August Ahlqvist

Karl August Engelbrekt Ahlqvist, who wrote as A. Oksanen (1826–1889), was a Finnish poet, scholar of the Finno-Ugric language, author, and literary critic.

He was born in Kuopio, on 7 August 1826, the illegitimate child of Baron Johan Mauritz Nordenstam (d. 1882); his mother Maria Augusta Ahlqvist (d. 1886) was a servant. He died on 20 November 1889 in Helsinki, Finland.

As a scholar Ahlquvist contributed to reformation of the Finnish language, and was highly esteemed for his work in the Finnish, Hungarian, Estonian and related languages. His pungent criticism of Aleksis Kivi's Seitsemän veljestä (Seven Brothers) caused the publishers to postpone its issue.

Works