The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared
- For the film based on the novel, see The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared (film)
 The cover of the Swedish original version of the book. | |
| Author | Jonas Jonasson |
|---|---|
| Original title | Hundraåringen som klev ut genom fönstret och försvann |
| Cover artist | Eric Thunfors |
| Country | Sweden |
| Language | Swedish |
| Publisher | Piratförlaget |
Publication date | 9 September 2009 |
Published in English | 12 July 2012 |
| Pages | 391 pages |
| ISBN | 978-91-642-0296-3 |
The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared (Swedish: Hundraåringen som klev ut genom fönstret och försvann) is a 2009 novel and the debut novel by Swedish author Jonas Jonasson.
Plot
Allan Karlsson is about to celebrate his hundredth birthday, and a birthday party is planned at his retirement home. Allan is alert despite his age, but not so interested in the party. Instead he steps out the window and disappears. He gets hold of a suitcase of drug money and becomes chased by both drug dealers and the police.
Filled with lots of adventures, Allan's life story is told in parallel to this. He eats dinner with the future President Harry S. Truman, hitchhikes with Winston Churchill, travels on a riverboat with the wife of Mao Zedong and walks across the Himalayas on foot.
Release and reception
The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared was released as hardback and audiobook in 2009, and as paperback in 2010.[1] It became the best selling book in Sweden in 2010 and by July 2012 had sold three million copies world wide.[2] The audiobook, read by the actor Björn Granath, won the Iris Ljudbokspris award in 2010.[3] The book was published in the United Kingdom by Hesperus Press on 12 July 2012[4] and in the United States by Hyperion Books on 11 September 2012.
Film adaptation
On 25 November 2010 it was announced that Felix Herngren would direct a film adaptation of the book. The film, The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared, is produced by Nice Entertainment and FLX Film, and filming started in the summer of 2012.[5] Robert Gustafsson plays the main character Allan Karlsson.[6] The film had its Swedish première on 25 December 2013. Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures has negotiated for distribution rights.[7]
References
- ↑ "Hundraåringen som klev ut genom fönstret och försvann" (in Swedish). Piratförlaget. Archived from the original on 2 March 2012. Retrieved 2 March 2012.
- ↑ ""Hundraåringen" årets mest sålda bok". Svenska Dagbladet (in Swedish). 21 January 2011. Archived from the original on 2 March 2012. Retrieved 2 March 2012.
- ↑ Josefsson, Erika (25 September 2010). "Årets bästa ljudbok!". Gefle Dagblad (in Swedish). Archived from the original on 2 March 2012. Retrieved 2 March 2012.
- ↑ Alberge, Dalya (4 March 2012). "Swedish bestseller has the last laugh". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 12 March 2012. Retrieved 12 March 2012.
- ↑ "Felix Herngren filmar Hundraåringen som klev ut genom fönstret och försvann" (in Swedish). Piratförlaget. 25 November 2010. Archived from the original on 2 March 2012. Retrieved 2 March 2012.
- ↑ Ståhlberg, Carin (11 July 2011). "Gustafsson kliver ut genom fönstret i ny film". Dagens Nyheter (in Swedish). Archived from the original on 2 March 2012. Retrieved 2 March 2012.
- ↑ Roxborough, Scott (12 October 2012). "Swedish '100 Year Old Man' Gets $1.6 Million in Financing". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 10 February 2013.