The Bert Diaries are a series of

novel A novel is a relatively long work of narrative fiction, typically written in prose and published as a book. The present English word for a long work of prose fiction derives from the for "new", "news", or "short story of something new", itsel ...

s written in the form of a

diary A diary is a written or audiovisual record with discrete entries arranged by date reporting on what has happened over the course of a day or other period. Diaries have traditionally been handwritten but are now also often digital. A personal ...

, by Swedish writers

Anders Jacobsson and Sören Olsson Anders Jacobsson (born 1963) and Sören Olsson (born 1964) are two Sweden, Swedish-born cousins who are writers of children's literature and young adult fiction. They are best known for their books about Sune series, Sune and Bert diaries, Bert ...

. The main character is a Swedish teenager called Bert Ljung, living in

Öreskoga Öreskoga is a fictional town in Sweden, where most of the fictional novels and later TV Series Bert-diaries take place. The main character of the novels, Bert Ljung, lives in Öreskoga, at ''Klosterstigen 18''. In the books, he lives in a thre ...

, a

fictional town A fictional city refers to a town, city or village that is invented for fictional stories and does not exist in real life, or which people believe to exist without definitive proof, such as Plato's account of Atlantis. Cultures have always had l ...

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...

, in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The first book came out in 1987. Bert and his friends also have a pop/rock band, the ''Heman Hunters''. A

TV series A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, or cable, excluding breaking news, advertisements, or trailers that are typically placed betw ...

was made in 1994, directed by

Tomas Alfredson Hans Christian Tomas Alfredson (born 1 April 1965) is a Swedish film director who is best known internationally for directing the 2008 vampire film '' Let the Right One In'' and 2011 espionage film ''Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy''. Alfredson has re ...

and

Svante Kettner Svante is the shortening for the Swedish male first name Svantepolk. It originates from Slavic ancestors of first prominent Svantes in Sweden. The Slavic languages have the name which is rendered as Sviatopolk in Russian, Swiãtopôłk in Kashub ...

. It was followed by a

feature film A feature film or feature-length film is a narrative film (motion picture or "movie") with a running time long enough to be considered the principal or sole presentation in a commercial entertainment program. The term ''feature film'' originall ...

in 1995, also directed by Alfredson. In late-July 2016 the recording of a new Bert film was announced. Between 1993 and 2002, a comic book, ''

FF med Bert ''FF med Bert'' (''Föräldrafritt med Bert'', ''FF'', ''Berttidningen''), was a Swedish comic book published between the years of 1993 and 2002. The main comics, ''Berts dagbok'', were created by Johan Unenge and Måns Gahrton, and are based on t ...

'', was published and between 1992 and 1999,

comic album a medium used to express ideas with images, often combined with text or other visual information. It typically the form of a sequence of panels of images. Textual devices such as speech balloons, captions, and onomatopoeia can indicate ...

s were published.

Main characters

Bert Ljung

Bert Ljung is the main character, the only son of optician Fredrik Ljung and

bus driver A bus driver, bus operator, or bus captain is a person who drives buses for a living. Description Bus drivers must have a special license above and beyond a regular driver's licence. Bus drivers typically drive their vehicles between bus st ...

Madelene (née Olsson). Bert starts as a 12-year-old

child A child ( : children) is a human being between the stages of birth and puberty, or between the developmental period of infancy and puberty. The legal definition of ''child'' generally refers to a minor, otherwise known as a person younger ...

in the spring term of the 5th grade but later becomes a mischievous

teenager Adolescence () is a transitional stage of physical and psychological development that generally occurs during the period from puberty to adulthood (typically corresponding to the age of majority). Adolescence is usually associated with the te ...

discovering his own

sexuality Human sexuality is the way people experience and express themselves sexually. This involves biological, psychological, physical, erotic, emotional, social, or spiritual feelings and behaviors. Because it is a broad term, which has varied ...

. From the book ''Berts första betraktelser'', the readers can learn that Bert Ljung was born on February 21, 1976, but there are a lot of

anachronism An anachronism (from the Ancient Greek, Greek , 'against' and , 'time') is a chronology, chronological inconsistency in some arrangement, especially a juxtaposition of people, events, objects, language terms and customs from different time per ...

s, with the later books largely following a

floating timeline A floating timeline (also known as a sliding timescale) is a device used in fiction, particularly in long-running serials in comics and animation as well as other media, to explain why characters Ageless, age little or not at all over a period of t ...

