Fredrik Backman

A charming, warmhearted novel from the author of the New York Times bestseller A Man Called Ove. Elsa is seven years old and different. Her grandmother is seventy-seven years old and crazy—as in standing-on-the-balcony-firing-paintball-guns-at-strangers crazy. She is also Elsa’s best, and only, friend. At night Elsa takes refuge in her grandmother’s stories, in the Land-of-Almost-Awake and the Kingdom of Miamas, where everybody is different and nobody needs to be normal. When Elsa’s grandmother dies and leaves behind a series of letters apologizing to people she has wronged, Elsa’s greatest adventure begins. Her grandmother’s instructions lead her to an apartment building full of drunks, monsters, attack dogs, and old crones but also to the truth about fairy tales and kingdoms and a grandmother like no other. My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She’s Sorry is told with the same comic accuracy and beating heart as Fredrik Backman’s bestselling debut novel, A Man Called Ove. It is a story about life and death and one of the most important human rights: the right to be different.

After everything that the citizens of Beartown have gone through, they are struck yet another blow when they hear that their beloved local hockey team will soon be disbanded. What makes it worse is the obvious satisfaction that all the former Beartown players, who now play for a rival team in Hed, take in that fact. Amidst the mounting tension between the two rivals, a surprising newcomer is handpicked to be Beartown’s new hockey coach.Soon a new team starts to take shape around Amat, the fastest player you’ll ever see; Benji, the intense lone wolf; and Vidar, a born-to-be-bad troublemaker. But bringing this team together proves to be a challenge as old bonds are broken, new ones are formed, and the enmity with Hed grows more and more acute.As the big match approaches, the not-so-innocent pranks and incidents between the communities pile up and their mutual contempt grows deeper. By the time the last game is finally played, a resident of Beartown will be dead, and the people of both towns will be forced to wonder if, after all they’ve been through, the game they love can ever return to something simple and innocent.

Two years have passed since the events that no one wants to think about. Everyone has tried to move on, but there’s something about this place that prevents it. The residents continue to grapple with life’s big questions: What is a family? What is a community? And what, if anything, are we willing to sacrifice in order to protect them? As the locals of Beartown struggle to overcome the past, great change is on the horizon. Someone is coming home after a long time away. Someone will be laid to rest. Someone will fall in love, someone will try to fix their marriage, and someone will do anything to save their children. Someone will submit to hate, someone will fight, and someone will grab a gun and walk towards the ice rink. So what are the residents of Beartown willing to sacrifice for their home? Everything. The long-awaited conclusion to the beloved New York Times bestselling and “engrossing” (People) Beartown series—which inspired an HBO series of the same name—follows the small hockey town’s residents as they grapple with change, pain, hope, and redemption.

A little book with a big heart! From the New York Times bestselling author of A Man Called Ove, My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She’s Sorry, and Britt-Marie Was Here comes an exquisitely moving portrait of an elderly man’s struggle to hold on to his most precious memories, and his family’s efforts to care for him even as they must find a way to let go. With all the same charm of his bestselling full-length novels, here Fredrik Backman once again reveals his unrivaled understanding of human nature and deep compassion for people in difficult circumstances. This is a tiny gem with a message you’ll treasure for a lifetime.

Britt-Marie can’t stand mess. A disorganized cutlery drawer ranks high on her list of unforgivable sins. She is not one to judge others—no matter how ill-mannered, unkempt, or morally suspect they might be. It’s just that sometimes people interpret her helpful suggestions as criticisms, which is certainly not her intention. But hidden inside the socially awkward, fussy busybody is a woman who has more imagination, bigger dreams, and a warmer heart that anyone around her realizes. When Britt-Marie walks out on her cheating husband and has to fend for herself in the miserable backwater town of Borg—of which the kindest thing one can say is that it has a road going through it—she finds work as the caretaker of a soon-to-be demolished recreation center. The fastidious Britt-Marie soon finds herself being drawn into the daily doings of her fellow citizens, an odd assortment of miscreants, drunkards, layabouts. Most alarming of all, she’s given the impossible task of leading the supremely untalented children’s soccer team to victory. In this small town of misfits, can Britt-Marie find a place where she truly belongs? Funny and moving, sweet and inspiring, Britt-Marie Was Here celebrates the importance of community and connection in a world that can feel isolating. The New York Times bestselling author of A Man Called Ove and My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She’s Sorry “returns with this heartwarming story about a woman rediscovering herself after a personal crisis… fans of Backman will find another winner in these pages.”

