Ivar Matlaus

Ivar Matlaus, also referred to as Ivar Matlaus Bokkafé, is an anarchist book café and infoshop associated with UFFA, a self-managed youth and social centre in Trondheim, Norway. Its role is broader than that of a conventional café: it provides a setting where visitors can encounter anarchist, radical, political and socially engaged literature alongside refreshments and informal discussion. The café forms part of UFFA's wider network of self-organised activities, which has also included concerts, a vegetarian restaurant, a hacklab, an activity space and publication of the anarchist newspaper Folk & Røvere. The café's name refers to Ivar Mortensson-Egnund, a Norwegian anarchist and public intellectual. Mortensson-Egnund gave lectures on political, religious and social questions, including one titled “Matløysa i Noreg,” meaning “Foodlessness in Norway.” According to the account of UFFA's activities, this lecture led to the nickname “Ivar Matlaus,” or “Foodless Ivar,” which was adopted for the book café. The name therefore connects the venue with a historical Norwegian tradition of political education and social criticism rather than presenting it as a conventional commercial brand. Ivar Matlaus emerged within the culture of UFFA, which was established in 1981 from Trondheim's autonomous squatters movement. UFFA was created as a self-managed social centre at a time when its founders believed young people in the city had few independent places for gathering and activity. The centre initially occupied a building in Kjøpmannsgata, which burned in 1982. It subsequently reached an agreement with Trondheim municipality and resumed operations at Innherredsveien, in a former kindergarten. The book café is documented as one of the infoshop and café functions hosted by the centre at its later site. UFFA's premises were destroyed by another fire shortly before New Year in 2010. Activists campaigned successfully for Trondheim's city council to construct a replacement centre on the same site, allowing the broader self-managed project to continue. Available reference material does not provide a separate incorporation date, ownership structure, financial data, current trading status or independent website for Ivar Matlaus itself. It is therefore best understood as a community-based cultural venue or project within UFFA rather than as a separately documented corporate company. The café's significance lies in its combination of literature distribution, political discussion and social space. Alongside books and printed material, it has been part of a setting for concerts, activist organising and autonomous cultural production. Its identity is closely tied to anarchism, self-management, independent publishing and Trondheim's alternative youth culture. No reliable source in the supplied material establishes a commercial expansion strategy, formal product portfolio, executive team or international operations.

Ivar Matlaus is documented as the book café and infoshop associated with UFFA, an anarchist youth house and self-managed social centre in Trondheim. The available historical account places the café within UFFA's institutional and cultural setting rather than assigning it a separately recorded founding event. UFFA began in 1981, growing out of an autonomous squatters movement that also produced Oslo's Blitz house. Its founders described the project as a response to the lack of independent places for young people in Trondheim and organised it as a self-managed centre rather than a conventional youth service or commercial venue. The café's name commemorates Ivar Mortensson-Egnund, an anarchist figure associated with political, religious and social commentary. One of his lectures was titled “Matløysa i Noreg,” translated as “Foodlessness in Norway.” The expression gave rise to the nickname “Ivar Matlaus,” translated as “Foodless Ivar,” which became the name of the book café. This origin gives the venue a literary and political identity: it is not merely a place serving coffee, but an infoshop connected to anarchist education, independent publishing and collective activity. UFFA's early premises in Kjøpmannsgata burned in 1982. The organisation later signed an agreement with Trondheim municipality and resumed activities at Innherredsveien, taking over the former Østbyen kindergarten. At its established site, UFFA hosted several connected functions, including the Ivar Matlaus Bokkafé, the vegetarian Kafe Knaillhard, a hacklab, a concert room and other activity groups. The anarchist newspaper Folk & Røvere was also published from the centre. These activities made the book café part of a broader ecosystem of social, cultural and political organising. The wider UFFA project has been associated with Trondheim's anarchist and autonomous movements, while generally experiencing less conflict with authorities than related projects such as Blitz in Oslo and Ungdomshuset in Copenhagen. In December 2006, people connected with UFFA and Blitz joined demonstrations in support of Copenhagen's Ungdomshuset. The episode illustrates the transnational relationships among Nordic autonomous and anarchist centres, although it does not represent a separately documented campaign by Ivar Matlaus itself. A second major disruption occurred shortly before New Year in 2010, when UFFA was burned down. Activists campaigned for the city council to rebuild a centre at the same location, and the campaign succeeded. The supplied material does not specify the exact effect of the fire on the book café, the duration of any interruption, or the details of the replacement building. It does establish that the café's activities were embedded in UFFA's continuing social-centre project. No separate legal entity, founder, corporate owner, executive structure, financial record, independent website or formal opening date is identified in the supplied references. The safest characterization is therefore a community-run cultural and literary venue operating under the UFFA umbrella. Its historical importance comes from its role in preserving and circulating anarchist literature, providing an accessible meeting place and supporting the self-organised cultural infrastructure of Trondheim's alternative scene.

• 2010

  UFFA is rebuilt after a second fire

  [1]UFFAen.wikipedia.org

  The UFFA centre is destroyed by fire shortly before New Year. Activists campaign successfully for a replacement centre to be built at the same location.

• 2006

  UFFA history is documented

  [1]UFFAen.wikipedia.org

  A book documenting the history of the UFFA project is published for its twenty-fifth anniversary, providing context for the centre and its associated activities.

• 1982

  UFFA relocates after a fire

  [1]UFFAen.wikipedia.org

  The original UFFA premises in Kjøpmannsgata burn down. The project subsequently reaches an agreement with Trondheim municipality and resumes at Innherredsveien.

• 1981

  UFFA is established

  [1]UFFAen.wikipedia.org

  The self-managed UFFA social centre is established in Trondheim through the city's autonomous squatters movement. Ivar Matlaus is later documented as one of the centre's infoshop and café activities.

A self-managed anarchist infoshop and café combining literature distribution, political education, community gathering and alternative cultural activity.

• Infoshop and café

  Ivar Matlaus Bokkafé

  The venue's core offering is a combination of a book and information shop with a café environment. It is associated with anarchist, political and socially engaged literature, pamphlets and independent publications, while also providing refreshments and an informal meeting place within UFFA.

• Books and publications

  Anarchist and independent literature

  Ivar Matlaus functions as a point for circulating literature connected with anarchism, political education and alternative social movements. The supplied material does not identify a complete catalogue, publisher list or specific best-selling titles.

1. 1UFFAen.wikipedia.org