Gunilla Bergström

Gunilla Bergström (2012)

Video in English (2012)

Gunilla Elisabet Dukure Bergström (born July 3, 1942 in Gothenburg , † August 25, 2021 in Stockholm ) was a Swedish journalist , author and illustrator of a number of popular children's books , the main characters of which are little Willi Wiberg and his father.

life and work

Alfons Åberg , created by Gunilla Bergström

Gunilla Bergström came to Stockholm in 1966 and initially worked for the newspapers Aftonbladet and Dagens Nyheter . Since her debut as a children's author until 2012, she has published more than 40 books in Sweden. The total international circulation of her works is around 9.5 million copies (as of 2021); the 26 volumes about Willi Wiberg were translated into more than 35 languages during Bergström's lifetime and were also successful as an animated series on television.

The books are characterized by their deep understanding of the world of children with its problems and special joys. The idealization of childhood is dispensed with, problems are simulated, presented and solved in a child-friendly manner. The directness of the illustrations means that children and adults take the figure of Willi immediately into their hearts. With the support of the father's wisdom, the child is given the path to their own experiences, including mistakes and learning from them. The Swedish name of the main character, the little boy, is Alfons Åberg, his friend, who only exists in the boy's imagination, is called "the secret Mållgan".

Gunilla Bergström died in Stockholm in August 2021 at the age of 79.

Awards and honors

Web links

Commons : Gunilla Bergström - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Literature by and about Gunilla Bergström in the catalog of the German National Library
Literature by and about Gunilla Bergström in the bibliographic database WorldCat
Biographical information from Bergström Verlag (Swedish)
Gunilla Bergström in theInternet Movie Database(English)

Individual evidence

↑ Alfons Åbergs: Gunilla Bergström är död - blev 79 år. In: expressen.se. August 27, 2021, accessed August 27, 2021 (Swedish).
↑ "A connoisseur of the child's soul": Gunilla Bergström , buchmarkt.de, published and accessed on August 26, 2021.
↑ Children's book author Gunilla Bergström has died , deutschlandfunkkultur.de, published and accessed on August 26, 2021.
↑ Sök ordens- och medaljförläningar. Royal House of Sweden, accessed September 29, 2019 (Swedish, database with the names of the owners of Litteris et Artibus since 1945).

personal data
SURNAME	Bergström, Gunilla
ALTERNATIVE NAMES	Bergström, Gunilla Elisabet Dukure (full name)
SHORT DESCRIPTION	Swedish author and illustrator
BIRTH DATE	July 3, 1942
PLACE OF BIRTH	Gothenburg
DATE OF DEATH	August 25, 2021
PLACE OF DEATH	Stockholm

[1] Alfons Åbergs: Gunilla Bergström är död - blev 79 år. In: expressen.se. August 27, 2021, accessed August 27, 2021 (Swedish).

[2] "A connoisseur of the child's soul": Gunilla Bergström , buchmarkt.de, published and accessed on August 26, 2021.

[3] Children's book author Gunilla Bergström has died , deutschlandfunkkultur.de, published and accessed on August 26, 2021.

[4] Sök ordens- och medaljförläningar. Royal House of Sweden, accessed September 29, 2019 (Swedish, database with the names of the owners of Litteris et Artibus since 1945).