Viggo Hordeum

Viggo Hordeum (born december, 6 1958. Died february, 5 2009) was a danish born Lovian publisher and filmproducer, and founder of Hordeum Books. Though being born in Denmark, Hordeum always saw Lovia as his country.

Early life
Viggo Hordeum was born in 1958. His father was a Danish farmer named Klaus Byg, and his mother was Birgitte Bygge. The mother was responsible for the upbringing of the children, and was at home throughout Hordeums childhood. Hordeum attended an independent school inspired by the Danish school philosopher Kresten Kold. It was not normal, that peasant children went to independent schools at that time, but his father was a great supporter of the idea and all his boys was sent to the independent school. Here Hordeum learned about narrative power. And here his considerable imagination developed itself. Already as a 12 year old he had written several small stories, and at 14 he got his stories published. Hordeum was as a child, also a big fan of the many Danish films. He often visited the local cinema, and most of his pocket money went to cinema tickets.

Education and Career
Hordeum were a trained typographer, from Gyndedals print shop where he worked from 1974 to 1987. While he worked as a typographer, he were allowed to work in film. In 1979 he helped produce the movie "Sangen uden ende" and in 1981 he produced his own movie "From Paris to Berlin". The movie was no great success, but it was a dream that came true for Hordeum. In 1989 he moved his family to Lovia where he started his own printing house and became an independent publisher. Hordeum died in 2009 after a long-term colo-rectal cancer.

Passion for Latin
When Hordeum went to high school, he learned Latin at a high level. He was very pleased with Latin, so happy that he at age 18 changed his surname to Latin. Until then he had been called Viggo Byg, but since Hordeum was the Latin word for Byg, this became his new surname. When he in 1988 had a son, he gave him both a Latin first name and surname.

Marriage and Children
Hordeum was married in 1979 to the danish actress Vita Graa. They meet during the shooting of the movie Sangen uden ende. Vita also had a leading role in Hordeum's own movie From Paris to Berlin from 1981. Together they had a son named Erasmus Hordeum.