Fredrik Backman on Creative Anxiety and Procrastination

At the Simon & Schuster centennial, author Fredrik Backman discusses the highs and lows of being an author, from attempting to get along with the voices in your brain, to the hidden joys of jet lag.
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[@katerepko3662]

My goodness, his last line was so kind and generous. A perfect speech!

[@emmajohansson3129]

He is a very very kind and humble person

[@giovannam925]

The last part got me in the feels❤

[@twelvewingproductions7508]

I said the exact same thing before I read your comment. Yes.. perfect.

[@MrHi1000k]

Last line gave me goosebumps, total class

[@caseyjz1]

I just finished "Anxious People" and it was a RIDE! I loved it.

[@alenkacaserman]

Wathed a snippet of this speech on tiktok and immediately started reading his book "A man called Ove". Bloody brilliant 👍

[@alannachristie6495]

Love this!❤

[@JudyLeeThurber]

I came here from TikTok...had to hear the full speech. He's brilliant 👏 😊

[@philipthomas8277]

I came from Insta...had to hear the full speech.

[@heatherromero9979]

Same!

[@michaelkingademuyiwa1003]

Same😂

[@Hbvcbnkccbn]

Same😅

[@JaneMcGarry-q6e]

I came from Facebook for the same reason… and now I have to buy one of his books.. he’s amazing!

[@Rachel-zt7ph]

This speech is perfection. And now I need to read all of his books.

[@IO_sWorld]

Same!

[@bethanywhite7904]

I have! They are AMAZING!

[@janlfcfan]

Please keep a pack of tissues handy...🥲like Ron Weasley once said "you're gonna suffer but you're gonna be happy about it." 😬

[@gnomeheart1]

Great writer. wort reading over and over again.

[@SinaMuscarina]

Me too ❤

[@jayelleart]

My favourite author! Not only love his writing but his sense of humour! He and his brain are a brilliant team.

[@emmajohansson3129]

The books are great, however his short stories about his life on instagram is brilliant to

[@alistairmills7608]

❤

[@robyncooperramsey8323]

What a gem of a speech! This man is hilarious and didn’t crack a smile.

[@nekonantsu44]

That's Swedish folks for you 😅 (I live in Sweden)

[@piretreiljan9398]

Scandinavians don't smile when talking. Nor do Finns or Estonians. I should know, I'm one of the above, have lived in two of the above & have visited 4 of the above.

[@jonhowell5014]

"I am going to have a writers' block, I just haven't gotten around to it yet" Oh SNAP! It hurts. 🤣🤣🤣 This guy is like the spiritual heir of Rodney Dangerfield. He's that good.

[@opalsirius8484]

Than ending was gold 💛

[@potatopotatoesbro]

I know right it was so sweet!!

[@slashghero]

This guy can be a standup comedian right away!

[@Lbava5]

Fredrik Backman is such an incredible author. His books have made me laugh and cry in equal measure. They have broken me, and then made me smile, sometimes within the same sentence. They stay with you long after the final page.

[@ma.auroraruiz5578]

Came here from IG conpelled to listen to the full thing. Lovely man

[@farje1]

Deadpan self deprecation. Utterly brilliant.

[@Elijah_Gillard]

How can this man make me feel so much emotion, his books make me cry, his speech makes me laugh, this man has harnessed magic with his ability to write

[@bobbie750]

Which books?

[@emmajohansson3129]

A man called otto (ove) people with anxiety, beartown, such a lovely writer!

[@Elijah_Gillard]

Beartown is my personal favorite so far

[@AMBurgdorf]

@@bobbie750 All of them. Each one is a masterpiece!

[@PhoenixL0vee]

A local publishing house that translated his books uploaded a part of his speech to facebook, so I had to watch the rest! What a legend!

[@pengmyragardenvannas8287]

Så kul att se hans framgångar, började läsa hans kolumn i tidningen Café, skrattade så jag grät varje gång! Fantastisk författare, älskar när han skriver om sin familj mest dock, hysteriskt hjärtevärmande 😂❤

[@tessiepinkman]

Samma här! Han är helt fantastisk.

[@mrsgw79]

Hearing other authors discuss their eccentricities always brings me so much comfort. This was brilliant.

[@MickeyInn]

I do so enjoy his mind! (and loved all his books). So stop procrastinating, Frederik. I need your next book! 🙂

[@DavidDacaro]

No doubt a fantastic mind to write a speech like that. Thanks to whomever posted this.

[@iniyepondei]

That ending was excellent. Love everything Backman does.

