author
1889–1957
A Finnish journalist and novelist who helped open the door for crime fiction and early science fiction in Finnish. His life was as varied as his pen names, moving from odd jobs into a career in writing and journalism.
by Rudolf Rikhard Ruth
Born in Savonlinna on July 6, 1889, Rudolf Rikhard Ruth was a Finnish writer and journalist who published under several names, including Rikhard Hornanlinna and H. R. Halli. Sources describe him as an early pioneer of Finnish-language detective fiction and science fiction.
Before settling into literary work, he left school before completing the matriculation exam and worked in a long list of jobs, including ship's boy on Lake Saimaa, office clerk, correspondent, lettering artist, and private detective. He later wrote as a columnist and journalist as well as a fiction writer.
Ruth died in Helsinki on January 15, 1957. His background, multiple pseudonyms, and genre work have helped keep his name alive in Finnish literary history, especially for readers interested in the beginnings of popular fiction in Finnish.