I'll rewrite the introduction (the first paragraph), possibly
mentioning how rare literature written in Finnish was at the
time, especially fiction and prose.

I told my mother about my project and what I had found out so far
- and then she asked 'Did he ever get married?' And I discovered
that I didn't know! I've been concentrating
on his works and forgotten about the person (and yes, he married
Maria Piponius and even had kids).

Oh great! *with sarcasme* I've just found out that he also kept a
diary on his travels and wrote stories about them - stories that
weren't published until after his death!
Can you believe how much this man wrote? Oh - and he worked as a
1833-1853.

Elias Lönnrot is Finland’s most famous author, both
nationally and internationally. His most known work is the
Finnish national epic Kalevala.

1802: Lönnrot is born in a very poor family in
Sammatti, Finland. Because of the poverty, his schooling in
various cities in the south of Finland is interrupted
time and time again.

1822: At the age of 20, Lönnrot finally manages the
exams that will qualify him for university studies, three
years later than... usual(?) or normal?

During his school years he learns to use the Swedish
language in speech and writing, gaines excellent knowledge
in Latin and some knowledge in Greek and Hebrew. During this
time he also gets acquainted with the major works in
classical literature. This is to become his main interest,
and he concentrates on the literature studies at the
university of Åbo, Finland where one of his teachers,
Reinhold von Becker, inspires an interest in Finnish folk
poems.

During the summers, Lönnrot earns some extra money by
working as a tutor in the Laukko mansion situated south of
Tampere. At the time, a folkpoem from the late Middle Ages
about the death of Elina was still being told in this area.
This is probably one of Lönnrot’s first experiences of live
ancient folk poetry, and it is around this time that he
starts taking notes and writing down poems.

1827: Lönnrot writes a thesis of Master
with the title 'De Väinämöine, priscorum Fennorum
numine' ('About Väinämöinen, the god of the old Finns').
During the research for the paper he becomes acquainted with
the major part of the hitherto collected Finnish folk
poetry. When the city of Åbo burns to the ground in the
autumn of 1827, Lönnrot plans his first journey with the purpose
to more systematically gather folk poems.

1828: When the university of Åbo expands to Helsinki,
Lönnrot somewhat surprisingly starts studying medicine
instead. This was probably to create an economically stable
career. However, he still pursues his studies of the Finnish
folk poetry alongside with his medical stuides, and in the
spring and summer of 1828 he travels to Tavastland, Savolax
and the Finnish part of Karjala. The travel results in 300
poetry notes.

1829-1831: While pursuing his medical studies,
Lönnrot publishes four booklets with the title 'Kantele
taikka Suomen kansan sekä Vanhoja etta nykyisempiä Runoja ja
Lauluja' ('Kantele¹
or old as well as newer poems and songs of the Finnish
people'). He starts working together with other young
academics interested in folk poetry and in 1831 this,
together with the regular discussions in a ’Saturday Society’
leads to the establishing of the Finnish Literature Society
– a society that will become of great importance
to the Finnish cultural life.

1831: Lönnrot receives a scholarship from the Finnish
Society of Literature to further gather and publish folk
poems. He only reaches as far as the Russian boarder before the
Medical board calls the medical candidate Lönnrot back to
his duties.

1832: Lönnrot writes a thesis for a doctorate titled
'Afhandling om finnarnes magiska medicin' ('Thesis
over the magical medicine of the Finns'). He also makes a
third travel to the Russian part of Karjala and spends a
couple of days taking notes, but has to return home when he
runs out of money. He plans a fifth booklet of the
Kantele series but has to pursue his medical career
instead.

1833: Lönnrot becomes a district doctor in the little
town of Kajana, in the north-east of Finland, not far from
the major poetry areas in the Russian part of Karjala. For
two decades Lönnrot works as a doctor while gathering and
publishing Finnish folk poems. Kajana is situated perfectly
for further research, and in 1833 Lönnrot makes another
travel, his so far most successful one when it comes to
results.

By now, Lönnrot has gathered so much material that it is
time start working on it and systemize it in order to put
together an integrated piece of work – in his own words: 'a
collection equivalent with a half

Homer
'. The first draft for a Finnish epic is finished by the
end of the year. This ’pre-Kalevala’, consisting of 16 songs
and more than 5 000 verse lines, is never published, because
Lönnrot decides to make another travel.

1834: Lönnrot travels to eastern Karjala on the other side
of the Russian boarder. He stays for just eleven days, but gathers
more material than during all his previous travels put together. He
also interviews one of the biggest runosingers ever; Arhippa
Perttunen. The new material is so valuable that it has to be
included, and Lönnrot begins working on integrating it.

1835: The epic 'Kalevala taikka vanhoja Karjalan runoja
Suomen kansan muinoisista ajoista' ('Kalevala or old Karelian
poems about the prehistoric times of the Finnish people') is
finally published . This work is usually called ’old
Kalevala’ and consists of 32 songs, with approximately 12 000
verse lines. But this is just the beginning. Lönnrot makes another
travel in the autumn this year.

1836-37: Lönnrot makes his longest travel this far, to
gather even more poems. He also receives contributions from other
gatherers. The most valuable contributions are made by a man named
D.E.D. Europaeus, who has discovered the rich poetry in
Ingermanland. In 1847, Europaeus brings 2 800 poems from
Ingermanland, among others the powerful Kullervo poems.
Lönnrot starts planning the publication of a new and enlarged
version of Kalevala.

Lönnrot makes all in all eleven gathering and research travels,
from south Estonia to northern Finnish Lapland, from Tavastland in
west Finland to the regions east of lake Onega in Russia.
During these travels Lönnrot has concentrated on hero poems;
material suitable for an epic tale. But he has also written down
many lyrical poems, and while working on Kalevala he gets
the idea to also compile and publish a representative collection of
lyrical folk poems. During the second half of the 1830ies he starts
concentrating on gathering lyrical poems during his travels.
Lönnrot also starts taking notes for linguistic material.

1840-41: 'Kanteletar taikka Suomen Kansan Vanhoja Lauluja
ja Virsiä' ('Kanteletar or old songs and ballads of the Finnish
people') is published. It contains 592 lyrical poems and 60
medieval epical poems, along with 24 newer folk poems. Several of
the most beautiful poems in Kanteletar are soon translated
into Swedish, and later on to other European languages.

1842: 'Suomen kansan sananlaskuja' ('Proverbs of the
Finnish people') is published.

1844: 'Suomen kansan arvoituksia' ('Riddles of the
Finnish people') is published.

1849: The new Kalevala is published, with 50 songs
and approximately 22 800 verse lines, almost twice as big as the
old Kalevala. This edition will come to represent the
Finnish folk poetry, and be translated all over the world as
Finland’s national epic.

1853: Lönnrot is appointed professor of Finnish at the
university. He translates classical fiction literature and fact
literature, mainly botanical and legal.

1880: 'Suomen kansan muinaisia loiturunoja' ('Old
[besvärjelsekväden] of the Finnish people') is published.
Lönnrot had started working already during the 1840ies on a very
ambitious project, and he spends his last years finishing it.
'Suomalais-Ruotsalainen Sanakirja' ('Finnish-Swedish
dictionary') containing 200 000 Finnis words is published in two
parts in 1866 and 1880.

1884: At the time of his death Lönnrot is a professor
eremitus, honorary doctor, honorary chairman in the Finnish
Literature Society and has been knighted several times. He is
considered one of the most influencal authors in the history of
Finnish literature along with Mikael Agricola²
and H.G. Porthan³.

Entry currently under construction! Rough draft - might need
some polishing!