author

Hilma Pylkkänen

1865–1947

A Finnish writer who chose Swedish and French for her work, she built a literary life that stretched from Mikkeli to Paris and across Europe. Her background and travels gave her writing an unusually cosmopolitan feel for its time.

1 Audiobook

Ihanteen kaipuu

Ihanteen kaipuu

by Hilma Pylkkänen

About the author

Born in Mikkeli on October 10, 1865, Hilma Sofia Pylkkänen was a Finnish author who wrote in Swedish and French. She came from a merchant family, but lost both parents young and was sent to a Swedish girls’ school in Helsinki, a change that shaped her language and literary path.

She spent part of her life in Paris and traveled widely in Europe. That international life set her apart from many of her contemporaries and helps explain why her work is often remembered for its outward-looking, European atmosphere.

Pylkkänen died in Helsinki on April 13, 1947. A suitable verified portrait image could not be confirmed from the sources available here, so no profile image is included.