Things My Son Needs to Know About the World collects the personal dispatches from the front lines of one of the most daunting experiences any man can experience: fatherhood. As he conveys his profound awe at experiencing all the "firsts" that fill him with wonder and catch him completely unprepared, Fredrik Backman doesn't shy away from revealing his own false steps and fatherly flaws, tackling issues both great and small, from masculinity and mid-life crises to practical jokes and poop. In between the sleep-deprived lows and wonderful highs, Backman takes a step back to share the true story of falling in love with a woman who is his complete opposite, and learning to live a life that revolves around the people you care about unconditionally. Alternating between humorous side notes and longer essays offering his son advice as he grows up and ventures out into the world, Backman relays the big and small lessons in life, including: -How to find the team you belong to -Why airports explain everything about religion and war -The reason starting a band is crucial to cultivating and keeping friendships -How to beat Monkey Island 3 -Why, sometimes, a dad might hold onto his son's hand just a little too tight. The #1 New York Times bestselling author of A Man Called Ove shares an irresistible and moving collection of heartfelt, fictional, humorous essays about fatherhood, providing his newborn son with the perspective and tools he'll need to make his way in the world.

A father and a son are seeing each other for the first time in years. The father has a story to share before it’s too late. He tells his son about a courageous little girl lying in a hospital bed a few miles away. She’s a smart kid—smart enough to know that she won’t beat cancer by drawing with crayons all day, but it seems to make the adults happy, so she keeps doing it. As he talks about this plucky little girl, the father also reveals more about himself: his triumphs in business, his failures as a parent, his past regrets, his hopes for the future. Now, on a cold winter’s night, the father has been given an unexpected chance to do something remarkable that could change the destiny of a little girl he hardly knows. But before he can make the deal of a lifetime, he must find out what his own life has actually been worth, and only his son can reveal that answer. With humor and compassion, Fredrik Backman’s The Deal of a Lifetime reminds us that life is a fleeting gift, and our legacy rests in how we share that gift with others.

В маленьком шведском городке накануне Нового года вооруженный пистолетом человек в маске после неудачной попытки ограбить банк захватывает восемь заложников во время показа покупателям выставленной на продажу квартиры. У подъезда тут же собирается толпа жадных до сенсаций репортеров, полиция блокирует все подступы к дому и готовится штурмовать квартиру… атмосфера накаляется. Не выдерживая нарастающего напряжения, заложники делятся друг с другом своими самыми сокровенными тайнами… Вскоре грабитель начинает склоняться к тому, что, возможно, лучше добровольно отдать себя в руки полиции, чем продолжать оставаться в замкнутом пространстве со всеми этими невыносимыми людьми…

My Friends, the brilliant new novel from Fredrik Backman, New York Times bestselling author of A Man Called Ove and Anxious People, is coming in June 2025!

