A Man Called Ove (novel)

A Man Called Ove (Swedish: En man som heter Ove, pronounced [ɛn ˈmanː sɔm ˈhěːtɛr ˈǔːvɛ]) is a debut novel by Swedish writer Fredrik Backman published in Swedish by Forum in 2012.^[1] The novel was published in English in 2013 and reached the New York Times Best Seller list 18 months after its publication and stayed on the list for 42 weeks.^[2]

A Man Called Ove

First edition (Swedish)
Author	Fredrik Backman
Original title	En man som heter Ove
Translator	Henning Koch
Language	Swedish
Genre	Novel
Publisher	Forum (Swedish), Atria Books (English)
Publication date	27 August 2012
Publication place	Sweden
Published in English	15 July 2014
Media type	Print
Pages	368 pp (US) 347 pp (SWE)
ISBN	9781476738024

It has been adapted into two films: A Man Called Ove, which premiered in Sweden on 25 December 2015, with Rolf Lassgård in the leading role,^[3] and A Man Called Otto, released on 30 December 2022, with Tom Hanks in the leading role.^[4]

Inspiration

Backman got his inspiration for this book after reading an article about a man named Ove who had a fit while buying tickets at an art museum. Backman instantly related to this man as he claims to be "not great at talking to people".^[2] He started writing blogposts under the heading, "I am a Man Called Ove", where he wrote about his pet peeves and annoyances. Eventually, he realized that his writing had potential for the creation of an interesting fictional character.^[2]

Characters

• Ove — A grumpy, 59-year-old widower who has recently been forced to retire
• Sonja — Ove's deceased wife
• Parvaneh — Ove's neighbor, a pregnant woman of Iranian descent, and a mother of two
• Patrick — Parvaneh's husband
• Rune — Ove's former friend who has become a nemesis and neighbor, he now has Alzheimer's
• Anita — Rune's wife
• Adrian — The neighborhood mailman
• Jimmy — The overweight neighbor

Reception

Overall, A Man Called Ove was received well. According to Book Marks, the book received a "rave" consensus, based on five reviews: three "rave" and two "positive".^[5] Kirkus Reviews gave a positive review of the novel, describing how, "the back story chapters have a simple, fablelike quality, while the current-day chapters are episodic and, at times, hysterically funny. In both instances, the narration can veer toward the preachy or overly pat, but wry descriptions, excellent pacing and the juxtaposition of Ove's attitude with his deeds add plenty of punch to balance out any pathos."^[6] Publishers Weekly called the novel "a fuzzy crowd-pleaser that serves up laughs to accompany a thoughtful reflection on loss and love. Though Ove's antics occasionally feel repetitive, the author writes with winning charm."^[7]

Adaptations

Film

The novel was adapted into A Man Called Ove, a Swedish film released on 25 December 2015,^[8] written and directed by Hannes Holm and starring Rolf Lassgård as Ove.^[9] The film was nominated for six awards, winning two, at the 51st Guldbagge Awards in 2016.^[10][11] It was nominated for the Best Foreign Language Film and Best Makeup and Hairstyling categories at the 89th Academy Awards.^{[12][13][14][15]}

An English-language film adaptation called A Man Called Otto was also released, with Tom Hanks starring and producing.^[16]

Theatre

In January 2015, a stage version of the book, starring Johan Rheborg in the leading role as Ove, premiered in Stockholm.^[17]

Audiobook

In July 2014, Dreamscape Media released an audiobook version of this book, read in English by the American actor George Newbern.^[18] In November 2019, Simon & Schuster released an audiobook version read in English by American actor J.K. Simmons.^[19]