Ragnar Jónsson of Smári

Jón Karl Helgason (University of Iceland)
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Einar Ragnar Jónsson, better known as Ragnar of Smári, was an important patron of cultural life in twentieth-century Iceland. He was an art collector, actively participated in building up the Icelandic music scene, and ran a large publishing house for more than three decades. He started out, however, as an industrialist, together with his associate Þorvaldur Thoroddsen owning the margarine factory Smári as well as several other short-lived businesses.

A graduate of the Commercial College of Iceland, Ragnar was initially a social democrat, supporting the political party Alþýðuflokkurinn [the Social Democratic Party], but during years of economic depression in the 1930s he started to work closely with political and cultural leaders of Kommúnistaflokkurinn [the Icelandic Communist

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Citation: Helgason, Jón Karl. "Ragnar Jónsson of Smári". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 28 February 2023 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=14875, accessed 03 October 2024.]

14875 Ragnar Jónsson of Smári 1 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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