Autor Mężczyzny o imieniu Ove powraca ze swoją najbardziej awanturniczą powieścią. Niespokojni ludzie to zakręcona komedia o dramacie zakładników pojmanych w trakcie oglądania mieszkania na sprzedaż. Kiedy po nieudanym napadzie na bank zamaskowana jednostka z bronią w ręku wbiega do wystawionego na sprzedaż mieszkania, z przerażeniem odkrywa, że właśnie przez przypadek wydłużyła listę swoich przewinień o wzięcie zakładników. I to, jak się szybko okazuje, najgorszych zakładników, jakich świat widział. Bo jest wśród nich nadmiernie rozentuzjazmowana agentka nieruchomości, zgorzkniałe małżeństwo uzależnione od wypadów do Ikei, złośliwa multimilionerka, przygnębiona staruszka, kobieta w zaawansowanej ciąży i jej wkurzająca partnerka oraz typ z głową królika. Kiedy zakładnicy zostają uwolnieni, policja wpada do mieszkania, ale okazuje się ono... puste. Podczas serii trudnych przesłuchań na jaw wychodzą różne wersje wydarzeń. Czy policji uda się rozwikłać zagadkę tajemniczego napadu? Czy na podstawie różnych kawałków tej układanki uda się odpowiedzieć nie tylko na pytanie, co się naprawdę stało, ale także dlaczego ludzie bywają tacy niespokojni i co jest dzisiaj z nimi nie tak? Niespokojni ludzie to powieść prowokująca, rozdzierająca serce i niemożliwie zabawna. Idealna mieszanka tragizmu i komizmu, wiarygodności i absurdu. Zadziorny i humorystyczny styl sprawił, że tę historię pokochały miliony czytelników na świecie. Prawa do serialu na podstawie Niespokojnych ludzi zostały kupione przez Netflix.

This is a short story I wrote in December 2017. It’s about pain. It’s been translated by my friend Vanja Vinter and is published here on my blog for now because I’m not really sure where else to put it yet. If you read it and find something you like with it you’re welcome to donate whatever you think it’s worth to a charity of your choice.

'Late one evening towards the end of March, a teenager picked up a double-barrelled shotgun, walked into the forest, put the gun to someone else's forehead and pulled the trigger. This is the story of how we got there.' Beartown is a small town in a large Swedish forest. For most of the year it is under a thick blanket of snow, experiencing the kind of cold and dark that brings people closer together - or pulls them apart. Its isolation means that Beartown has been slowly shrinking with each passing year. But now the town is on the verge of an astonishing revival. Everyone can feel the excitement. Change is in the air and a bright new future is just around the corner. Until the day it is all put in jeopardy by a single, brutal act. It divides the town into those who think it should be hushed up and forgotten, and those who'll risk the future to see justice done. At last, it falls to one young man to find the courage to speak the truth that it seems no one else wants to hear. No one can stand by or stay silent. You're on one side or another. Which side will you find yourself on?

A charming, warmhearted novel from the author of the New York Times bestseller A Man Called Ove. Elsa is seven years old and different. Her grandmother is seventy-seven years old and crazy—as in standing-on-the-balcony-firing-paintball-guns-at-strangers crazy. She is also Elsa’s best, and only, friend. At night Elsa takes refuge in her grandmother’s stories, in the Land-of-Almost-Awake and the Kingdom of Miamas, where everybody is different and nobody needs to be normal. When Elsa’s grandmother dies and leaves behind a series of letters apologizing to people she has wronged, Elsa’s greatest adventure begins. Her grandmother’s instructions lead her to an apartment building full of drunks, monsters, attack dogs, and old crones but also to the truth about fairy tales and kingdoms and a grandmother like no other. My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She’s Sorry is told with the same comic accuracy and beating heart as Fredrik Backman’s bestselling debut novel, A Man Called Ove. It is a story about life and death and one of the most important human rights: the right to be different.

Ovo je priča o onome što se dogodilo poslije; od jednog ljeta do naredne zime. Priča je to o Medvedgradu i susjednom gradiću Hedu i o tome kako se suparništvo između dviju hokejaških momčadi može pretvoriti u ludu trku za novcem i moći i opstankom. Zbog nekih ćemo se djevojaka ponositi, zbog nekih ćemo dječaka postati veliki. Mladići odjeveni u različite boje u mračnoj će se šumi boriti do smrti. Jedan će automobil juriti kroz noć. Reći ćemo da je bila riječ o prometnoj nesreći, ali nesreće se događaju slučajno. Znat ćemo da smo ovu mogli spriječiti. Za ovu je netko kriv. Umrijet će ljudi koje volimo. I ima li, nakon svega toga, povratka?

