| Johan Lindström Saxon | |
| Birth Date: | February 17, 1859 |
| Birth Place: | Gällersta |
| Death Date: | November 7, 1935 |
| Occupation: | Journalist, publisher |
Johan Lindström Saxon (February 17, 1859 – November 7, 1935) was a Swedish journalist, publisher and vegetarianism activist.
Saxon was born in Gällersta Parish, Örebro, Sweden,[1] to Lars Johan Lindström and Kristina Lovisa Olsdotter.[2] 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 (1881), Nya Arboga Tidning (1881–1884), Jämtlandsposten (1885–1856) and Norrlänningen (1887–1890).[2] He was editorial secretary for Arbetet in Malmö (1890–1891) and editor of Jämtlands Tidning (1891–1904). In 1904, he established the magazine Såningsmannen in Stockholm.[2]
He married twice. He married Hedvig Lundcrantz in 1886 and Anna Maria Bergström in 1895.[2] In 1928, he established the publishing house Saxon & Lindströms which he operated with his brothers David and Edvin Lindström.[2] Saxon was referred to as "Sweden's skinniest man" and has been described by historians as one of Sweden's most successful publishers.[3] He was a member of the Royal Gustavus Adolphus Academy and the Swedish Peace and Arbitration Association.[2]
Saxon met Peter Kropotkin in 1890 and dedicated an entire chapter to him in his memoirs.[3] Kropotkin inspired Saxon's idea of "alternative agriculture", to breed out cattle and live off the produce of the earth.[3] 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.[3] He was an advocate of animal welfare and radical individualism.[3]
Saxon was the author of Sorgeliga saker hända which inspired the 1967 film Elvira Madigan.
Saxon was an advocate of temperance reform. He wrote many articles and books combating alcoholism.[4] It is estimated that he delivered 1,000 speeches on total abstinence. His temperance book I Blatt Band published in 1907 was widely read in Sweden.[4]
Saxon was a vegetarian and formed the Svenska Vegetariska Föreningen (Swedish Vegetarian Society) in 1903.[5] He was editor of its magazine Vegetarianen.[6] Saxon also assisted in founding the Norwegian Vegetarian Society. He was congress president of the International Vegetarian Union (1920–1923).[5]