. His family is also depicted in the books. In ''

Berts bryderier ''Berts bryderier'' ( sv, Bert's perplexities) is a diary novel written by Anders Jacobsson and Sören Olsson and originally published in 1995 in literature, 1995. The novel tells the story of Bert Ljung from 25 December to 13 February during ...

'', Bert tells the tale of his paternal great-grandfather Vladimir Livanov, who hailed from

Saint Petersburg Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...

and made glasses, before building a raft and paddling with his hands and ending up in

Gotland Gotland (, ; ''Gutland'' in Gutnish), also historically spelled Gottland or Gothland (), is Sweden's largest island. It is also a province, county, municipality, and diocese. The province includes the islands of Fårö and Gotska Sandön to the ...

, where he married Beda (who dies on October 14 in '' Berts bravader''). They had a son - Bert's paternal grandfather Stanislav Livanov, who after being teased for his name, changed his name at 18 to Sten Ljung. He married Märta Öberg, and they had two sons - Fredrik, and his younger brother Janne, who became a successful businessman in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

. Janne visits Bert and his family over Christmas in ''

Berts ytterligare betraktelser Berts ytterligare betraktelser ( sv, Bert's additional contemplations ) is a diary novel, written by Anders Jacobsson and Sören Olsson and originally published in 1991, it tells the story of Bert Ljung from 1 September to 31 December during the ...

'' and again in ''Berts befrielse'', and Bert visits him in NYC with family in ''

Berts vidare betraktelser ''Berts vidare betraktelser'' ( sv, Bert's further contemplations) is a diary novel, written by Anders Jacobsson and Sören Olsson and originally published in 1990 in literature, 1990. It tells the story of Bert Ljung from 1 May to 31 August durin ...

'' and on his own in ''Bert Babyface''. His religious maternal grandmother Svea Olsson also makes a lot of appearances in the books. Bert plays the electric bass, sings and writes songs in the amateur rock band ''Heman Hunters'' (changed to ''Population Station Groovy WY'' in ''Berts befrielse'' and after a mistake made with posters, to ''13 kor och en spann'' (13 Cows and a Bucket in Swedish) in ''Bert och beundrarinnorna''). He also plays soccer for the amateur team ''Öreskoga-Kamraternas Idrottsförening'', before quitting in ''Bert och beundrarinnorna.'' Bert is also interested in

mopeds A moped ( ) is a type of small motorcycle, generally having a less stringent licensing requirement than full motorcycles or automobiles. The term used to mean a similar vehicle except with both bicycle pedals and a motorcycle engine. Mopeds typi ...

, which in Sweden, one is allowed to drive at 15. He gets a ''Crescent Trampis'' moped in ''

Berts bekännelser Berts bekäennelser ( sv, Bert's confessions) is a diary novel, written by Anders Jacobsson and Sören Olsson and originally published in 1992. It tells the story of Bert Ljung from 15 January to 7 June during the calendar year he turns 15 during ...

'', before selling it in ''Berts befrielse''.

Åke Nordin

Åke Nordin is Bert's best friend. His mother died in cancer when he was 7 years old. While Bert is interested in girls, Åke is more interested in science, carrying out dangerous experiments with chemicals on his little sister Doris. Åke is the Heman Hunters' electrician and overall technician.

Torleif Andersson

Torleif comes from a family depicted as "intellectual". Torleif likes

classical music Classical music generally refers to the art music of the Western world, considered to be distinct from Western folk music or popular music traditions. It is sometimes distinguished as Western classical music, as the term "classical music" also ...

, and plays the flute and the keyboards in the Heman Hunters. He moves to

Helsingborg Helsingborg (, , , ) is a city and the seat of Helsingborg Municipality, Scania (Skåne), Sweden. It is the second-largest city in Scania (after Malmö) and ninth-largest in Sweden, with a population of 113,816 (2020). Helsingborg is the cent ...

at in January in ''Berts bekännelser'', but makes a brief return a few days later. Bert, Åke and Erik meet him again in Helsingborg in ''Berts bokslut''.

Erik "Lill-Erik" Linstett

Lill-Erik is the weak guy. He plays the accordion or the drums in the Heman Hunters. Before his arrival from

Sundsvall Sundsvall () is a city and the seat of Sundsvall Municipality in Västernorrland County, Sweden. It has a population of 58,807 as of 2020; more than 95,000 live in the municipal area. It is Sweden's 21st largest city by population. History Th ...

, rumors make everybody think he is the strong "Stor-Erik" or "Erik the Great" who is able to beat up Klimpen. He has a fear of girls, after he showed his penis to his cousin at 5 years old and she told him it looked like a worm. Despite that, he had been on dates in later books.

