The Bert Diaries are a series of
novels 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 Swedish-born cousins who are writers of children's literature and young adult fiction. They are best known for their books about Sune and Bert, but also Tuva-Lisa and Emanu ...
. 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 three ...
, 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 ...
in
Sweden, 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 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 ...
and
Svante Kettner. 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 ...
'', 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 in the
spring term of the 5th grade but later becomes a mischievous
teenager discovering his own
sexuality. 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
anachronisms, 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 age little or not at all over a period of time— ...
. His family is also depicted in the books. In ''
Berts bryderier'', 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, 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 most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...
. 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. It tells the story of Bert Ljung from 1 May to 31 August during the calendar year ...
'' 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'', 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, 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, 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 '' ...
, 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 regu ...
. 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, where she has a quicker temper, and two cousins, one is named ''Lovisa'' from
Gothenburg 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
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 ...
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. ...
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 f ...
'' (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'' (Bert's First Reflections) - 1990
*''
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. It tells the story of Bert Ljung from 1 May to 31 August during the calendar year ...
'' (Bert's Further Reflections) - 1991
*''
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 ...
'' (Bert's Additional Reflections) - 1991
*''
Berts bravader'' (Bert's Exploits) - 1991
*''
Berts bekännelser'' (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
*''
Berts bryderier'' (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