Topelius, Zachris << tu PAY lee `uhs,` SAK rihs >> (1818-1898), was a Finnish short-story writer and poet. His best-known work is Tales of an Army Surgeon (1853-1867), a classic of Scandinavian literature. It is a multi-volume series of historical romances that celebrate the common people in Finnish-Swedish history. The stories cover the period from the Thirty Years’ War (1618-1648) to the reign of Gustav III in the late 1700’s. Topelius wrote two series of children’s stories, Tales (1847-1852) and Readings for Children (1865-1896).
Topelius was born on Jan. 14, 1818, near Nykarleby. He edited a Helsinki newspaper, and was a professor of history, and then became president of the University of Helsinki. He was a champion of Finnish nationalism, but he wrote in Swedish. He died on March 12, 1898.
