Cover for the 2003 seasonal annual of 'Agust och Lotta'.
Ingvar Persson was a Swedish comic artist, best-known for taking over his father Elov Persson's series 'Agust och Lotta' (1970-1997), but he also created a long-running series of his own, namely the hunting strip 'Frid och Fröjd' (1974-2014). He came from a true dynasty of comic authors. Besides his father, his brother Gunnar Persson also worked in the industry, while his son Lasse Persson, daughter Bia Melin and nephew Jonas Persson also stepped in their fathers' footsteps.
Early life
He was born in 1930 in Storvik, a town west of Sandviken. Both Ingvar and his brother Gunnar grew up with the joys of having a famous father. Both boys were given nicknames based on their father Elov's creations, 'Kronblom' (1927) and 'Agust och Lotta' (1928). The short Gunnar was called "Agust", while the taller Ingvar became "Kronblom". Ironically enough, both brothers would eventually continue their father's creations, but then the other way around! It was Ingvar "Kronblom" who continued 'Agust och Lotta', while Gunnar "August" took over 'Kronblom!'
Agust och Lotta
While brother Gunnar showed an early interest in cartooning, Ingvar Persson worked as a forest guard in Riddarhyttan, Västmanland County, before picking up the drawing pen after his father's death in 1970. Gunnar Persson was already drawing the lazy 'Kronblom' for three years when Ingvar took over his father's other series, 'Agust och Lotta'. He drew the strip for the Swedish women's magazine Min Värld in his spare time until he left his daytime job in 1975. In the 1980s it moved to the rural weekly Land. Agust and Lotta were a highly unlikeable couple, who lived in the countryside and continuously kept nagging at each other. In 1997 Ingvar Persson handed 'Agust och Lotta' over to his daughter Bia Melin, who had worked with her father on the comic prior to this. Ingvar Kronblom continued to draw the covers for the annual Christmas books 2006. Since 2014 his grandson Johannes Melin provides the cover illustrations for the annuals.
Frid och Fröjd
In addition to 'Agust och Lotta', Ingvar Persson also made his own strip 'Frid och Fröjd' (1974-2014) for the hunting and fishing magazine Jaktmarker och Fiskevatten. His son Lasse Persson took over this comic in 2014.
Novels and theatrical plays
From 1975 onwards, he was also active as a writer of books and amateur theater plays. Novels like 'Södergök' (1976), 'Gästgivarn' (1977), 'Ingenting att bråka om Johansson' (1978), 'Jordens oro' (1979) and 'Biljett till härligheten' (1981) were regularly situated in the historical environment of his hometown Torsåker, and based on folklore. Persson also wrote a novel series starring Johannes Fröjd, one of the main characters from 'Frid och Fröjd'. One of his theater plays was about his father's creation 'Kronblom'.
Ingvar Persson passed away in Torsåker, Hofors, on 16 November 2015. He was 85 years old.