ISTINA je u malim sredinama uglavnom nepoželjna. A Medvedgrad je mala sredina, gradić koji je izgubio na svim poljima. Ostao mu je samo hokej. IMA juniorsku ekipu koja je na korak do naslova državnog prvaka, što je za Medvedgrad pitanje opstanka. Ako pobijede, ostatak zemlje sjetit će se tog gradića s ruba šume, doći će sponzori i veliki igrači. Juniori se s tim pritiskom nose kako znaju. Kad jedan od njih počini zločin, zajednica reagira očekivano. CIJENU na kraju ipak netko mora platiti. Je li grad u ime hokeja i višeg cilja u stanju okrenuti glavu od pravde? I mogu li oni društvu ‘važniji’ nekažnjeno raditi što ih je volja?

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of A Man Called Ove and “writer of astonishing depth” (The Washington Times) comes a poignant comedy about a crime that never took place, a would-be bank robber who disappears into thin air, and eight extremely anxious strangers who find they have more in common than they ever imagined. Viewing an apartment normally doesn’t turn into a life-or-death situation, but this particular open house becomes just that when a failed bank robber bursts in and takes everyone in the apartment hostage. As the pressure mounts, the eight strangers begin slowly opening up to one another and reveal long-hidden truths. First is Zara, a wealthy bank director who has been too busy to care about anyone else until tragedy changed her life. Now, she’s obsessed with visiting open houses to see how ordinary people live—and, perhaps, to set an old wrong to right. Then there’s Roger and Anna-Lena, an Ikea-addicted retired couple who are on a never-ending hunt for fixer-uppers to hide the fact that they don’t know how to fix their own failing marriage. Julia and Ro are a young lesbian couple and soon-to-be parents who are nervous about their chances for a successful life together since they can’t agree on anything. And there’s Estelle, an eighty-year-old woman who has lived long enough to be unimpressed by a masked bank robber waving a gun in her face. And despite the story she tells them all, Estelle hasn’t really come to the apartment to view it for her daughter, and her husband really isn’t outside parking the car. As police surround the premises and television channels broadcast the hostage situation live, the tension mounts and even deeper secrets are slowly revealed. Before long, the robber must decide which is the more terrifying prospect: going out to face the police, or staying in the apartment with this group of impossible people. Rich with Fredrik Backman’s “pitch-perfect dialogue and an unparalleled understanding of human nature” (Shelf Awareness), Anxious People’s whimsical plot serves up unforgettable insights into the human condition and a gentle reminder to be compassionate to all the anxious people we encounter every day.

À primeira vista, Ove é o homem mais rabugento do mundo. Sempre foi assim, mas piorou desde a morte da mulher, que ele adorava. Agora que foi despedido, Ove decide suicidar-se. Mal sabe ele as peripécias em que se vai meter. Um jovem casal recém-chegado destrói-lhe a caixa de correio, o seu amigo mais antigo está prestes a ser internado a contragosto num lar, e um gato vadio dá-se a conhecer. Ove vê-se obrigado a adiar o fim para ajudar a resolver, muito contrariado, uma série de pequenas e grandes crises. Este livro simultaneamente hilariante e encantador fala-nos de amizades inesperadas e do impacto profundo que podemos ter na vida dos outros.

