Johnny, My Friend (Swedish: Janne, min vän) is the first novel by the Swedish author Peter Pohl. It was published in Sweden in 1985. The English translation by Laurie Thompson was published in 1991.Johnny, My Friend at WorldCat
Plot summary Johnny, My Friend is narrated by 12-year-old Krille. Krille is a naive youth, having grown up in a safe, supporting family in 1950s Stockholm. A new boy, Johnny, appears in Krille's life, and quickly impresses the neighborhood boys with his bicycling prowess. His popularity aside, Johnny is a bit of a mystery, rarely saying anything about his life. The boys of the neighborhood do not know where he lives, and sometimes he disappears for long periods, only to turn up again without explanation. Krille determines to solve the mystery of Johnny.
Translations The novel has been translated into 11 languages:
Danish: Min bedste ven 1987 Norwegian: Janne min venn 1988 German: Jan, mein Freund 1990 (won the Deutscher JugendliteraturpreisJan, mein Freund in Deutscher Jugendliteraturpreis databank ) Dutch: Jan, mijn vriend 1991 English: Johnny, My Friend 1991 French: Jan, mon ami 1995 Italian: Il mio amico Jan 1996 Estonian: Janne, mu sõber 1997 Japanese: 『ヤンネ、ぼくの友だち』 1997 Icelandic: Janni vinur minn 1997 Low German: Jan, mien Fründ 2000
Film adaptation The 1996 film My Friend Joe is based on the book.My Friend Joe at IMDb
References