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", itself ...

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

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 countries, Nordic c ...

, 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 b ...

was made in 1994, directed by Tomas Alfredson 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'', was published and between 1992 and 1999, comic albums were published.

Main characters

Bert Ljung

Bert Ljung is the main character, the only son of

optician An optician, or ''dispensing optician'', is a technical practitioner who designs, fits and dispenses lenses for the correction of a person's vision. Opticians determine the specifications of various ophthalmic appliances that will give the nec ...

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 s ...

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 young ...

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 wit ...

. 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 Greek , 'against' and , 'time') is a chronological inconsistency in some arrangement, especially a juxtaposition of people, events, objects, language terms and customs from different time periods. The most common ty ...

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 age little or not at all over a period of time—de ...

. 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. The novel tells the story of Bert Ljung from 25 December to 13 February during the Christmas break ...

'', 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 ...

, where he married Beda (who dies on October 14 in ''

Berts bravader ''Berts bravader'' ( sv, Bert's exploits) is a diary novel written by Anders Jacobsson and Sören Olsson and originally published in 1991. It tells the story of Bert Ljung from 2 January to 1 January during the years he turns 14 and 15, covering ...

''). 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'' and again in ''Berts befrielse'', and Bert visits him in NYC with family in '' Berts vidare betraktelser'' 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, 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" al ...

, 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 The ...

, 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 lov ...

(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. 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 ...

, Emilia breaks up with Bert. While Emilia has been a classmate of Bert since starting the

1st grade First grade (also called Grade One, called ''Year 2'' in England or Primary 2 in Scotland) is the first grade in elementary school and the first school year after kindergarten. Children are usually 6–7 years old in this grade. Examples by r ...

, 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 Third grade (also called grade three, equivalent to Year 4 in England) is a year of primary education in many countries. It is the third school year of primary school. Students are usually 8–9 years old. Examples of the American syllabus *I ...

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 ''

'', 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 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 in ''Berts bokslut''.

List of books

Old version

*'' Berts dagbok'' (Bert's Diary) - 1987, new edition in 1993 *'' Bert och brorsorna'' (Bert and the Brothers) - 1995 *'' Bert och Boysen'' (Bert and the Boys) - 1996 *'' Bert och bacillerna'' (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 *'' Berts vidare betraktelser'' (Bert's Further Reflections) - 1991 *'' Berts ytterligare betraktelser'' (Bert's Additional Reflections) - 1991 *''

'' (Bert's Exploits) - 1991 *''

'' (Bert's Confessions) - 1992 *''

Bert och badbrudarna Bert och badbrudarna ( sv, Bert and the bath chicks) is a diary novel, written by Anders Jacobsson and Sören Olsson and originally published in 1993. It tells the story of Bert Ljung from 5 June to 23 August during the calendar year he turns 15 ...

'' (Bert and the Bath Chicks) - 1993 *'' Berts bekymmer'' (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 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 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