[@Mr.Carrot]

I have never read any of his books, but my mom sent me a reel of this and I just had to look up the whole thing. And honestly, I have more in common with this guy than I would've ever guessed

[@CoachLuluCao]

Oh my god, the ending had me in tears

[@EllueTravel]

Listening to this in Switzerland, eating chocolate 😉. The perfect speech. Have read most his books in Swedish. So funny.

[@mathiasjohannesson9833]

Impressing! Eller är svenska något du lärt dig som barn?

[@EllueTravel]

​@@mathiasjohannesson9833nope taught myself Swedish in my 20s. Just to read books, I don't really speak it 😂

[@Hogni1234]

That was like watching a good author reading his own notes. I hope he does an audio book in that exact voice.

[@karinlundblad8106]

Best speech ever! It is funny but true and beautiful at the same time.

[@jmcalderwood]

Fantastic!! He's a brilliant author and a wonderful human being. His books are absolutely terrific!

[@DivyaHasti]

The best Author’s speech I have heard so far. Self deprecating humour at its finest.

[@IngVasiu]

The end was very meaningful

[@captainaomaruvomexekutivko4919]

He's better than most stand-up comedians

[@vitoshaword2270]

true

[@annick4846]

I saw a short on Instagram and had to find you. What a great speech. Love the movie a man called Otto and I am now looking to buy My Grandmother Sends Regards & Apologise for myself and a friend. Your agent was right. Love from the Netherlands 😊

[@tessiepinkman]

I'm here as a proud Swede to watch this amazing speech by this absolutely amazing Swedish author. He's brilliant and I absolutely love everything he's written. We who come from a tiny country always love it when other people from our tiny country make it big. It becomes a sort of national pride. And Fredrik Backman is someone Sweden can be *really* proud of.

[@jasonbrownjourno]

Sweden is small? Lol NZ half your size. But yes from another small country, get the pride, what an absolute national treasure.

[@SimonPemberton-ex4cu]

Brilliant! Thank you for the share...and for helping me fill four minutes instead of...actually, I'm going to watch it again...

[@MasterHigure]

Came here from Angela Duckworth and the No Stupid Questions podcast. At this point in the ceremony she was backstage after her own speech, realizing she took the whole thing way too serously.

[@elsanordstrom8437]

Omg älskar detta! Fredrick Backman är en legend!!!

[@janezalben9709]

wonderful heartfelt speech from another author who appreciated it so much.

[@se6730]

Absolutely brilliant!! One of the best speeches I’ve ever heard. Well done!! Very inspiring.

[@martinamorelli6151]

Brilliant, brillant, billiant. His books made me cry and laugh at the same time. Thank you.

[@leond123]

Bravo! This video really isn't about book writing. It's more about getting thru life. And if you procrastinate (this video's been in my "Watch Later" folder for three months), you will identify.

[@LailaHomemade]

I have rewatched this so many times. And it gives me joy every time!

[@vitoshaword2270]

me 2!!!

[@g.w.28]

Yup! Me 3! And....shared it with so many others. Brilliant speech, and brilliant books and a wonderful person.​@vitoshaword2270

[@NicolaCampbell-cn3ky]

I don’t know how I came across Fredrik Backman but I’m so happy I did. His books are incredible, they speak to me, they make me feel whole. So there is no surprise when I watch this speech that I’m blown away. What an immense person 🦦 keep on writing Fredrik Backman you have inspired me to write 📖

[@mauriziosaccani4938]

This man is a genius and we need more people like him in our lives.

[@krisztadarazs]

The best and most genuine way ever to pour belief in faltering would-be writers! I especially admire that he is a non-native English speaker/writer (like me). Fell in love with this guy - and now I need to get round to all his books (hope will happen sooner, than getting round to my writers" block :D)

[@chrismaldonado4657]

Lovely and hilarious! My Grandmother and her family were from Norway....so this explains the depression 😂 "The future" 🤣

[@ishikachauhan6086]

my favourite author in the whole wide world who not only inspires me to be a better writer but also a better person!!!

[@willhunt6897]

I love his books but I’ve never seen him speak!! Honestly what a fantastic talented human being. So funny and so humble!

[@mariashaikh1420]

Incredibly love this man! Favorite author of all time!

[@garoldcarlisle5637]

Hilarious and soo witty! Outstanding! He sounds a lot like the Swedish colleagues I have had had the pleasure to work with...all very witty!

[@procrastinationaleditor2426]

the ending! just oh my god!

