Shy author was forced to give a 'publicity' speech on stage — but he decided to be hilariously honest instead

If you know Fredrik Backman, you know how his blend of humor with sarcasm and raw emotion makes readers laugh one moment and cry the next. But while he’s mastered that balance on the page, the Swedish author behind international bestsellers like "A Man Called Ove" and "Anxious People" has never shown the same on stage, until now. During Simon & Schuster's centennial celebration, his agent insisted that giving a speech would be, as he put it, "good for my career." Reluctantly, he agreed, and what followed was a hilariously self-aware takedown of the whole idea that only he could pull off. Backman also shared the speech on his Instagram account @backmansk, which gained 515k views and 42.5k likes. 

From the moment he stepped on stage, Backman made it clear he was there against his better judgment: "My name is Fredrik Backman. I am here tonight because my agent said that this would be good for my career," he said. As the audience erupted in laughter, he continued, "She said I need to learn how to speak in front of people. It will be fun, she said. So I told her that I write books. I spend eight hours every day locked inside a room with people I have made up. If I were comfortable talking to real people, I would have a real job."

When the audience applauded, he, with his classic dry humor, said, "Don't applaud, I only have four minutes." He poked fun at the myths about "creative anxiety," saying, "I don't suffer from creative anxiety. Everyone around me suffers. I just have normal death anxiety. Sometimes I have panic anxiety if I'm in a hurry. But I don't have writer's block — the secret is procrastination. I'm so good at it that the only reason I am here tonight is because I'm supposed to be finishing a book right now." Backman also leaned into his Scandinavian roots, "My anxiety is Scandinavian. In Switzerland, they have chocolate and vests. In Sweden, we have Ikea and depression."

He joked that jet lag was a "procrastinator’s dream," because he left Sweden on a Sunday evening and landed in New York on the same Sunday evening. When asked where he came from, he told Customs, "The future." He wrapped up by admitting that, despite all his nerves, he wanted to leave something behind for anyone in the audience who dreams of becoming a writer. "I am obviously an idiot. I have no idea what I'm doing. But I became an author anyway, so you can too. And I hope that one day I will be able to tell my agent that the reason that my next book is not finished yet is because I was busy reading yours."

Viewers loved Backman's reluctant public speaking and how he turned it into a performance of its own. @kimghattas commented, "'Being a writer is the best way I know to be paid for being insane.' Absolute gold. Thank you, so true, I agree!" @jo_knows_nutrition wrote, "You are the best kind of funny! You made me smile & think… wow… if this guy lived in my town, we would be friends :)" @ruerococo said, "Amazingly fun, witty, courageous, and charming. What a beautiful way to wander, explore, be curious, and share yourself with the world. Very inspiring for me."

You can follow Fredrik Backman (@backmansk) on Instagram for more updates about his books.

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