{{short description|Swedish columnist, blogger, and writer|bot=PearBOT 5}} {{Use dmy dates|date=June 2020}} {{Infobox writer | name = Fredrik Backman | image = Fredrik Backman, Bokmässan 2013 1.jpg | alt = Fredrik Backman at Bokmässan 2013 | caption = Backman at Bokmässan 2013 | birth_date = {{birth date and age|df=yes|1981|6|2}} | birth_place = [[Brännkyrka]] in [[Söderort]], Sweden | occupation = [[Columnist]], [[blogger]], and [[novelist]] | period = 2012–present | genre = {{flatlist| * [[Fiction]] * [[Fiction#Realism|Realistic Fiction]] * [[Satire]] * [[Humor]] }} | notableworks = {{flatlist| *''[[A Man Called Ove (novel)|A Man Called Ove]]'' *''[[My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry]]'' *''[[Britt-Marie Was Here]]'' *''[[Beartown (novel)|Beartown]]'' }} | spouse = Neda Shafti Backman | signature = Signature of Fredrik Backman.svg | website = {{URL|https://fredrikbackman.com}}| }}
'''Fredrik Backman''' (born 2 June 1981) is a [[Sweden|Swedish]] author, blogger, and columnist. He wrote ''[[A Man Called Ove (novel)|A Man Called Ove]]'' (2012), ''Things My Son Needs to Know about the World'' (2012), ''[[My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry]]'' (2013), ''[[Britt-Marie Was Here]]'' (2014), ''[[Beartown (novel)|Beartown]]'' (2017), ''Us Against You'' (2018), ''[[Anxious People]]'' (2020), ''The Winners'' (2022), and ''[[My Friends (Backman novel)|My Friends]]'' (2025). The books were number one bestsellers in his home country of Sweden. Backman's books have been published in more than twenty-five languages.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Fredrik Backman |url=https://www.simonandschuster.com/authors/Fredrik-Backman/411545926 |access-date=2025-09-24 |website=Simon & Schuster |language=en}}</ref>
==Biography== Backman grew up in [[Helsingborg]], [[Scania]], Sweden. He has been writing for the Swedish newspaper ''[[Helsingborgs Dagblad]]'' and for the Swedish men's magazine, ''Moore Magazine.'' Backman debuted as a novelist in 2012 with ''A Man Called Ove.'' The novel was adapted as [[A Man Called Ove (film)|a film]] which premiered on 25 December 2015, and [[A Man Called Otto|again]] in 2023.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sfi.se/en-GB/Swedish-film-database/Item/?itemid=79650&type=MOVIE&iv=Basic|title=A Man Called Ove (2015)|publisher=[[Swedish Film Database]]|accessdate=15 February 2016}}</ref> The rights to his book ''[[Beartown (novel)|Beartown]]'' were bought by Swedish production company, [[Filmlance]]. It was [[Beartown (TV series)|adapted for television]] in 2020.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://filmlance.se/en/2017/02/fredrik-backmans-beartown-to-be-adapted-for-tv/ |title= Fredrik Backman's Beartown to be adapted for TV|publisher=[[Simon & Schuster]]|accessdate=1 August 2017 }}</ref> Many of his books have been translated into English. After his debut novel, ''A Man Called Ove'', was translated into English, it spent over a year on [[The New York Times Best Seller list|''The New York Times'' Best Seller list]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite news |last=Alter |first=Alexandra |date=2016-10-28 |title=The Man Behind ''A Man Called Ove'', Sweden's Latest Hit Novel |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/29/books/a-man-called-ove-fredrik-backman-sweden-success.html |access-date=2021-03-24 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=24 June 2017 |title=Combined Print & E-Book Fiction - Best Sellers - Books - June 25, 2017 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/books/best-sellers/2017/06/24/combined-print-and-e-book-fiction/ |access-date=2025-04-05 |work=[[The New York Times]] |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> Following the success of his first book, Atria/[[Simon & Schuster]] bought the rights to his other novels and had them translated into English.<ref name=":0" />
==Personal life== Fredrik Backman married Neda Shafti Backman in 2009.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=A Man Called Ove (Backman) - Author Bio |url=https://www.litlovers.com/reading-guides/fiction/9920-man-called-ove-backman?start=1 |access-date=2025-09-24 |website=www.litlovers.com}}</ref> They have two children. His second book, ''Things My Son Needs to Know about the World'' (2012), was based on his own experiences with parenting. He labeled it a "dysfunctional parenting guide" and made a deal that his publisher had to publish the book in order to publish ''A Man Called Ove''.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Haupt|first=Angela|title='A Man Called Ove' author Fredrik Backman reflects on the highs and lows of fatherhood|language=en-US|newspaper=Washington Post|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/books/a-man-called-ove-author-fredrik-backman-reflects-on-the-highs-and-lows-of-fatherhood/2019/05/02/8c69df2e-6c1d-11e9-a66d-a82d3f3d96d5_story.html|access-date=2021-03-26|issn=0190-8286}}</ref>
