Bokförlaget Forum
A Swedish Bonnier publishing imprint known for translated literature, classics, popular non-fiction, crime fiction, and major commercial authors.
Last updated October 14, 2026
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Overview
Bokförlaget Forum, also known as Forum bokförlag, is a Swedish publishing company and an imprint within Bonnierförlagen, the publishing-house group associated with Bonnier Books Nordic. It was established in 1944 by the Danish-born bookseller and publishing professional Adam Helms, who had moved to Sweden in 1939. The company was founded on commission of Bonniers and was initially designed primarily as a publisher of translated foreign literature rather than Swedish originals. Forum's early identity was shaped by a deliberate attempt to broaden access to important books. Its central early project was Forumbiblioteket, or the Forum Library, a continuing series of literary and intellectual classics. At a time when many major works were unavailable in Swedish, the series sought to make canonical literature accessible beyond a narrow academic or elite readership. Its opening title was Ernest Hemingway's "For Whom the Bell Tolls," published in Swedish as "Klockan klämtar för dig." The release benefited from public attention surrounding the contemporary film adaptation and gave the new publisher a strong commercial beginning. The early list combined international literature with translated non-fiction and selected Swedish classics, including works associated with Jane Austen, Miguel de Cervantes, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Leo Tolstoy, Jonathan Swift, August Strindberg, John Steinbeck, and E. M. Forster. Helms also worked to create a durable non-fiction backlist so that Forum would not depend exclusively on fiction. In 1948 the company obtained the Swedish publishing rights to the annual reference work "När Var Hur," a Swedish adaptation of the Danish "Hvem Hvad Hvor." The title became a long-running commercial property and was followed by a broad range of handbooks and factual books. Forum subsequently built a reputation in general non-fiction, reference publishing, biography, popular science, culture, lifestyle, and practical subjects. One of the company's most important early successes was Thor Heyerdahl's account of his Pacific expedition, published in Swedish as "Kon-Tiki." The book brought Forum international attention and demonstrated the publisher's ability to turn adventurous non-fiction into a major trade success. In the 1950s, Forum also produced "Sigma," an ambitious cultural history of mathematics, and later became the Swedish publisher of the "Guinness Book of Records," a relationship that continued for approximately three decades. After Helms retired in 1971, Kjell Petersson became the company's chief executive. The publisher expanded into Swedish crime fiction and thrillers while retaining its strong emphasis on translated literary works. Authors associated with the later Forum list included Olov Svedelid, Ulf Durling, Olle Högstrand, Sven Sörmark, Julian Barnes, Jayne Anne Phillips, Claudio Magris, and Virginia Woolf. Forum also published Doris Lessing's "The Golden Notebook" in Swedish, an important literary acquisition that helped reinforce its profile in international fiction. Forum's wider publishing footprint developed through acquisitions and imprints. Bokförlaget DN became an imprint in 2000, the popular-science imprint Fahrenheit was added in 2004, and Bokförlaget Fitness was acquired in the same year. Bokförlaget Minotaur, known for translated crime fiction, became an imprint under Forum in 2003 and was later absorbed into the Forum publishing operation. Yourlife Books was launched and discontinued in 2016, while the contemporary-romance imprint Lovereads began in 2017. The imprint's modern list spans literary fiction, crime and suspense, commercial fiction, biography, memoir, popular non-fiction, lifestyle, and selected digital or audio formats through the broader Bonnier publishing infrastructure. Its authors and titles have achieved substantial recognition in Sweden, including works by Camilla Läckberg, Fredrik Backman, Viveca Sten, Fatima Bremmer, Anders de la Motte, Niklas Natt och Dag, and Therese Lindgren. Several Forum books have also been adapted for film or television, including Fredrik Backman's "A Man Called Ove" and Viveca Sten's Sandhamn crime series. Forum remains part of Bonnierförlagen and publishes approximately seventy titles annually according to the cited reference material.
