author
August Bernhard Mäkelä
b. 1863
A sharp-eyed Finnish writer and journalist, he was also an early labor movement organizer whose work mixed politics, satire, and plainspoken social criticism. His life stretched from southwest Finland to the Finnish socialist communities of North America.
1 Audiobook
Ruukin jaloissa
by August Bernhard Mäkelä
About the author
August Bernhard Mäkelä, better known as A. B. Mäkelä, was a Finnish journalist, writer, and political activist born in Kustavi on July 12, 1863. Reliable reference sources describe him as one of the early builders of the Finnish labor movement, and note that he also worked as a schoolteacher and editor.
As a writer, he was especially known for pakina, a short, witty prose form close to the newspaper sketch or satirical column. He also published under the pen name Kaapro Jääskeläinen, and his work was tied closely to public debate, education, and the everyday concerns of working people.
Mäkelä’s life eventually took him across the Atlantic, and he died in Sointula, on Malcolm Island in British Columbia, Canada, on February 28, 1932. The sources found here confirm his importance as both a literary figure and a political voice, though easily available biographical details in English are limited.