People say Beartown is finished. A tiny community nestled deep in the forest, it is slowly losing ground to the ever-encroaching trees. But down by the lake stands an old ice rink, built generations ago by the working men who founded town. And that rink is the reason people in Beartown believe tomorrow will be better than today. Their junior hockey team is about to compete in the national championships, and they actually have a shot at winning. All the hopes and dreams of the town now rest on the shoulders of a handful of teenage boys. A victory would send star player Kevin onto a brilliant professional future in the NHL. It would mean everything to Amat, a scrawny fifteen-year-old treated like an outcast everywhere but on the ice. And it would justify the choice that Peter, the team's general manager, and his wife, Kira, made to return to his hometown and raise their children in this beautiful but isolated place. Being responsible for the hopes of an entire town is a heavy burden, and the semifinal match is the catalyst for a violent act that leaves a young girl traumatized and a town in turmoil. Hers is a story no one wants to believe since the truth would mean the end of the dream. Accusations are made, and like ripples on a pond, they travel through all of Beartown, leaving no resident unaffected.

Oma ist 77, Ärztin, Chaotin und treibt die Nachbarn in den Wahnsinn. Elsa ist 7, liebt Wikipedia und Superhelden und hat nur einen einzigen Freund: nämlich Oma. In Omas Märchen erlebt Elsa die aufregendsten Abenteuer. Bis Oma sie eines Tages auf die größte Suche ihres Lebens schickt – und zwar in der wirklichen Welt.

Eine kleine Stadt. Ein großer Traum. Der tief bewegende Roman des einfühlsamen Erzählers aus Schweden, der mit seinen Büchern die »New York Times«- und die »Spiegel«-Bestsellerlisten erobert hat. Wer glaubt noch an Björnstadt? Es liegt viel zu weit hinter den dunklen Wäldern im Norden. Doch die Menschen hier halten zusammen. Und sie teilen eine Leidenschaft, die sie wieder mit Stolz erfüllen könnte. Die den Rest der Welt an Björnstadt erinnern könnte. Vielleicht sogar Arbeitsplätze bringen, eine Zukunft. Deshalb liegen alle Träume und Hoffnungen nun auf den Schultern ein paar junger Björnstädter. Noch ahnt keiner in der Stadt, dass sich ihre Gemeinschaft über Nacht für immer verändern wird.

In a hilarious short story from New York Times bestselling author Fredrik Backman, the absurdities of modern life cause one man’s solitary world to spin suddenly, and comically, out of control. Lucas knows the perfect night entails just three things: video games, wine, and pad thai. Peanuts are a must! Other people? Not so much. Why complicate things when he’s happy alone? Then one day the apartment board, a vexing trio of authority, rings his doorbell. And Lucas’s solitude takes a startling hike. They demand to see his frying pan. Someone left one next to the recycling room overnight, and instead of removing the errant object, as Lucas suggests, they insist on finding the guilty party. But their plan backfires. Colossally. Told in Fredrik Backman’s singular witty style with sharply drawn characters and relatable antics, The Answer Is No is a laugh-out-loud portrait of a man struggling to keep to himself in a world that won’t leave him alone.

Upoznajte Uvea. On je džangrizalo – jedan od onih koji upiru prstom u ljude koji mu se ne dopadaju kao da su provalnici zatečeni pod njegovim prozorom. Svakog jutra Uve ide u inspekciju po naselju u kom živi. Premešta bicikle i proverava da li je đubre pravilno razvrstano – iako je već nekoliko godina prošlo otkako je razrešen dužnosti predsednika kućnog saveta. Ili otkako je „izvršen prevrat“, kako Uve govori o tome. Ljudi ga zovu „ogorčenim komšijom iz pakla“. Ali zar Uve mora da bude ogorčen samo zbog toga što ne šeta okolo sa osmehom zalepljenim na lice? Međutim, iza njegove mrzovolje i pedanterije skriva se jedna priča i mnogo tuge... I tako, kada komšije koje se useljavaju u susednu kuću jednog novembarskog dana slučajno unište Uveovo poštansko sanduče, iznenada počinje topla priča o odrpanim mačkama, neočekivanom prijateljstvu i drevnoj veštini vožnje auta sa prikolicom. Priča koja će suštinski promeniti jednog čoveka i jedno udruženje stanara. Svakom je potreban komšija kao što je Uve.