History
Bokförlaget Forum emerged on the Swedish book market during the 1940s, when Adam Helms established the company in 1944 on behalf of Bonniers. Helms had been born in Haslev, Denmark, trained as a bookseller, and gained experience in publishing before moving to Sweden in 1939. His initial plan was not to compete directly with established Swedish literary publishers but to create a house focused on translated foreign literature and accessible cultural works. The company's founding project was Forumbiblioteket, a permanent series of classics in Swedish. The series responded to a gap in the Swedish market: many important works from the international canon were either unavailable or difficult to obtain in Swedish. Helms modelled the project partly on established European and American series such as Insel-Bücherei, Everyman's Library, and Modern Library. Forum opened the series with a Swedish translation of Ernest Hemingway's "For Whom the Bell Tolls," issued as "Klockan klämtar för dig." The release coincided with attention around the film version and helped establish Forum immediately. The early programme included translated works by E. M. Forster, John Steinbeck, Alexis Carrel, and Marco Polo, alongside Swedish classics by August Strindberg and Hjalmar Bergman. Later volumes included works by Jane Austen, Cervantes, Goethe, Leo Tolstoy, and Jonathan Swift. Helms considered a strong non-fiction backlist essential to the company's stability. In 1948 Forum received the rights to publish the Swedish version of the annual reference title "När Var Hur," originally developed in Denmark. The Swedish edition had begun before the transfer and became a long-running success under Forum. It helped create a wider factual publishing programme that included handbooks on wine, medicine, and other practical or educational subjects. Forum's international reputation grew after it acquired the Swedish publication of Thor Heyerdahl's account of the Kon-Tiki expedition. Heyerdahl's 1947 raft voyage from South America toward Polynesia had attracted controversy, but his narrative became a major bestseller and an important success for Forum. In the 1950s the publisher pursued similarly ambitious cultural projects, including "Sigma," a Swedish mathematical and cultural history prepared through multiple-language translation, academic checking, and high-quality design. Forum also began publishing the Swedish "Guinness Book of Records" near the end of that decade, maintaining the publication for around thirty years. Helms retired in April 1971. Although he preferred Solveig Nellinge as his successor, Bonniers appointed Kjell Petersson, an economist who had worked centrally within the Bonnier organisation. Nellinge and Helms subsequently founded Bokförlaget Trevi. Forum changed direction under Petersson by adding Swedish crime novels and thrillers to its programme. The new list included writers such as Olov Svedelid, Ulf Durling, Olle Högstrand, and Sven Sörmark, while translated literary fiction remained important. Forum also published major international authors, including Julian Barnes, Jayne Anne Phillips, Claudio Magris, Virginia Woolf, and Doris Lessing. Lessing's "The Golden Notebook," which Forum had taken up after its rejection by another Bonnier publishing unit, became a notable example of the imprint's role in bringing important international literature to Swedish readers. Bokförlaget Trevi remained separate for many years. Solveig Nellinge eventually became its sole owner, and the company was sold to Bonniers in 1991. She continued as manager until 1997, after which Trevi was merged with Forum. Over time Forum also expanded through related imprints and acquisitions. Bokförlaget DN became a Forum imprint in 2000; Minotaur, a publisher of translated crime fiction, came under Forum in 2003 and was later fully absorbed; Fahrenheit and Bokförlaget Fitness were added in 2004. Yourlife Books was launched in 2016 but discontinued during the same year, and the Lovereads contemporary-romance imprint was introduced in 2017. In its contemporary form, Forum operates within Bonnierförlagen, alongside other Swedish publishing houses and specialist imprints. Its list includes literary fiction, crime, popular non-fiction, biography, lifestyle, reference, and commercial titles. The publisher has been associated with award-winning and highly visible Swedish authors, including Camilla Läckberg, Fredrik Backman, Viveca Sten, Fatima Bremmer, Anders de la Motte, Niklas Natt och Dag, and Therese Lindgren. Forum titles have also moved into film and television, notably "A Man Called Ove" and the Sandhamn crime adaptations. The cited reference describes the imprint as publishing roughly seventy titles per year.
