Anders Frostenson

Anders Frostenson (1906–2006) was a Swedish Church of Sweden priest, poet, translator, and one of the most influential hymn writers in twentieth-century Swedish worship. Born in Loshult parish in Skåne, he studied languages and literature at Lund University and completed a bachelor's degree in 1928 with work in English, Slavic languages, and philosophy. After a decisive turn toward Christian ministry, he was ordained in Lund in 1932. He served at Gustav Vasa parish in Stockholm from 1933 and became pastor of Lovö parish near Drottningholm in 1949, remaining there until his retirement in 1971.

Frostenson's literary work included poetry, devotional writing, children's books, translations, revisions, and original hymns. He began contributing to Swedish hymnody before the 1937 hymnal and became a major force in the renewal of congregational song during the 1950s and 1960s. With Harald Göransson he helped found the Hymnological Institute in 1960, and he later served on the committee whose work led to Den svenska psalmboken of 1986. That hymnal contains a large body of texts associated with him, including original hymns, translations, and adaptations.

His writing is marked by direct contemporary language, biblical and theological themes, and attention to the moral and social questions of modern life. Lund University awarded him an honorary doctorate in theology in 1981. Frostenson's hymns have been translated into numerous languages, and his work remains central to modern Swedish hymnody.