The Fredrik Backman books in order include standalone novels, the Beartown trilogy, novellas, short stories, nonfiction, and a collected edition of his shorter work. Backman is a Swedish author known for warm, emotionally honest stories about grief, family, friendship, community, and the imperfect people who need one another.
Backman writes in Swedish, and his books are published in English translation. His work available in English includes eight novels, two novellas, two short stories, and one nonfiction book, plus one collection that reprints three of the shorter works.
Jump to:
- Fredrik Backman Standalone Books
- Beartown Trilogy
- Fredrik Backman Nonfiction Book
- Fredrik Backman Novellas
- Fredrik Backman Short Stories
- Fredrik Backman Collections
- Fredrik Backman Screen Adaptations
- About Fredrik Backman
Fredrik Backman Standalone Books
Backman’s standalone novels are listed by first U.S. publication year. Most can be read in any order, but Britt-Marie first appears in My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She’s Sorry. I recommend reading that book before Britt-Marie Was Here for the character background and to avoid minor spoilers.
If you’re choosing a first Backman novel, I’d start with A Man Called Ove. It is the simplest introduction to the humor, grief, and compassion that define his fiction.
- A Man Called Ove (2014)
- My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She’s Sorry (2015)
- Britt-Marie Was Here (2016)
- Anxious People (2020)
- My Friends (2025)
Beartown Trilogy
The Beartown trilogy is Fredrik Backman’s only formal book series. It follows a hockey-obsessed Swedish town over several years as its residents face loyalty, rivalry, violence, grief, and the cost of protecting a community’s image.
I recommend reading the trilogy in the order below. Its chronological order is the same as its publication order, and the characters and consequences carry directly from one book to the next.
- Beartown (2017)
- Us Against You (2018)
- The Winners (2022)
Beartown was published as The Scandal in the UK. It is the same novel, not a separate first book.
Fredrik Backman Nonfiction Book
Things My Son Needs to Know about the World is a collection of essays about fatherhood, love, fear, and the lessons Backman hopes to pass on to his son. I’d read it whenever you’re ready for his personal voice rather than a fictional story.
Fredrik Backman Novellas
Backman’s two novellas are standalone stories, so they can be read in either order. I prefer publication order, especially if you want to see how his shorter work developed.
Fredrik Backman Short Stories
Backman has also published two short stories in English. Sebastian and the Troll does not have a separate purchasable Amazon edition, so the collection below is the most useful place to find it.
- Sebastian and the Troll (2018) (Short Story) (found in The Deal of a Lifetime and Other Stories)
- The Answer Is No (2024) (Short Story)
Fredrik Backman Collections
Backman has one English-language collection. It gathers And Every Morning the Way Home Gets Longer and Longer, The Deal of a Lifetime, and Sebastian and the Troll, so it does not add a separate fourth story. I’ve included it because it is the simplest way to buy Sebastian and the Troll.
Fredrik Backman Screen Adaptations
Several of Backman’s books have been adapted for film and television. The two Ove films are separate adaptations of A Man Called Ove, while the other released adaptations draw from Britt-Marie Was Here, Beartown, and Anxious People.
- A Man Called Ove (2015) (Swedish Film)
- Britt-Marie Was Here (2019) (Swedish Film)
- Beartown (2020) (Swedish TV Miniseries)
- Anxious People (2021) (Swedish TV Miniseries)
- A Man Called Otto (2022) (American Film)
About Fredrik Backman
Fredrik Backman is a Swedish author, columnist, and blogger who was born in Stockholm in 1981. His English editions have been translated by several translators, including Henning Koch, Neil Smith, and Elizabeth DeNoma.
Backman has said that he thinks of himself as a storyteller and wants his books to feel like a one-on-one conversation. That comes through in his conversational narration, recurring interest in lonely or overlooked people, and ability to move between humor and grief.
His books have been published in more than forty countries. In my view, his greatest strength is how he makes flawed characters feel specific and human without treating their pain as a punchline.
Looking for similar books in order?
If you want more romance authors and reading-order guides like this one, start with my Romance Books in Order index.