Jonas Jonasson was a journalist for the Expressen newspaper for many years. He became a media consultant and later set up a company producing sports and events for Swedish television before selling it and moving abroad to work on his first novel. He is the author of the internationally bestselling novels The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared and The Girl Who Saved the King of Sweden. He lives on the Swedish island Gotland in the Baltic Sea.
“[A] witty caper. ★★★1/2” (People)
“[A] silly and wonderful novel. [The scenes] will just keep readers amused almost non-stop, and that’s a feat few writers achieve. A great cure for the blues, especially for anyone who might feel bad about growing older.” (Kirkus Reviews (starred review))
“The anti Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. . . . Jonasson’s lighthearted novel shows the softer side of Sweden. . . . hilarious.” (Marie Claire)
“Scandi-crime’s signature darkness is here dispelled by Allan Karlsson, the eponymous centenarian, who with unlikely sprightliness hops out of the window of his old people’s home one afternoon. . . . Fast-moving and relentlessly sunny.” (The Guardian)
[A] laugh-out-loud debut. . . . Historical figures like Mao’s third wife, Vice President Truman, and Stalin appear, to great comic effect. Other characters—most notably Albert Einstein’s hapless half-brother—are cleverly spun into the raucous yarn, and all help drive this gentle lampoon of procedurals and thrillers.” (Publishers Weekly (starred review))
“Eccentric, unusual and far-fetched in the best possible way.” (The Bookseller)
“This quirky novel is a sly, satirical look back at international relations in the 20th century through the eyes of an old man who has seen it all.” (Library Journal)
“Imaginative, laugh-out-loud . . . a brilliant satire on the foibles of mankind.” (The Telegraph)