24/01/2010

Mariella Frostrup talks to the Swedish thriller writer and creator of Wallander, Henning Mankell. He reveals how living in Africa has given his latest novel a global sweep, and explains what his work has in common with ancient Greek drama. He also reflects on saying goodbye to his best-known character, Kurt Wallander, after almost 20 years. Alex Clark offers some advice to a listener who is looking for the most compelling private diaries of the last two 200 years. The author of a new study of Vladimir Nabokov's fiction, Michael Maar, explains how the often tumultuous events of the writer's life, including the death of his younger brother in a concentration camp, imprinted themselves on his work in surprising ways.