Rebecka Molin

Rebecka Molin is the first girl Bert is in love with, which occurs in the mid 5th grade when the book series start.

Nadja Nilsson

Nadja Nilsson is a girl born in the autumn in

Värmland Värmland () also known as Wermeland, is a '' landskap'' (historical province) in west-central Sweden. It borders Västergötland, Dalsland, Dalarna, Västmanland, and Närke, and is bounded by Norway in the west. Latin name versions are ''Va ...

, and lives with her mother in a cottage. She plays the

violin The violin, sometimes known as a ''fiddle'', is a wooden chordophone (string instrument) in the violin family. Most violins have a hollow wooden body. It is the smallest and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in the family in regular ...

. Her brothers are

raggare Raggare is a subculture found mostly in Sweden and parts of Norway and Finland, and to a lesser extent in Denmark, Germany, and Austria. Raggare are related to the American greaser and rockabilly subcultures and are known for their love of ...

(basically greasers). Bert falls in love with Nadja in May in the 5th grade, and they come together in June. On 1 March in the 6th grade, Bert breaks up with Nadja. They briefly get together again in ''Berts befrielse''.

Paulina Hlinka

Paulina Hlinka is a girl from what was then

Czechoslovakia , rue, Чеськословеньско, , yi, טשעכאסלאוואקיי, , common_name = Czechoslovakia , life_span = 1918–19391945–1992 , p1 = Austria-Hungary , image_p1 ...

. When her cousin Pavel visits Sweden in ''Berts vidare betraktelser'', Bert is scared that secret US agents will spot them, and prevent him visiting his uncle Janne in New York City due to the poor relationship between the USA and the USSR, as Czechoslovakia was a USSR-allied state. Bert is in love with Paulina from mid-late 6th grade to early 7th grade, before she leaves him for ''Dödgrävarn'' ("gravedigger" in Swedish). Bert later bumps into her in ''Bert och beundrarinnorna'', but as he smells bad, she makes an excuse that she has to get to woodshop class.

Emilia Ridderfjell

Emilia Ridderfjell is a girl who Bert falls in love with in October in the

7th grade Seventh grade (or grade seven) is a year or level of education. The seventh grade is the eighth school year, the second or third year of middle school, and the first year of junior high school. Students are around 13-14 years old in this stage ...

. She's interested in horses and schools, and takes singing classes. Her parents are medical doctors. On 1 March in the

8th grade Eighth grade (or grade eight in some regions) is the eighth post-kindergarten year of formal education in the US. The eighth grade is the ninth school year, the second, third, fourth, or final year of middle school, or the second and/or final ye ...

, Emilia breaks up with Bert. While Emilia has been a classmate of Bert since starting the 1st grade, Bert doesn't discover her until he falls in love with her, almost 6 and half year later. Before, she has just been a name on a paper, and a schooldesk in the classroom, except when Bert says "–Sorry" to her in the 3rd grade for accidentally smashing a

table tennis Table tennis, also known as ping-pong and whiff-whaff, is a sport in which two or four players hit a lightweight ball, also known as the ping-pong ball, back and forth across a table using small solid rackets. It takes place on a hard table div ...

ball hitting her

dental braces Dental braces (also known as braces, orthodontic cases, or cases) are devices used in orthodontics that align and straighten teeth and help position them with regard to a person's bite, while also aiming to improve dental health. They are often ...

, knocking them out. In '' Berts bravader'', Bert states that liking her is not without social risk (something Bert is always very keenly aware of), since most guys in his class consider her being a wimpish type for having good grades, fine manners and ironed clothes. She also appears in the Bert

comics a medium used to express ideas with images, often combined with text or other visual information. It typically the form of a sequence of panels of images. Textual devices such as speech balloons, captions, and onomatopoeia can indicate ...

, where she has a quicker temper, and two cousins, one is named ''Lovisa'' from

Gothenburg Gothenburg (; abbreviated Gbg; sv, Göteborg ) is the second-largest city in Sweden, fifth-largest in the Nordic countries, and capital of the Västra Götaland County. It is situated by the Kattegat, on the west coast of Sweden, and has ...

who Bert doesn't know when she arrives by train making Bert confused, and another cousin named ''Antonia Ridderfjell''.

