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PORN DEALER: Leif Hagen sold pornography without a prescription in Oslo, when the sale of pornography was banned in Norway. The photo is from 1979. Photo: Jan Petter Lynau
The undisputed king of porn from the Nordic countries Leif Hagen died in Stockholm on Thursday, at the age of 78: – He never talked about his life’s work, says the nephew.
“Porno-Hagen” was a legendary figure in the mid-1970s. Sold Scandinavian Publishing Group and retired in 2008.
– I don’t know a man who was less interested in porn than him. It was money that drove him, his nephew Ståle Hagen (60) tells VG.
Leif Aage Hagen fell asleep in Stockholm, where for more than 30 years he had a luxurious 300-square-meter villa in the prestigious Tyresö.
– It was a bit of a wait. He was very ill and lived overtime, says the nephew.
RAZZIA: It was empty on Leif Hagen’s shelves, after the police seized several tons of pornographic magazines and movies in “Hagen Import” in 1979. Photo: Erik Thorberg
Leif Hagen grew up in Bjølsen in Oslo. From Kølakjelleren in Trondheimsveien, he sold camphor wood chests and Chinese tableware from the late 1960s.
– Found some porn stuff and started carefully with mail-order magazines. We ship a hundred packages a day, says Ståle Hagen.
Hagen started “Rapport 76” in 1976. The nephew says the first edition with naked women and crime fiction sold 100,000 copies.
– The money flowed. We were surprised, says Ståle Hagen.
Pornography was banned
The publisher published “Aktuell Rapport” and “Gull-Rapport”. In the early eighties came “Cats”. In 1994, “All Men” entered the fold.
– It started with magazines and expanded to film and VHS. He also ran the “Inside and Out” shop behind the town hall. Since then, it has been primarily erotic items, Hagen says.
When his uncle sold magazines and movies without a prescription, the sale of pornography was prohibited in Norway. Police made large seizures, but the shelves were filled soon after.
DEFENDANT: Leif Hagen at the Eidsivating Court of Appeal in 1979. He was later sentenced to prison and barred from doing business. Photo: Vidar Knai
Stein Erik Mattson, who was editor of “Alle Menn” in 1994-1997 and of all Hagen’s pornographic magazines in 2000-2003, remembers his former boss.
– He was a friend of his friends, understanding, very nice and wonderfully generous. He always brought duty-free cigarettes to the newsroom.
Boundaries moved
Mattson believes that a milestone in Norwegian social history has passed.
– He moved the limits. Letting readers write about their own sexual experiences, he was the first to include same-sex ads.
The former editor of “All Men” believes Hagen received a lot of opposition.
– He was one of the first merchants to receive a fine of one million, says Mattson.
IN COURT: Leif Hagen was requested to remain in custody, but was released from duty in 1979. Photo: Bjørn Sigurdsøn
It happened in 1982. Hagen was also sentenced to a year and a half in prison and was sentenced for the first time to the right to run a business.
Ståle Hagen says his uncle started in Sweden and Denmark, when in 1987 he was banned from doing business in Norway for the next ten years.
– it was about business
After moving to Sweden, Leif Hagen sold more pornography than ever. He estimated that Aftenposten had made between one and two billion in the business.
– Pornography was basically something that I defended, but above all, the business was profitable. It was like clockwork, he said “Porno-Hagen” to Aftenposten last year.
Ståle Hagen says the publisher had 110-120 employees when the company was sold in 2008, reportedly for more than NOK 100 million.
– I never saw a porn magazine in his house, we talked about anything but porn. It was about business, he thought about business from the moment he woke up in the morning.
“A LITTLE HARRY”: Leif Hagen loved gold jewelry and liked to wear fox fur. The photo is from 1985. Photo: Arne Iversen
– Was he a Harry type?
– He always had six or seven gold chains around his neck that he slept on. Oh glory, it was completely raw. A bit of Harry, but very nice.
– I had a lot of money
– And then he left with furs?
– Are you thinking of fox skins in the seventies? He had a lot of fun with it. He was good with clothes, lived wonderfully well, and had a lot of money.
INSIDE AND OUT: Leif Hagen went from magazines to film and video, before erotic items and the “Inside and Out” shop became more important. The photo is from 2002. Photo: Terje Bendiksby
– How would you characterize it?
– He had a complex personality, tough on those business matters. A tough guy, but he’s okay. I think it’s sad that he’s gone, says Ståle Hagen.
Mattson doesn’t think anyone else will take over the porn throne in Scandinavia.
– I don’t know how interesting porn is, when everything is legal and it’s free online. It is more attractive to do what is forbidden, says Hagen’s former horse pair.
