author

Petter Wilhelm Aurén

1826–1896

A Finnish surveyor-writer who turned life in the north into vivid storytelling, he drew on work in Lapland and rural Finland to write with a strong sense of place. His surviving books suggest a practical observer with a real feel for local history and everyday lives.

1 Audiobook

Risto Rytkönen

Risto Rytkönen

by Petter Wilhelm Aurén

About the author

Born in Nilsiä in 1826 and later known also as Pekka Ville Eronen, Petter Wilhelm Aurén was a Finnish land surveyor and writer. He trained through practical engineering and surveying work, passed his surveying examination in 1851, and spent much of his career in northern Finland.

Aurén worked in Lapland, including geographical surveying in the Rovaniemi area and later mapping the Ivalojoki gold fields. He was also active in local civic life, supported public education, and wrote frequently for Oulun Wiikko-Sanomi. After moving to Oulu in 1874, he continued his surveying duties in the north until retiring in 1894.

His writing grew out of that hands-on experience. Known to have used the pen names P.W.A. and r-m-n, he published works including Risto Rytkönen (1892), Keisari Alexander I:sen matka Pohjanmaalla v. 1819 (1894), and a travel account about Utsjoki, Inari, and Sodankylä. He died in Oulu in 1896.