Klas "Klimpen" Svensson

Klimpen is a stereotypical tough guy, who fights, and no one wants to be a friend with. His father has a

car. He moves to

Motala Motala () is a locality and the seat of Motala Municipality, Östergötland County, Sweden with 29,823 inhabitants (41,956 in the entire municipality) in 2010. It is the third largest city of Östergötland, following Linköping and Norrköping. M ...

after the 5th grade. He later briefly returns to Öreskoga in ''Berts bekymmer'', this time soliciting religious donations. Bert, Åke and Erik encounter him in

Mjölby Mjölby ( or ) is a city and the seat of Mjölby Municipality, Östergötland County, Sweden with 12,245 inhabitants in 2010. Mjölby is located by the rivulet Svartån. The name "Mjölby" is derived from ''Mölloby'', which comes from or ''m� ...

in ''Berts bokslut''.

List of books

Old version

*''

Berts dagbok ''Berts dagbok'' ( sv, Bert's diary), translated as ''In Ned's Head'', is a diary novel, written by Anders Jacobsson and Sören Olsson and originally published in 1987. It tells the story of Swedish fifth-grader Bert Ljung during the spring term ...

'' (Bert's Diary) - 1987, new edition in 1993 *''

Bert och brorsorna Bert och brorsorna ( sv, Bert and the brothers) is a diary novel, written by Anders Jacobsson and Sören Olsson and originally published in 1995, it tells the story of Bert Ljung from 7 June to 23 August during the calendar year he turns 12 duri ...

'' (Bert and the Brothers) - 1995 *'' Bert och Boysen'' (Bert and the Boys) - 1996 *''

Bert och bacillerna Bert och bacillerna ( sv, Bert and the bacilli) is a diary-style novel, written by Anders Jacobsson and Sören Olsson and originally published in 1997. It tells the story of Bert Ljung from 7 November to 31 December the year he turns 12 during th ...

'' (Bert and the Coodies) - 1997 *''

Berts första betraktelser Berts första betraktelser ( sv, Bert's first contemplations) is a diary novel, written by Anders Jacobsson and Sören Olsson and originally published in 1990. It tells the story of Bert Ljung from 1 January to 30 April during the calendar year ...

'' (Bert's First Reflections) - 1990 *''

'' (Bert's Further Reflections) - 1991 *''

'' (Bert's Additional Reflections) - 1991 *'' Berts bravader'' (Bert's Exploits) - 1991 *''

'' (Bert's Confessions) - 1992 *'' Bert och badbrudarna'' (Bert and the Bath Chicks) - 1993 *''

Berts bekymmer ''Berts bekymmer'' ( sv, Bert 's worries) is a diary novel, written by Anders Jacobsson and Sören Olsson and originally published in 1994. It tells the story of Bert Ljung during the calendar year he turns 15 during the autumn term in the 9th ...

'' (Bert's Worries) - 1994 *''

'' (Bert's Embarrassments) - 1995 *'' Berts befrielse'' (Bert's Liberation) - 1996 *'' Bert och beundrarinnorna'' (Bert and the Admirers) - 1997 *''

Bert Babyface Bert or BERT may refer to: Persons, characters, or animals known as Bert *Bert (name), commonly an abbreviated forename and sometimes a surname *Bert, a character in the poem "Bert the Wombat" by The Wiggles; from their 1992 album Here Comes a Son ...

'' (Bert Babyface) - 1998 *'' Berts bokslut'' (Bert's Closure) - 1999

New version

*'' Bert och kalla kriget'' (Bert and the Cold War) - 2005 *'' Bert och Heman Hunters'' (Bert and the Heman Hunters) - 2006 *'' Bert + Samira = Sant?'' (Bert + Samira = True?) - 2007 *''

Bert Badbojen Bert or BERT may refer to: Persons, characters, or animals known as Bert *Bert (name), commonly an abbreviated forename and sometimes a surname *Bert, a character in the poem "Bert the Wombat" by The Wiggles; from their 1992 album Here Comes a Son ...

'' (Bert the bath boy) - 2008 *'' Bert och ryska invasionen'' (Bert and the Russian Invasion) - 2009 *'' Bert och datadejten'' (Bert and the Computer Date) - 2010 *'' Bert och friheten'' (Bert and Freedom) - 2011 *'' Bert får scenskräck'' (Bert gets stage fright) - 2012 *'' Bert och frestelsen'' (Bert and the temptation) - 2012 *'' Berts fejsbok'' (Bert's facebook) - 2013 *'' Bert och skrynkliga tanten'' (Bert and the wrinkled lady) - 2014

References

External links

De populära Bertböckerna!
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bert Diaries Book series introduced in 1987 Swedish children's novels Fictional diaries Swedish children's book series Teen fiction Novels set in Sweden Swedish-language novels