Jussi Adler-Olsen is 75 years old: The seriously ill author continues to write

The life of Jussi Adler-Olsen (75) has fundamentally changed according to his tenth Carl-Mørck-Roman. However, not in the way the Danish bestselling author had planned. In November 2023, Adler-Olsen, who celebrates his 75th birthday on August 2, released the last volume of the crime series about the special department Q, “betray”. A few weeks later, the doctors discover that he has bone marrow cancer.

This was announced in February 2025. The author said at the time about the disease: “It is incurable. At least until further notice.”

He revealed that after the diagnosis in early 2024 he was moved to the Rigshospitallet, which had a special department for bone marrow cancer. Here he was treated for almost six months. “Politics” he said: “I write a series of ten books, give the last one in November and then get sick in January. I can tell you that we had planned many things for my retirement. Great things.” But now there are a lot of things “we won’t do”.

He wanted to travel to Japan with his wife Hanne. The couple has been lined up since 1970. In 1989 son Kes was born. Now the sick author hopes for new treatment methods. In June, Adler -Olsen also explained to the magazine “Time Crime” that he would use all the treatments that would be offered to him and that he felt in good hands: “I have great confidence in my doctors – I know that I will definitely die with this illness, it is not curable. But my doctors are firmly convinced that I will not die from her.” The writer has already had two serious illnesses. In 2000 he was diagnosed with colon cancer, in 2009 prostate cancer. Cancer cells were discovered again two years later.

The renewed serious illness is not the reason why his crime series got new authors. Line Holm and Stine Bolther wrote the eleventh case for the special department Q in Copenhagen with “dead souls sing”. Adler-Olsen is still involved in the background. This is said to have been planned in this way since 2021.

The 75-year-old had previously written his ten Mørck books within 15 years. The series is one of the most internationally successful Scandinavian crime series. The novels have been translated into over 40 languages, especially in Germany the books are extremely popular.

Success as a writer only came to Jussi Adler-Olsen in the second half of life. The Dane is the son of a psychiatrist and initially studied medicine as well as sociology and film science. After that he had a comic shop, invested in real estate, was managing director in publishers and composed music. He concentrated on the letter in the 1990s. In 1997 “Das Alphabethaus” appeared, but the great success was initially out of two other thrillers. Until he brought Carl Mørck to life. With “mercy” Adler-Olsen celebrated his big breakthrough in 2007, he was 57 at the time.

After putting the special department in new hands, he wants to continue writing despite his illness: he still has an unfinished project, another book, in the works that has nothing to do with his series of success. He has been working on it for 15 years: “I have to do it. I promised myself” ,.

And the fans continue to delight the cases of the special department Q. In addition to the new novel by Stine Bolther and Line Holm, which will be released in this country in October, there has also been a Netflix series since May. “Dept. Q” is based on the Carl-Mørck novel series, but plays in Edinburgh, Scottish. This does not seem to be able to detract from success.