==Published works== === Novels === *''En man som heter Ove'' (2012; English translation ''[[A Man Called Ove (novel)|A Man Called Ove]]'', 2013)<ref>{{cite book |url= http://books.simonandschuster.com/A-Man-Called-Ove/Fredrik-Backman/9781476738024|title= A Man Called Ove|date= 5 May 2015|publisher=[[Simon & Schuster]]|isbn= 9781476738024|accessdate=15 February 2016 }}</ref><ref name=":1" /> *''Min mormor hälsar och säger förlåt'' (2013; English translation ''[[My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry]]'', 2015)<ref>{{cite book |url= http://books.simonandschuster.com/My-Grandmother-Asked-Me-to-Tell-You-Shes-Sorry/Fredrik-Backman/9781501115066|title= My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry|date= 16 June 2015|publisher=[[Simon & Schuster]]|isbn= 9781501115066|accessdate=15 February 2016 }}</ref> *''Britt-Marie var här'' (2014; English translation ''[[Britt-Marie Was Here]]'', 2016)<ref>{{cite book |url= http://books.simonandschuster.com/Britt-Marie-Was-Here/Fredrik-Backman/9781501142536|title= Britt-Marie Was Here|date= 7 February 2017|publisher=[[Simon & Schuster]]|isbn= 9781501142543|accessdate=15 February 2016 }}</ref> *''Björnstad'' (2016; English translation ''[[Beartown (novel)|Beartown]]'', UK title ''The Scandal'',<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/304470/the-scandal/|title= The Scandal|publisher= [[Penguin Books]]|accessdate= 1 August 2017|archive-date= 2 August 2017|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20170802040705/https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/304470/the-scandal/|url-status= dead}}</ref> 2017)<ref>{{cite book |url= http://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Beartown/Fredrik-Backman/9781501160769|title= Beartown|date= 25 April 2017|publisher=[[Simon & Schuster]]|isbn= 9781501160769|accessdate=1 August 2017 }}</ref> *''Vi mot er'' (2017; English translation ''Us Against You'', sequel to ''Beartown'', 2018)<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.facebook.com/Backmanland/photos/a.1034492189990763.1073741827.102825186490806/1212551568851490|title= Us Against You (sequel to Beartown)|publisher=[[Simon & Schuster]]|accessdate=1 August 2017 }}</ref> *''Folk med ångest'' (2019; English translation ''[[Anxious People]]'', 2020)<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/49127718-anxious-people|title=Anxious People|website=www.goodreads.com|access-date=2019-12-27}}</ref> *''Vinnarna'' (2021; English translation ''The Winners'', last in the ''Beartown'' trilogy, 2022) *''Mina vänner'' (2025; English translation ''[[My Friends (Backman novel)|My Friends]]'', 2025)
===Novellas=== *''Och varje morgon blir vägen hem längre och längre'' (2015; English translation ''And Every Morning the Way Home Gets Longer and Longer'', 2016)<ref>{{cite book |url= http://www.simonandschuster.com/books/And-Every-Morning-the-Way-Home-Gets-Longer-and-Longer/Fredrik-Backman/9781501160486|title= And Every Morning the Way Home Gets Longer and Longer: A Novella|date= November 2016|publisher=[[Simon & Schuster]]|isbn= 9781501160486|accessdate=1 August 2017 }}</ref> *''Ditt livs affär'' (2016; English translation ''The Deal of a Lifetime'', 2017)<ref>{{cite book |url= http://www.simonandschuster.com/books/The-Deal-of-a-Lifetime/Fredrik-Backman/9781501193491|title= The Deal of a Lifetime: A Novella|date= 31 October 2017|publisher=[[Simon & Schuster]]|isbn= 9781501193491|accessdate=21 December 2017 }}</ref>
===Short stories=== *''Sebastian och trollet'' (2017; English translation ''Sebastian and the Troll'' published on the author's website, 2018)<ref>{{cite web |title=Sebastian and the Troll |date=8 January 2018 |url=http://www.fredrikbackman.com/2018/01/08/sebastian-and-the-troll/ |website=Fredrik Backman |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210125075957/http://www.fredrikbackman.com/2018/01/08/sebastian-and-the-troll/ |archive-date=January 25, 2021 |url-status=dead}}</ref> *''Svaret är nej'' (2024; English translation ''The Answer is No'' published as an Amazon Original Stories ebook, 2024)<ref>{{cite book |title=The Answer is No |date=1 December 2024 |publisher=Amazon Original Stories |url=https://www.amazon.ca/Answer-No-Short-Story-ebook/dp/B0D5JLH3RJ }}</ref>
===Essays=== *''Saker min son behöver veta om världen'' (2012; English translation ''Things My Son Needs to Know About the World'', 2019)<ref>{{cite book |title=Things My Son Needs to Know About the World|publisher=worldcat.org|oclc=1061304451}}</ref>
== References == {{Reflist}}
==External links== * [http://www.fredrikbackman.com/ Fredrik Backman's Website] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160221020724/http://www.fredrikbackman.com/ |date=21 February 2016 }} * {{IMDb name|7554519}} * {{cite web|title=Fredrik Backman on Creative Anxiety and Procrastination|date=May 1, 2024|publisher=Simon & Schuster Books|website=YouTube|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NSuSyZ92Cjg}} {{Fredrik Backman}} {{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Backman, Fredrik}} [[Category:1981 births]] [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:21st-century Swedish novelists]] [[Category:Swedish journalists]] [[Category:Swedish male novelists]] [[Category:Swedish satirists]] [[Category:Swedish male bloggers]] [[Category:Satirical novelists]] [[Category:Swedish columnists]] [[Category:Writers from Stockholm]]