{{Short description|Norwegian newspaper editor, writer, trade unionist and politician}} thumb '''Alfred B. Skar''' (30 January 1896 – 24 December 1969) was a Norwegian newspaper editor, writer, trade unionist and politician for the Labour and Communist parties.
He was born in Sørfold Municipality,<ref name="arbleks">{{Cite encyclopedia |year=1936 |title=Skar, Alfred B. |encyclopedia=Arbeidernes Leksikon |publisher=Arbeidermagasinets Forlag |location=Oslo |editor-last=Friis, Jakob |editor-link=Jakob Friis |volume=6 |page=299 |language=Norwegian |editor2=Hegna, Trond |editor2-link=Trond Hegna |editor3=Juel, Dagfin |editor3-link=Dagfin Juel}}</ref> and worked as a fisherman, construction worker and farm worker in his early career.<ref name="lorenzbio">{{Cite book |last=Lorenz |first=Einhart |author-link=Einhart Lorenz |title=Det er ingen sak å få partiet lite. NKP 1923–1931 |publisher=Pax |year=1983 |isbn=82-530-1255-1 |location=Oslo |pages=295–296 |language=Norwegian}}</ref> He edited the newspapers ''Folkets Frihet'' from 1918 to 1919, ''Folkeviljen'' from 1919 to 1922 and ''Nordlands Fremtid'' from 1922 to 1923. In 1923 he joined the Communist Party and edited ''Friheten'' from 1923 to 1927<ref name=arbleks/> as well as briefly in 1928. He also chaired the county party chapter from 1924 to 1926, was a member of the Communist Party national board and central board and headed the ballot for the 1927 parliamentary election.<ref name=lorenzbio/>
In 1928 he left the Communist Party and rejoined the Labour Party, but he soon joined the communists again and headed the ballot in Akershus county for the 1930 parliamentary election.<ref name="lorenzbio" /> From 1928 to 1932 he worked in the newspapers ''Norges Kommunistblad'' and ''Arbeideren'', from 1932 he was in charge of the Communist Party publishing business,<ref name=arbleks/> until he fell from grace in the party in 1933.<ref name=lorenzbio/> From 1934 he worked in ''Arbeidermagasinet''.<ref name=arbleks/>
During the occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany, Skar edited the illegal newspaper ''Fri Fagbevegelse'' from October 1943 to 1944. He succeeded Oddvar Halvorsen and was succeeded by Gunnar Ousland.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Pryser |first=Tore |author-link=Tore Pryser |title=Klassen og nasjonen 1935-1946 |publisher=Tiden |year=1988 |isbn=82-10-02754-9 |series=Volume four of ''Arbeiderbevegelsens historie i Norge'' |location=Oslo |page=330 |language=Norwegian}}</ref>
From 1946 to 1961 he was the director of press and information in the Norwegian Confederation of Trade Unions.<ref name="snl">{{Cite encyclopedia |year=2007 |title=Alfred Skar |encyclopedia=Store norske leksikon |publisher=Kunnskapsforlaget |location=Oslo |url=http://www.snl.no/Alfred_Skar |editor-last=Henriksen, Petter |language=Norwegian |accessdate=1 October 2010}}</ref> He published both novels and short story collections before and after the Second World War, and released several books about trade unions: ''Fagorganisasjonen under okkupasjonen'' (1949), ''Norsk lokomotivmannsforbund gjennom 60 år 1893–1953'' (1953), ''Fagbevegelsen – en av demokratiets hjørnesteiner'' (1957), ''Norsk fagbevegelse. Dens oppbygging og virkemåte'' (1963) and ''På vei mot den gryende dag. Norsk kommuneforbund gjennom 50 år'' (1969).<ref name=snl/><ref>[http://ask.bibsys.no/ask/action/result?cmd=&kilde=biblio&fid=bd&term=skar%2C+alfred&op=and&fid=bd&term=&bibliografi=ingen&arstall=&sortering=sortdate&treffPrSide=50 List of publications] in BIBSYS</ref> He died in December 1969, and was buried in Gamlebyen.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Cemeteries in Norway |url=http://www.disnorge.no/gravminner/vis.php?mode=x |access-date=2 October 2010 |publisher=DIS-Norge |language=Norwegian}}</ref>
==References== {{Reflist}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Skar, Alfred}} Category:1896 births Category:1969 deaths Category:Labour Party (Norway) politicians Category:Communist Party of Norway politicians Category:Politicians from Nordland Category:Politicians from Akershus Category:Norwegian resistance members Category:World War II resistance press activists Category:Norwegian male short story writers Category:Norwegian non-fiction writers Category:20th-century Norwegian novelists Category:20th-century Norwegian short story writers Category:People from Sørfold Municipality Category:Norwegian male non-fiction writers Category:20th-century Norwegian trade unionists Category:20th-century Norwegian newspaper editors