Una historia repleta de humor, sentimiento y sabiduría, que nos sumerge en el mundo de un protagonista entrañable e inolvidable «¿Acaso tengo que andar todo el día sonriendo como un bobo?» Ove no es el típico vecino con el que te apetece cruzarte en el barrio. Es un cascarrabias, un pesado que insiste hasta la exageración en mantener el orden y la disciplina, un casi sesentón solitario y resentido a quien el destino ha arrebatado demasiadas cosas. Sin embargo, en la vida de Ove algo está a punto de cambiar. Una serie de circunstancias fortuitas van devolviéndole poco a poco la fe en el género humano. Y, al mismo tiempo, las personas que le rodean comienzan a comprender que su barrio no sería el mismo sin el gruñón de Ove. Sería un lugar más frío, menos solidario y, aunque parezca mentira, también mucho menos divertido... porque, al final, todo el mundo quiere a Ove.

A grumpy yet loveable man finds his solitary world turned on its head when a boisterous young family moves in next door. Meet Ove. He's a curmudgeon, the kind of man who points at people he dislikes as if they were burglars caught outside his bedroom window. He has staunch principles, strict routines, and a short fuse. People call him the bitter neighbor from hell, but must Ove be bitter just because he doesn't walk around with a smile plastered to his face all the time?Behind the cranky exterior there is a story and a sadness. So when one November morning a chatty young couple with two chatty young daughters move in next door and accidentally flatten Ove's mailbox, it is the lead-in to a comical and heartwarming tale of unkempt cats, unexpected friendship, and the ancient art of backing up a U-Haul. All of which will change one cranky old man and a local residents' association to their very foundations.

Gente ansiosa es una desenfrenada comedia sobre un robo fallido que termina en un grupo de personas siendo mantenidas en cautiverio durante la jornada de puertas abiertas de un apartamento.  Una sola mala idea: una mala idea de verdad. No hace falta más. Un fallido ladrón de bancos se encierra junto a una agente inmobiliaria excesivamente entusiasta, dos rencorosos adictos a IKEA, una mujer embarazada, un multimillonario suicida y un maldito conejo. Al final, el ladrón se rinde y los deja salir a todos, pero cuando la policía irrumpe en el apartamento… está vacío. Tras una serie de testimonios disfuncionales recogidos más adelante, los testigos cuentan su versión de los hechos, con lo cual se desarrolla una historia policial alrededor de las siguientes preguntas: ¿cómo fue que el ladrón logró escapar? ¿Por qué están todos tan enfadados? Y, ¿qué le pasa a la gente hoy en día?

A grumpy yet loveable man finds his solitary world turned on its head when a boisterous young family moves in next door. Meet Ove. He's a curmudgeon, the kind of man who points at people he dislikes as if they were burglars caught outside his bedroom window. He has staunch principles, strict routines, and a short fuse. People call him the bitter neighbor from hell, but must Ove be bitter just because he doesn't walk around with a smile plastered to his face all the time? Behind the cranky exterior there is a story and a sadness. So when one November morning a chatty young couple with two chatty young daughters move in next door and accidentally flatten Ove's mailbox, it is the lead-in to a comical and heartwarming tale of unkempt cats, unexpected friendship, and the ancient art of backing up a U-Haul. All of which will change one cranky old man and a local residents' association to their very foundations.

