author
Y. (Yrjö) Hirn
1870–1952
An influential Finnish scholar and essayist, he explored art, literature, and culture with unusual range. His writing helped bring aesthetics and cultural history to a wider international audience.
2 Audiobooks
Diderot
by Y. (Yrjö) Hirn
The origins of art; a psychological & sociological inquiry
by Y. (Yrjö) Hirn
About the author
Born in Lappeenranta in 1870 and dying in Helsinki in 1952, Yrjö Hirn was a Finnish professor, essayist, and cultural figure known for work in aesthetics, literature, and cultural history.
He served as Professor of Aesthetics and Modern Literature at the University of Helsinki from 1910 to 1937. Sources also describe him as one of Finland’s best-known humanists of his era, with a body of work that reached beyond Finland through publications in English as well as Swedish and Finnish.
Among his widely noted books is The Origins of Art, which reflects his interest in the psychological and social roots of artistic expression. He is also remembered for research on literature and theater, and for helping shape the study of aesthetics in Finland.