New edition revisits the Thors family’s reach across Iceland

A revised edition of historian Guðmundur Magnússon’s book about the influential Thors family has been published, mbl.is reports. The book, The Thors family: wealth, power, fate, is published by Ugla.

The family’s prominence in the first half of the 20th century stemmed in part from patriarch and entrepreneur Thor Jensen and his son Ólafur Thors, one of Iceland’s most colourful political leaders, Magnússon said. The family owned some of Reykjavík’s grandest houses, a summer lodge, a salmon river and numerous farms, and had luxury cars when automobiles were rare.

The Thors family was widely considered wealthier, more powerful and more united than any other family in Iceland, Magnússon said. Its influence also drew criticism. Political disputes centred on family businesses, particularly Kveldúlfur, then the country’s largest fishing company, and the Korpúlfsstaðir farm, which he described as a notable experiment in business.

The book first appeared in 2005, published by Edda. Its initial print run was destroyed after a passage about a sensitive family matter upset Þóra Hallgrímsdóttir, the wife of the publishing company’s owner, the late Björgólfur Guðmundsson. Þóra, a granddaughter of Thor Jensen, had previously been married to George Lincoln Rockwell, leader of a neo-Nazi group in the United States.

Magnússon said the book was reprinted after the passage was removed. Several pages were added instead, connecting the business activities of Björgólfur Guðmundsson and his son Björgólfur Thor to the story of Thor Jensen. The removal and replacement were intended to remain secret, but news outlets learned of them and reported the story.

Magnússon said the omitted pages have been restored in the new edition because the concerns that led to their removal no longer apply. The book’s opening chapters recount how Thor Jensen, a Danish shop assistant, came to Iceland in 1878 and became one of the country’s leading entrepreneurs. He and his wife, Margrét Þorbjörg, had 12 children, many of whom later became prominent in Icelandic public life.