Zachris Topelius

Zacharias Topelius was born on January 14, 1818, at Kuddnäs manor near Nykarleby. Studying in Helsinki where he lived with J.L. Runeberg, he served for twenty years as editor of Helsingfors Tidningar and later as Professor of Finnish History and Rector of the University of Helsinki.

Topelius was a pioneer of Finnish historical fiction, publishing the five-cycle epic Fältskärns berättelser (The Surgeon's Stories, 1853–1867), spanning the Thirty Years' War to King Gustav III. Beloved by generations of Nordic children for his eight-volume fairy tale collection Läsning för barn, his geography textbook Boken om vårt land (The Book of Our Land, 1875) taught Finnish children to love their fatherland.