- 2017
Lovereads is launched
[1]Forum starts Lovereads as a boutique imprint focused on contemporary romance in Swedish.
- 2016
Yourlife Books is launched and discontinued
[1]Forum introduces the Yourlife Books imprint, which is abandoned during the same year.
- 2004
Fahrenheit and Fitness expand the portfolio
[1]The popular-science imprint Fahrenheit is added and Bokförlaget Fitness is acquired.
- 2003
Minotaur joins Forum
[1]The translated-crime publisher Minotaur becomes a Forum imprint and is later absorbed into Forum's publishing operation.
- 2000
Bokförlaget DN becomes an imprint
[1]Bokförlaget DN is incorporated as an imprint under Forum.
- 1991
Bonniers acquires Bokförlaget Trevi
[1]Solveig Nellinge sells Trevi to Bonniers while remaining its manager until the later merger with Forum.
- 1971
Leadership changes after Helms's retirement
[1]Adam Helms retires and Kjell Petersson becomes chief executive. Forum subsequently expands into Swedish crime fiction and thrillers.
- 1971
Bokförlaget Trevi is established
[1]Adam Helms and Solveig Nellinge establish Trevi after leaving Forum; the company later returns to the Bonnier structure and is merged with Forum.
- 1950
Sigma project is developed
[1]Forum produces Sigma, an extensively translated and checked cultural history of mathematics, presented as a high-quality publishing project.
- 1950
Guinness Book of Records enters the list
[1]Forum begins publishing the Swedish Guinness Book of Records toward the end of the 1950s, continuing the title for approximately three decades.
Products and positioning
A broad-based Swedish trade publisher combining accessible classics and international literature with commercially successful fiction, crime, biography, reference, lifestyle, and popular non-fiction.
Classics · 1944
Forumbiblioteket
Forum's long-running classics series, created to make major works of Swedish and international literature available in accessible Swedish editions. The programme has included authors such as Hemingway, Austen, Cervantes, Goethe, Tolstoy, Swift, Strindberg, Steinbeck, and Forster. It was central to the publisher's founding identity and its educational ambition.
Reference publishing · 1948
När Var Hur
A Swedish annual reference and general-knowledge publication based on a Danish model. Forum obtained the Swedish rights in 1948, and the title became a durable part of its non-fiction catalogue while also supporting the development of related factual and handbook publishing.
Travel and adventure non-fiction · 1948
Kon-Tiki
The Swedish edition of Thor Heyerdahl's account of the Kon-Tiki expedition. Its strong sales and international visibility made it one of Forum's formative commercial successes and helped establish the imprint beyond its original classics programme.
Reference publishing · 1950
Guinness Rekordbok
The Swedish edition of the Guinness Book of Records, published by Forum from the late 1950s for approximately thirty years. It extended Forum's reach in mass-market reference publishing.
Contemporary romance · 2017
Lovereads
A boutique imprint introduced by Forum for contemporary romance published in Swedish. It represents the publisher's continued use of focused imprints to address distinct genre audiences.
Brand decisions
2017
Forum launches LovereadsStrategyBackground
Forum continued to segment its catalogue through genre-focused publishing identities.
Action taken
The Lovereads boutique imprint was introduced for contemporary romance in Swedish.
2003
Minotaur becomes a Forum imprintM&ABackground
Minotaur had developed a list of translated crime novels and had issued its first publication in 1999.
Action taken
Forum brought Minotaur into its imprint structure.
Aftermath
The Minotaur list was eventually fully absorbed into Forum's publishing operation.
1971
Forum expands into Swedish crime fictionStrategyBackground
After Adam Helms's retirement and the appointment of Kjell Petersson, Forum sought to broaden its list beyond translated literary works.
Action taken
The publisher began issuing crime novels and thrillers by Swedish authors while retaining its established international-literature programme.
Aftermath
Authors including Olov Svedelid, Ulf Durling, Olle Högstrand, and Sven Sörmark became part of a commercially successful crime and thriller direction.
Sources2 sources
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