author
Mikko Tervas
1883–1937
A Finnish writer who drew on hard experience and working life, he is remembered for fiction rooted in ordinary people’s struggles and the changing world around them. His novels include stories of railways, machines, and the pressures of modern work.
2 Audiobooks
Koneiden ääressä: Romaani
by Mikko Tervas
Vaihteissa : Veturinkuljettajan romaani
by Mikko Tervas
About the author
Born in Kalajoki on September 23, 1883, he wrote under the pen name Mikko Tervas. Sources identify him as a Finnish teacher, insurance inspector, and writer, and note that his full name changed several times over his life before becoming Eemil Mikko Tervaskari.
His early life was difficult. Finnish literary reference sources say his father died when he was very young, his mother died when he was nine, and he was then sent out as a foster child. That background helps explain the grounded, working-class feel often associated with his writing.
He died in Helsinki on March 9, 1937. Surviving listings of his work include the novels Vaihteissa and Koneiden ääressä, which helped preserve his name in Finnish literature.