After a stint as a fashion model in Paris and Barcelona, Wächter trained as a diver in the Royal Swedish Navy before starting his aviation career.
He received his pilot's wings at Ljungbyhed Air Force Base in 1985 and was employed by Scandinavian Airlines from 1986 to 1999.
(Rolf Johnsson, Länsposten) - "A disturbing book written in concise, unaffected language complementing perfectly the content," (Birgitta Hybinette, Östgöta Correspondenten) – "Wächter's use of language is captivating, personal and often beautifully effective," (Simone Söderhjelm, Aftonbladet) – "In addition to that one is delighted by the simple, clear language" (Maria Ekendahl, Göteborgs Posten) - "Wächter's first novel presents us with a very skilled author, a mature narrator and a polished stylist."
Arne Dahl wrote: "The most interesting of the novels with a gender-specific orientation this year is Tamara T's enigmatic "autobiography", Ciona.
This is certainly a politically incorrect novel which, at least on the surface, repudiates gender as a social construction and claims the supremacy of biology.
And some months later the literary critic Magnus Eriksson wrote in the Literary Annual published by the Nordic Council: "However, one of the Swedish novels in 2002 which attracted by far the most attention was Ciona – an Autobiology, published under the pseudonym Tamara T. This is a novel about sexuality and role-playing.
Sea squirts are surrounded by a protective mantle, and they absorb nutrients by filtering water through the organism.
There was a great deal of speculation about who was behind the pseudonym Tamara T. Names of authors such as Carina Rydberg, Gabriella Håkansson and Mara Lee were mentioned.
When the novel was nominated for the August Prize, writer and pilot Torkel Wächter stepped forward.
The project was displayed in Gjirokastra, Albania, as well as in the Galleri Mejan and Arkitekturmuséet Museum of Architecture in Stockholm (spring and summer 2009).
Simulated Real Time is an art and literature project dealing with memory, that is devised and coordinated by Wächter.