Genre hybridity in contemporary Swedish children’s prose of Fredrik Backman

The article examines the features of genre synthesis in contemporary Swedish children’s literature through an analysis of Fredrik Backman’s novel My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry (2013) and his novella “Sebastian and the Troll” (2017). It demonstrates how the author integrates elements of various traditional and modern genre forms – including the Bildungsroman, literary fairy tale, fantasy, quest novel, philosophical parable, and others – to create an emotional effect characteristic of Scandinavian children’s prose. Drawing on theoretical approaches to genre (M. M. Bakhtin, B. V. Tomashevsky, N. L. Leiderman, among others), the study analyzes the hybridization of genres and the blurring of genre boundaries in early 21st-century Scandinavian literature. It is revealed that Backman’s works combine realistic narration with fantastic elements that fulfill not only the entertaining function typical of children’s literature but also a therapeutic one. The novel My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry is presented as a modern realistic novel incorporating features of the Bildungsroman and adventure quest, whereas the novella “Sebastian and the Troll” combines characteristics of a psychological novella, parable, and fairy tale. Both literary works address complex themes – such as growing up, the loss of a loved one, fear, and depression – in a form accessible to both adult and young readers. This genre hybridity serves both educational and aesthetic purposes, reflecting the specificity of Scandinavian children’s literature and broader trends in contemporary prose.