A charming, warmhearted novel from the author of the New York Times bestseller A Man Called Ove. Elsa is seven years old and different. Her grandmother is seventy-seven years old and crazy—as in standing-on-the-balcony-firing-paintball-guns-at-strangers crazy. She is also Elsa’s best, and only, friend. At night Elsa takes refuge in her grandmother’s stories, in the Land-of-Almost-Awake and the Kingdom of Miamas, where everybody is different and nobody needs to be normal. When Elsa’s grandmother dies and leaves behind a series of letters apologizing to people she has wronged, Elsa’s greatest adventure begins. Her grandmother’s instructions lead her to an apartment building full of drunks, monsters, attack dogs, and old crones but also to the truth about fairy tales and kingdoms and a grandmother like no other. My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She’s Sorry is told with the same comic accuracy and beating heart as Fredrik Backman’s bestselling debut novel, A Man Called Ove. It is a story about life and death and one of the most important human rights: the right to be different.

No existe un manual para aprender a ejercer uno de los trabajos más difíciles que existe: ser padre. Afortunadamente para nosotros, el autor sueco más reconocido e interesante de nuestros tiempos, Fredrik Backman (Un hombre llamado Ove, Gente ansiosa, Britt-Marie estuvo aquí), nos alumbra el camino con anécdotas personales tan graciosas como enternecedoras. A mi hijo: Quiero pedirte disculpas por todo lo que haré durante más o menos los próximos dieciocho años. Pero, cuando me ponga difícil, cuando me comporte de forma bochornosa, o arbitraria o injusta contigo, quiero que recuerdes bien aquel día que te negaste a decirme dónde diablos habías escondido las malditas llaves del coche. Entonces, quiero que recuerdes que fuiste tú quien lo empezó todo. —Tu papá. Cosas que mi hijo necesita saber sobre el mundo abarca las preocupaciones, situaciones y temáticas de la paternidad de forma lúdica y sensible como pocos saben hacerlo. Una invitación honesta y conmovedora a celebrar los altibajos y el camino imperfecto de la paternidad. FREDRIK BACKMAN es autor de nueve libros, entre ellos el bestseller internacional Un hombre llamado Ove, cuya versión cinematográfica fue candidata a dos Óscar, y Gente ansiosa, una futura serie en Netflix. Sus obras han sido traducidas a cuarenta y seis idiomas. Backman vive en Estocolmo con su esposa y sus dos hijos.

Britt-Marie, 63 ans, n’est absolument pas passive-agressive. C’est juste que la crasse, les griffures et les tiroirs à couverts rangés n’importe comment la font hurler intérieurement. Elle sort tout juste d’un mariage et d’une vie de femme au foyer qui ont duré quarante ans, et le seul travail qu’elle ait pu dégoter la conduit à Borg, un village frappé par la crise qui s’étire le long d’une route où tout est fermé, en dehors d’une pizzeria qui empeste la bière. Britt-Marie déteste le football, or il ne reste rien d’autre à Borg. Voilà qui ne présage pas grand-chose de bon. Mais quand les enfants de l’équipe du village ont si désespérément besoin d’un coach qu’ils sont prêts à confier le boulot à n’importe qui, que Britt-Marie ne soit ni compétente, ni volontaire n'empêche personne de la recruter! Et quand, sur ces entrefaites, Britt-Marie accepte l’invitation à dîner d’un policier et se fracture la main dans un solarium, elle ne peut plus faire machine arrière. Le monde selon Britt-Marie est une histoire et une déclaration d’amour. Sur une femme qui a attendu toute une vie que la sienne commence enfin, et sur les villages le long de routes, dans lesquels c’est au football et aux pizzerias que l’on renonce en dernier.

