Swedish, the native language of the novelist Fredrik Backman, is spoken by only about six million people, so the writer feels fortunate that all his books—including the best-sellers “A Man Called Ove,” “Anxious People,” and the “Beartown” trilogy—have been translated into English. Backman relishes the opportunity to serve as an ambassador for contemporary Swedish literature, and for the country’s broader literary tradition. From Nordic fairy tales and Viking folk stories to Astrid Lindgren’s “Pippi Longstocking” and Scandi-noir, “everything is character-driven,” he said. “They’re all about people’s relationships and emotions and growth.” Backman, whose latest book, “My Friends,” comes out in May, joined us recently to discuss four other Swedish novels that will appear in English this year, works that, like his own, are deeply rooted in Scandinavia’s storytelling tradition. His comments have been edited and condensed.
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