author
Petter Wilhelm Aurén
1826–1896
A 19th-century Finnish surveyor who also wrote fiction, he brought a practical eye and a feel for everyday life to his work. Writing under the names P.W.A. and r-m-n, he is remembered as part of the early generation of Finnish-language authors.
1 Audiobook
Risto Rytkönen
by Petter Wilhelm Aurén
About the author
Born as Pekka Ville Eronen in Nilsiä on September 4, 1826, he later became known as Petter Wilhelm Aurén. His family moved to Kärsämäki in the 1830s, and before continuing his studies in Helsinki he was trained under the crown building master Sundqvist.
Aurén worked as a surveyor and also wrote literature, a combination that gives him an interesting place in 19th-century Finnish cultural life. He used the pen names P.W.A. and r-m-n, and sources identify him as both a surveyor and a writer.
He died in Oulu on May 24, 1896. Although he is not among the best-known Finnish authors today, his surviving works and bibliographic records show a writer connected to the growth of Finnish prose in that period.