Johan Lindström Saxon
Johan Lindström Saxon was a Swedish journalist, publisher and vegetarianism activist.
Biography
Saxon was born in Gällersta Parish, Örebro, Sweden, to Lars Johan Lindström and Kristina Lovisa Olsdotter. He was educated at Örebro county high school and in 1880 started working for the newspaper Nerikes Allehanda in Örebro. He edited the newspapers, Arboga-posten, Nya Arboga Tidning, Jämtlandsposten and Norrlänningen. He was editorial secretary for Arbetet in Malmö and editor of Jämtlands Tidning. In 1904, he established the magazine Såningsmannen in Stockholm.He married twice. He married Hedvig Lundcrantz in 1886 and Anna Maria Bergström in 1895. In 1928, he established the publishing house Saxon & Lindströms which he operated with his brothers David and Edvin Lindström. Saxon was referred to as "Sweden's skinniest man" and has been described by historians as one of Sweden's most successful publishers. He was a member of the Royal Gustavus Adolphus Academy and the Swedish Peace and Arbitration Association.
Saxon met Peter Kropotkin in 1890 and dedicated an entire chapter to him in his memoirs. Kropotkin inspired Saxon's idea of "alternative agriculture", to breed out cattle and live off the produce of the earth. Saxon took interest in health research. He advocated fresh air, physical exercise and a lacto-ovo vegetarian diet. Saxon's most successful book Umgängeskonst: Levnadskonst published in 1934 went through eight editions and sold over 70,000 copies. He was an advocate of animal welfare and radical individualism.
Saxon was the author of Sorgeliga saker hända which inspired the 1967 film Elvira Madigan.