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Zachris Topelius

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Zachris Topelius
BornZacharias Topelius
(1818-01-14)14 January 1818
Kuddnäs, nearNykarleby,Grand Duchy of Finland,Russian Empire(now Finland)
Died12 March 1898(1898-03-12)(aged 80)
Sipoo,Grand Duchy of Finland,Russian Empire (now Finland)
Occupation
  • Historian
  • Poet
LanguageSwedish
NationalityFinnish

Zacharias Topelius(Finland Swedish pronunciation:[sɑˈkɑːriɑstoˈpeːliʉs];14 January 1818 – 12 March 1898) was a Finnish author, poet, journalist, historian, andrectorof theUniversity of Helsinkiwho wrotenovels related to Finnish history.

Given name

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Zachariasis his baptismal name, and this is used on the covers of his printed works. However, "he himself most often used the abbreviation Z. or the form Zachris (Finland Swedish pronunciation:[ˈsɑkris]), even in official contexts ", as explained in theNational Biography of Finland.Zachris is therefore the preferred form used in recent academic literature about him.[1]

The Finnish form of Topelius' first name is Sakari(as) (Finnish pronunciation:[ˈsɑkɑri(ɑs)]).

Life and career

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Early life

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The original name of the Topelius family was the Finnish name Toppila, which had been Latinized to Toppelius by the author's grandfather's grandfather and later changed to Topelius. Topelius was born at Kuddnäs, nearNykarlebyinOstrobothnia,the son of a physician of the same name (Zacharias Topelius the Elder[fi]), who was distinguished as the earliest collector of Finnish folk-songs.[2]

As a child, he heard his mother, Katarina Sofia Calamnius, sing the songs of the Finnish-Swedish poetFranzén.At the age of eleven, he was sent to school inOuluand boarded with relatives in the possession of a lending library, where he nurtured his imagination with the reading of novels. He was also given a Christian upbringing that came to characterize his entire life.[3]

Study in Helsinki

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He came toHelsinkiin 1831 and became a member of the circle of young nationalist men surroundingJohan Ludvig Runeberg,in whose home he stayed for some time. Topelius became a student at theImperial Alexander University of Finlandin 1833, received his master's degree (cand. philol.) in 1840, theLicentiatedegree in history in 1844 and his PhD in 1847, having defended a dissertation titledDe modo matrimonia jungendi apud fennos quondam vigente( "About the custom of marriage among the ancient Finns" ). Besides history, his academic studies had for periods been devoted both to Theology and Medicine. He was secretary ofSocietas pro Fauna et Flora Fennica[fi]1842–1846, was employed by the university library 1846–1861, and taught History, Statistics and Swedish at the schoolHelsingfors lyceum[fi]during the same period.

Becoming a professor

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Through the intervention of a friend,Fredrik Cygnaeus,Topelius was named professor extraordinary of the History of Finland at the university in 1854. He was made first ordinary professor of Finnish, Russian and Nordic history in 1863, and exchanged this chair for the one in general history in 1876. He wasrectorof the university from 1875 until 1878, when he retired as Emeritus Professor and received the title ofverkligt statsråd(Finnish: todellinen valtioneuvos, Russian: действительный статский советник; literally "state councillor", a Russian honorary title).

Focus on writing

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Together withJohan Ludvig Runebergin 1863

Quite early in his career he began to distinguish himself as a lyric poet, with the three successive volumes of hisHeather Blossoms(1845–54). The earliest of his historical romances wasThe Duchess of Finland,published in 1850. He was also editor-in-chief of theHelsingfors Tidningar[fi]from 1841 to 1860. In 1878, Topelius was allowed to withdraw from his professional duties, but this did not sever his connection with the university; it gave him, however, more leisure for his abundant and various literary enterprises. Of all the multifarious writings of Topelius, in prose and verse, that which has enjoyed the greatest popularity is hisTales of a Barber-Surgeon,episodes of historical fiction from the days ofGustavus IIAdolphus to those ofGustavus III,treated in the manner ofSir Walter Scott;the five volumes of this work appeared between 1853 and 1867. Topelius attempted to write drama, too, enjoying the most success with his tragedyRegina von Emmeritz(1854). Topelius aimed at the cultivation of a strong Finnish patriotism.[2]He wrote a poem whichJean Sibeliusused for a composition with a political statement,Islossningen i Uleå älv.

Albert Edelfelt's illustration ofAdalmina's Pearl,a fairy tale by Topelius[citation needed]

Together with the composerFriedrich Pacius,he wrote thelibretto(in the style ofRomantic nationalism) to the first Finnish opera:Kaarle-kuninkaan metsästys (Kung Karls jakt).Topelius initially thought of writing a trivial entertainment, but having heard extracts from the opera project at a concert in 1851, he realized that Pacius was writing a grand opera on the theme of salvation, following the early Romantic style ofCarl Maria von Weber'sDer Freischütz(1821) andOberon(1826). Topelius wrote the libretto in Swedish (though it was translated later by others), but its subject is emphatically Finnish. He also wrote the libretto forPrinsessan av Cypern,set byFredrik PaciusandLars-Erik Larsson.

The first page of Finnish-languageThe Birch and the Star(Koivu ja tähti) from 1893

Death

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Topelius died in hismanor housein Koivuniemi, Sipoo, Finland, where he wrote his greatest works.[4]He is buried in theHietaniemi CemeteryinHelsinki.[5]

Legacy

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According to tradition, the modernflag of Finlandwas based on a design by Topelius in about 1860.[6]

There was asmall Finnish American villagenamed after Topelius, platted in 1901 inOtter Tail County,Minnesota, US.

Selected works

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Educational offices
Preceded by Rector ofImperial Alexander University
1875–1878 		Succeeded by

References

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  1. ^100 faces from Finlandby Ulpu Marjomaa, (Helsinki: Finnish literature society, 2000)
  2. ^abOne or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain:Gosse, Edmund William(1911). "Topelius, Zakris".InChisholm, Hugh(ed.).Encyclopædia Britannica.Vol. 27 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 49.
  3. ^Boije, Erika (2022)."Inledning".In Magnus Nylund (ed.).Zacharias Topelius, Religiösa skrifter och psalmer(in Swedish). Helsinki: Svenska litteratursällskapet i Finland. ZTS XIX, SSLS 867.
  4. ^Liukkonen, Petri."Zachris Topelius".Books and Writers (kirjasto.sci.fi).Finland:KuusankoskiPublic Library. Archived fromthe originalon 21 February 2015.
  5. ^"Hietaniemen hautausmaa – merkittäviä vainajia"(PDF).Helsingin seurakuntayhtymä.Retrieved26 August2016.
  6. ^Inglefield, Eric (1978).Flags.Ward Lock. p. 53.
  7. ^Topelius, Zacharias (1881).Whisperings in the Wood,trans. ofLäsning för barn byAlbert Alberg.
  8. ^"Review ofWhisperings in the Woodtranslated from the Swedish of Z. Topelius by Albert Alberg ".Saturday Review of Politics, Literature, Science and Art.52(1351): 362–363. 17 September 1881.

Further reading

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Wikimedia Commons has media related toZachris Topelius.
Wikisourcehas the text of a 1905New International Encyclopediaarticle about "Zachris Topelius".
Swedish language pages
Books in Swedish, Finnish and English
Lyrics
Audio
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