Lennart Hellsing: Sweden ★ Author

“All pedagogical art is bad art, but all good art is pedagogical.”

Lennart Hellsing

Lennart Hellsing has played a leading role in the development of Swedish children’s literature for more than sixty years. This “grand old man” of Swedish writing for children was born in central Sweden in 1919, and during the course of his long career has produced over sixty books including poetry, picture books, songs and novels. He has also produced radio programs, an opera, textbooks, and translations, from English to Swedish as well as writing for adults.

Hellsing’s debut into the world of children’s literature came in 1945 with the publication of Katten Blåser i Silverhorn [The Cat Blows the Silver Horn], a collection of poems that were later set to music. Some five years later, he produced another collection of rhymes, Summa Summarum [The Sum of Sums], set to music by Knut Brodin and illustrated by Poul Ströyer. This was Ströyer’s first illustrated book, and the two men’s styles complemented one another so successfully that they produced several more books together.

Hellsing’s interest in art forms that combine different media—music, art, the spoken and written word—informs much of his career. He works with the finest artists and musicians to create complete works. In 1955, he formed his own record company, “Snurrskivan” (Spinning Records), where he produced and dramatized stories and songs for children. He also produced an early interactive alphabet game which incorporated characters from many of his stories.

Hellsing never simplifies things for children. Although he abhors works with the sole aim of being pedagogical, he produces works which illustrate his own often quoted statement: “All pedagogical art is bad art, but all good art is pedagogical.” Sjörövarbok [The Pirate Book], for example, is at once an exciting adventure story, a series of funny rhymes, and a grammatical exercise as Hellsing uses all the verb forms possible in the Swedish language.

Hellsing has worked tirelessly as an advocate for children’s literature. He played a critical role in the formation of the Swedish Institute for Children’s Books (SBI) in Stockholm in 1965. This lively institute continues to promote children’s literature and scholarship on children’s literature today. In 2009, when Hellsing turned 90, the Institute honored his contribution to children’s literature in Sweden with the formation of a prize in his name.