 | |
| Author | Various |
|---|---|
| Language | Finnish and Swedish |
| Subject | Biographies |
| Genre | Reference work |
| Publisher | Finnish Literature Society andSociety of Swedish Literature in Finland |
Publication date | 1993 |
| Publication place | Finland |
| Pages | 954 |
| Followed by | Writers in Finland 1917–1945 |
Writers in Finland 1809–1916 (Finnish:Suomen kirjailijat 1809–1916; Swedish:Finlands författare 1809–1916) is abiographical dictionary that includes writers in Finland during theGrand Duchy of Finland (1809–1916), when Finland was an autonomous part of theRussian Empire. It was published in 1993 as a collaboration between theFinnish Literature Society (Suomalaisen Kirjallisuuden Seura) and theSociety of Swedish Literature in Finland (Svenska litteratursällskapet i Finland). The volume includes 1,471 writers across 954 pages and is considered to be one of "the two most important works" on the subject.[1][2]
The work includes Finnish writers who published in either Finnish or Swedish and began their literary activity between 1809 and 1916. Authors who started as early as 1800–1808 are also included if their principal output dates from after 1809.[2]
In addition to authors of fiction, the work also covers:[2]
The number of pages in the publications has not been a decisive factor in the selection. Among those included are:
For the period after the 1860s, when the Finnish language and literature had achieved an established status, gradually stricter selection criteria were applied. Authors who emigrated have also been included, provided that at least one of their works was published in Finland.[2]
For individual authors, the following are presented:
This volume is part of a larger series, alongside:
All three volumes are maintained in a searchable database by theFinnish Literature Society and are continually updated.[2]
The editorial board includedMaija Hirvonen,Lars Huldén,Simo Konsala,Kai Laitinen,Rauni Puranen, andJohan Wrede. Contributing institutions included theHelsinki University Library, the Finnish Literature Society’s library and literary archive, theBrage Society (Föreningen Brage), and theCentral Organization for Finnish Theatre.[2]
Writing forHistorical Abstracts in 1995, R.G. Selleck calledWriters in Finland 1809–1916 an "excellent biographical encyclopedia" based on government documents and published sources. Selleck added that it "has fortunately been unaffected" by "the confidentiality provisions of the personal registry act of 1987", which had raised issues for other biographical reference works that had recently been published in Finland.[3]