Hans Gunnarsson


Hans Gunnarsson is a Swedish novelist, short [story writer] and screenwriter.

Literary career

Gunnarsson published his first book, the short story collection Bakom glas in 1996 for which he was awarded the Katapultpriset for that year's best literary debut. It was followed by Februari: två berättelser in 1999 which established him as one of Sweden's most celebrated short story writers.
In 2003 he published his first novel En jävla vinter. His third novel Någon annanstans i Sverige was made into a film by Kjell-Åke Andersson. The acclaimed novel All inclusive was a major breakthrough and was followed by the psychological thriller Rum för resande in 2016. The novel Nattsida, relating to All inclusive, was published in 2019. In 2021 he returned as a short story writer with the critically acclaimed Bormann i Bromma, for which he was awarded the Aniarapriset. Död mans skugga completed a trilogy of related novels also including All inclusive and Nattsida, that by some critics was described as the Swedish equivalent of Paul Auster's The New York Trilogy.

Writing style

Gunnarsson's realistic novels and stories has been noted for depicting everyday life with tragicomedy and the absurd. Human shortcomings is a recurring theme in his writing. Noir fiction is an influence on recent novels such as Nattsida and Död mans skugga.

Film work

The 2001 film Days Like This is based on Gunnarsson's short story Februari. The screenplay, written by Gunnarsson in collaboration with the film's director Mikael Håfström, won them a Guldbagge for best screenplay in 2002. His screenwriting also include the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film-nominated Evil, Arn: The Knight Templar and The King of Ping Pong.

Awards