Elias Lönnrot (1802‒1884) was a central figure in Finnish 19th century literary culture. He collected, compiled, edited and published Finnish national epic The Kalevala (1835/1849) and its sister work The Kanteletar (1840). Multi-talented Lönnrot was a physician, folklorist, poet and hymn-writer, linguistic reformer, journalist, publisher, scientist, and a professor of Finnish language and literature. As a collector and editor of folk poetry, Lönnrot’s significance is crucial for the beginning of literature written in Finnish. Also, Lönnrot is a pivotal character in forming Finnish national romantic culture in the 19th century.
Birth, early life and education
Elias Lö…
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Citation: Korpua, Jyrki. "Elias Lönnrot". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 22 June 2016 [https://staging.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=11916, accessed 23 November 2024.]
