Jalmari Finne

Born in Kangasala on August 11, 1874, Jalmari Finne was a Finnish writer, translator, theater director, and historian. He worked in theater in the late 1890s and early 1900s, and wrote across many forms, including plays, librettos, novels, short fiction, and children's books.

Today he is especially associated with the Kiljusen herrasväki series, whose eccentric family and comic adventures made him a lasting favorite with younger readers. Alongside his literary work, he was also known for studying family and settlement history, giving his career an unusual range from playful storytelling to detailed historical research.

Finne died in Helsinki on January 3, 1938. His reputation in Finland rests on both sides of his work: the warm, humorous books that stayed in print and memory, and the broader cultural work he did for Finnish theater and historical scholarship.