Ove est veuf, dépressif et grincheux - bien qu’il prétende le contraire. Depuis que sa femme est décédée, il se sent inutile. Plus encore depuis qu’il a été licencié. Chaque jour, il erre dans sa maison, graisse le plan de travail de la cuisine, fait ses rondes de sécurité dans le quartier pour vérifier que tout est en ordre, engueule tous les réfractaires qui roulent en voiture dans le lotissement (ne savent-ils pas lire le panneau d’interdiction ?!)… Et puis après ? Non, vraiment, il ne peut plus continuer ainsi. Alors il a décidé d’en finir… Mais entre la corde qui cède alors qu’il s’apprête à se pendre et un chat de gouttière qui ose le défier, ce n’est pas simple. Et c’est sans compter sur l’arrivée de ses nouveaux voisins, une jeune femme iranienne, son mari, et leurs deux enfants. Bousculant Ove dans ses derniers retranchements, interrompant chacune de ses tentatives de suicides - ce qui le met dans une rage folle -, Parvaneh va peu à peu le sortir de sa léthargie. Non sans mal... Toute sa vie, Ove a suivi les principes moraux que lui avait enseignés son père, principes dictés par une économie de tout, en toute circonstance. Inconditionnel de mécanique (Saab uniquement, le reste ne vaut rien), seule la rencontre de celle qui est devenue sa femme l’a sauvé d’une existence morne et triste. Mais au crépuscule de sa vie, un nouveau tournant est en vue. Peut-être pas celui auquel il s’attendait… Et nous non plus ! Tel un chat cabossé et craintif, à la fois drôle et touchant, Ove réveille l’instinct protecteur qui sommeille en nous. Mais attention, il griffe !

Nogle gange sker der noget i livet, som gør, at man starter forfra. For Britt-Marie på 63 år var det en mand, som efter 40 års ægteskab valgte at være sammen med en anden kvinde. Om hun ville det eller ej, så var det i hvert fald hendes startskud til et nyt liv. "Britt-Marie var her!" er historien om, hvordan man i en sen alder bliver inviteret ud i den virkelige verden igen. I "Britt-Marie var her!" kan du læse, hvordan Britt-Marie tackler at flytte til den lille flække, Borg og hertil, hvordan hun håndterer, at byens fodboldhold er det eneste, der er tilbage i byen.

Sur, vrissen, vred og helt uimodståelig! Ove er 59 år. Han kører Saab. Folk kalder ham - bitter? og - en nabos værste mareridt? Men Ove er for helvede ikke bitter, bare fordi han undlader at smile smørret konstant! Der er heller ikke meget at grine af, når Ove hver morgen går sin inspektionsrunde i kvarteret. Flytter cykler, rusker i låste døre, sparker ulåste porte op og kvalitetstjekker naboernes affaldssortering i skralderummet til trods for, at det er flere år siden, han blev afsat som formand for grundejerforeningen. En begivenhed Ove benævner som - statskuppet? Men under huden på den rigide regelrytter, findes en historie og en sorg. Så den novemberdag, hvor en temperamentsfuld udenlandsk kvinde og hendes milde mand flytter ind overfor og uheldigvis baglænsparallelparkerer deres bil oven i Oves postkasse, bliver begyndelsen på en morsom og rørende fortælling. Om værdien af kvalitetsværktøj og uventet venskab, om herreløse katte og gammel kærlighed, sprogproblemer, selvmordsforsøg og kunsten at bakke med anhænger. Og historien kommer til at forandre en mand og en boligforening helt fra grunden.

Ove är 59. Han kör Saab. Folk kallar honom "bitter" och "grannarnas skräck". Men Ove är fan inte bitter, grymtar han. Han går väl bara inte runt och flinar jämt! Varje morgon tar Ove sin inspektionsrunda i kvarteret. Flyttar cyklar och kontrollerar källsorteringstunnorna. Trots att det är flera år sedan han avsattes som ordförande på bostadsrättsföreningens årsstämma. Eller "den där statskuppen", som Ove själv bara minns den. Men bortom den vresige ordningsmannen finns en historia och en sorg. Så när de nyinflyttade grannarna i radhuset mittemot en novemberdag råkar förstöra Oves brevlåda blir det upptakten på en komisk och hjärtevärmande berättelse om tilltufsade katter, oväntad vänskap och den uråldriga konsten att backa med släp. Som kommer förändra en man och en bostadsrättsförening i grunden.