Swedish · b. 1981
Fredrik Backman was a blogger and columnist in Sweden before A Man Called Ove (2012) became an international phenomenon, selling millions of copies and spawning both Swedish and American film adaptations. Backman writes about grumpy, wounded people who find redemption through community. His style is sentimental but earns its emotions through precise character work and deadpan humor. Subsequent novels—My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry, Beartown, Us Against You, Anxious People—have all been bestsellers. The Beartown series explores a hockey-obsessed Swedish town grappling with assault and complicity. Anxious People, about a failed bank robber who takes hostages at an apartment viewing, became a Netflix series. Backman writes in Swedish; his English translations by Neil Smith maintain his distinctive voice. He lives outside Stockholm with his family.