Frederik Backman is a Swedish columnist, blogger, and writer. He has written bestselling books named: “A Man Called Ove”, “My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She’s Sorry”, ” Britt-Marie Was Here”, “Beartown” and “Us Against You”. These notable books got translated in more than twenty-five languages.
His writings provide an insight into the emptiness of the contemporary world. He exhibits the crisis of individuals involving society into it too. He shows how society affects them particularly highlighting the lack of kindness and empathy. Also, he makes his characters unique in their way of dealing with crises on their own.
A Short Biography of Frederik Backman
Frederik Backman was born in Brännkyrka in Söderort, Sweden, on 2 June 1981. He was raised in Helsingborg. He started studying comparative religion. However, he dropped out of college. Moreover, he didn’t continue his studies rather he ended up becoming a truck driver.
In 2006, a new newspaper Xtra was launched. Backman serves as a writer for this newspaper after clearing the test of writing an article. He continued to serve as a columnist for Xtra. Afterward, he got an opportunity to work for Moore Magazine in Stockholm in 2007.
A year later, he started doing freelancing. However, he became a writer for Metro in 2012. About his writing career he says:
“I write things. Before I did that I had a real job, but then I happened to come across some information saying there were people out there willing to pay people just to write things about other people, and I thought “surely this must be better than working” And it was, it really was. Not to mention the fact that I can sit down for a living now, which has been great for my major interest in cheese-eating”.
His marital life began in 2009 with his life partner named Neda Shafti Backman. Moreover, the following year just after marriage they had a child. Just like his writing career, he started blogging as well.
He blogged regarding his marriage preparation on the “The Wedding Blog”. He also blogged about being a father on “Someone’s Dad blog“. He rendered his services as a permanent blogger on Magazine Cafe Website. He blogged about the 2010 Olympics.
In the year 2012, he also published his own two works and made a way for himself to come to the spotlight as being a notable writer. His works are originally written in Swedish language but later on translated into English.
He published his two works one fiction and second one nonfiction: , “A Man Called Ove” and “Things My Son Needs to Know About the World”. Similarly, his second novel, Min mormor hälsar och säger förlåt) in 2013 in the Swedish language.
However, it’s English translation “My Grandmother Asked Me To Tell You She’s Sorry” came out in 2015. Moreover, it was shortlisted for the International Dublin Literary Award Ireland in 2017.
Frederik Backman’s Writing style
His writings have an abundant supply of figurative language. He expressed his obsessiveness for personification, metaphors, similes, and imagery in particular. He used his words in such a way that he doesn’t tell his readers rather he shows them the picture which has been created in his mind.
He elaborates on the detail not just in narrating as simply. Rather, he goes for the choice of unusual words to describe the details. Most frequently, his choice of distinct figurative language makes readers conjure up the image along with his description.
He mostly draws unusual and incredible imagery in his works. Hence, his choice of words makes him demonstrate familiar things in an unfamiliar way. His writings make the readers sense everything as deeply as him.
Moreover, he doesn’t use hackneyed phrases rather he develops his own unique way of description. For instance, an excerpt from “A Man Called Ove” illustrates his unique way of writing:
“And when she took hold of his lower arm, thick as her thigh, and tickled him until that sulky boy’s face opened up in a smile, it was like a plaster cast cracking around a piece of jewelry”
In the above-mentioned example, Backman doesn’t go for a hackneyed description. Rather, in this, he sets layers of interpretation for readers. To express happiness by comparing it with the cracking of plaster is a unique way. It does not just tell about happiness rather his inner deteriorating self.
Language
Backman has used satirical and humorous language in his writings. He has portrayed the dejected side of humans. Backman has applied dark humor to depict the dejected side of humans. Through this, he represents his own view of the world as well.
Social Satire on the other side is also carried along with that to comment on the behavior of people in a communal bond.
The portrayal of the protagonist
His protagonists are mostly socially challenged. On the other side, they are introverts as well. They don’t mingle with society easily. Rather they prefer to stay in their circles until they get a medium through which they can connect to society. The way Ove did in” A Man Called Ove” after falling in love with his partner.
Similarly, they represent a dejected part of human life in particular. They depict death and grave issues. In this way, they exhibit the flaws of society and express their disappointment over them. Protagonists are used as a tool by Backman to employ his own view of life before the world.
Backman focuses on the individuality of character. He depicts how crucial it is to be different in your own way. Rather than blindly following the set orders.
Major themes in Frederik Backman’s Writings
Love and loss
One of the prevailing themes of his writings. Readers would certainly come across while reading his works, especially in his “Beartown” novel. He displays both features of life which either make life happy or sad.
By inserting such themes he makes his writings real. He portrays these terms as integral parts of one’s life.
Friend and loyalty
In “Britt-Marie Was There”, he emphasizes the importance of being a friend and loyal at the same time. He clearly elaborates both terms and tactfully connects them. In this way, readers may learn something to make something vital in their lives too.
He supports his commentary on these two terms by comparing it with contrasting terms on the other side.
Kindness and empathy
He describes these two terms as the crucial components of life in his novel “My Grandmother Asked Me To Tell You She’s Sorry”. He portrays his characters in a way that represents the importance of kindness and empathy.
By showcasing the emptiness of these two terms in his characters’ lives he elaborates its vitality. His characters mostly lack these terms which leads them to recognize their void in life. Also, it develops an urge to find them.