[@Writer198]

Amazingly witty author 😄 His brilliance shines through. Extremely funny speech. Cheers🌹

[@rebeccaw54]

I watched part of his speech on Instagram and immediately came here to see the rest. His speech is absolute perfection. I have watched A Man Called Otto with Tom Hanks in addition to A Man Called Ove (I saw this first). He makes his characters very real. Anyway, great speech. I’ve sent it on to someone who might also enjoy it.

[@twelvewingproductions7508]

What a wonderful closing comment. Fantastic speech.

[@moragmcgill]

I loved Anxious People and so enjoyed this speech.. such delightful irony!

[@susandennison5945]

one of my favorite authors. What a joy to hear this speech.

[@melindastanners]

Hilarious speech - what a delightful man.

[@staceysantos4564]

He sounds exactly like...Ove...with a sense of humor. lol

[@monicazwikstra3247]

the asl signing needs to be larger... asl is a visual language. we need to able to actually see the signs being made. perhaps a way to magnify that section for those that wish to see it better.

[@Janet2684]

So glad I stumbled upon this. Amazing.

[@TheMountainJogi]

your agent was right - this was good for your career 🤣

[@serenag2650]

What a brilliant speech

[@LogixXtreme]

Great speech, found it via X and glad I did.

[@msminorreviews]

I came here because of Austin Kleon's newsletter. Love this!

[@priyanshipaul589]

My all time Bias of my reading journey ❤❤❤

[@robboerman9378]

What a brilliant speech ❤❤❤

[@lizianazaharie7143]

I like it as much as I like the so much missed Sir Ken Richardson!

[@sitaramosaics]

Never heard of him but I want to read his books now.

[@DonnaS1973]

This is exactly why he's one of my favorite authors. His speech was so much fun... would've loved to have been there in person.

[@Xan1ver]

Absolutely brilliant!

[@nancychiavetta1351]

Hilarious & inspired.

[@1800bluemink]

Loved this 😂 Thank you Mr. Backman

[@suzilahlah]

What a brilliant mind

[@sixthmoonpublishing]

This is fantastic and very relatable. 😅🤣

[@McTrex123]

He should do standup comedy!

[@wiikii3937]

The perfect ending 🥺❤

[@unknownbell]

absolutely brilliant. great sense of humor timing.

[@beamlifeinternational1529]

I love his sense of humor❤😂

[@mattwarwick8135]

That was touching. Sensational!

[@picoult76]

Hands down, best speech ever.

[@helenodonnell4934]

🤣 and ❤️

[@fredriknilsson9093]

A genius!

[@xmichael911]

Love that so much, what a cool guy.

[@flashofgenius]

What a joy he is! I love his books and this speech.

[@rvboondocker2559]

Wow!!!! Powerful ending!!

[@bizkitbucky7894]

so hillarious 😂😂😂😂

[@jessicagodare]

Came here from TikTok, he’s hilarious. I now know my next author I’m going to binge read all their books. My only complaint is all his books are old fashioned paperback (haven’t read a paperback in over 10 years all my books are on kindle).

[@cinema_chic]

Excellent speech! Now I'm off to work with my imaginary friends.

[@AriaPeyton]

i have to thank my friend for sharing this video with me. It's made me smile and laugh. Great speech, Fredrik, thank you!

[@kcg.7]

Saw a part of his speech in an IG reel and I had to look up the full one here. I love books and I’m gonna grab his books. Love his speech! I’m learning about anxiety and procrastination more and more and being kind to myself when I go through it..

[@PMOtraining]

Loved this!!!

[@michelehull8073]

Mr. Backman is a treasure. I'd never heard of him before, but now I'm anxious to read his work.

[@MrsMaskedPsychopat]

He is very good att point out the "Swedish coldness" but With a humiristic touch ;)

[@BeautifulWorld51903]

Best author of all time if u guys haven't read his stuff. Check out Beartown

[@attesmatte]

I think his agent was right... This speech will definitely be good for his career! 😁

[@martinam7806]

The best speech ever!!!!!

[@helenfoster1374]

Love it.

[@nhbilly]

That ending!!!

[@JacquelinElizabethWrites]

Unfortunately, his agent was right, this was good for his career. I want to read his books.

[@marutixbing6781]

Loved the speech ❤

[@kosipova01]

I cannot believe he is a standup comedian too! 😂 My absolute all time time favorite book is the Man Called Ove and I read Beartown too.

[@АнастасіяКлименко-щ1к]

Maybe someone knows information about his new book that he menshioned in video? I can't wait for his new book anymore😭😭😭

[@e.mblake2695]

The best writer's speech ever written and a master of connecting with readers and future fans. Now added him to my want to read list.