Gunilla Bergström
Encyclopedia
Gunilla Bergström is a Swedish author, journalist, and illustrator from Gothenburg
. She is best known for her series of children's books about the character Alfie Atkins
(Swedish: Alfons Åberg).
Bergström moved to Stockholm
in 1966 to begin her career as a journalist. She worked for Swedish newspapers such as Aftonbladet
and Dagens Nyheter
. Bergström debuted as a children's book author in 1971, and released her first Alfie Atkins book in 1972. She has been a children's book author ever since, having released twenty-five Alfie books as of 2007. These books have been translated into twenty-nine different languages and have sold over eight million copies worldwide. Four million copies have been sold in Sweden alone. In 2006, her book Alfons och soldatpappan was released simultaneously in seven different languages; this had never happened before for a Swedish children's book.
Bergström has also written children's books about character such as Milla, Bill, and Bolla. Bergström says she receives the inspiration for her stories from every-day life. She is also interested in psychology
and human behavior
, and incorporates this into some of her books. Bergström describes herself as a nit-picky person when it comes to writing. She illustrates her own books and often works with collage
.
Bergström is currently the owner of her own company, Bok-Makaren (English: Book-Maker), which handles the licenses to the Alfie Atkins series. Licenses have been granted for theater productions and Alfie dolls, puzzles, and computer games. Bergström has commented that there is "nothing wrong with making commerce of famous things, but we are careful about who we sell licenses to."
As of 2007, Bergström was living in Stockholm with her West African husband. They spend their winters together in West Africa. Bergström is a grandmother.
Gothenburg
Gothenburg is the second-largest city in Sweden and the fifth-largest in the Nordic countries. Situated on the west coast of Sweden, the city proper has a population of 519,399, with 549,839 in the urban area and total of 937,015 inhabitants in the metropolitan area...
. She is best known for her series of children's books about the character Alfie Atkins
Alfie Atkins
Alfie Atkins is a fictional character created by the author Gunilla Bergström from Sweden in 1972. Alfie Atkins appears in books and animated cartoons. In Swedish, he is known as Alfons Åberg....
(Swedish: Alfons Åberg).
Bergström moved to Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
in 1966 to begin her career as a journalist. She worked for Swedish newspapers such as Aftonbladet
Aftonbladet
Aftonbladet is a Swedish tabloid founded by Lars Johan Hierta in 1830 during the modernization of Sweden. It is one of the larger daily newspapers in the Nordic countries. Aftonbladet is owned by the Swedish Trade Union Confederation and Norwegian media group Schibsted, and its editorial page...
and Dagens Nyheter
Dagens Nyheter
is a daily newspaper in Sweden. It has the largest circulation of Swedish morning newspapers, followed by Göteborgs-Posten and Svenska Dagbladet, and is the only morning newspaper that is distributed to subscribers across the whole country. In 2009 DN had a circulation of 316,000, reaching 881...
. Bergström debuted as a children's book author in 1971, and released her first Alfie Atkins book in 1972. She has been a children's book author ever since, having released twenty-five Alfie books as of 2007. These books have been translated into twenty-nine different languages and have sold over eight million copies worldwide. Four million copies have been sold in Sweden alone. In 2006, her book Alfons och soldatpappan was released simultaneously in seven different languages; this had never happened before for a Swedish children's book.
Bergström has also written children's books about character such as Milla, Bill, and Bolla. Bergström says she receives the inspiration for her stories from every-day life. She is also interested in psychology
Psychology
Psychology is the study of the mind and behavior. Its immediate goal is to understand individuals and groups by both establishing general principles and researching specific cases. For many, the ultimate goal of psychology is to benefit society...
and human behavior
Human behavior
Human behavior refers to the range of behaviors exhibited by humans and which are influenced by culture, attitudes, emotions, values, ethics, authority, rapport, hypnosis, persuasion, coercion and/or genetics....
, and incorporates this into some of her books. Bergström describes herself as a nit-picky person when it comes to writing. She illustrates her own books and often works with collage
Collage
A collage is a work of formal art, primarily in the visual arts, made from an assemblage of different forms, thus creating a new whole....
.
Bergström is currently the owner of her own company, Bok-Makaren (English: Book-Maker), which handles the licenses to the Alfie Atkins series. Licenses have been granted for theater productions and Alfie dolls, puzzles, and computer games. Bergström has commented that there is "nothing wrong with making commerce of famous things, but we are careful about who we sell licenses to."
As of 2007, Bergström was living in Stockholm with her West African husband. They spend their winters together in West Africa. Bergström is a grandmother.