| Björn Kurtén | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1924-11-19)November 19, 1924 Vaasa |
| Died | December 28, 1988(1988-12-28) (aged 64) Helsinki |
| Alma mater | University of Helsinki |
| Occupations |
|
Björn Kurtén (19 November 1924 – 28 December 1988) was a Finnish vertebrate paleontologist and science fiction writer.
Early life and education
Kurtén was born in Vaasa in 1924. He was a member of the Swedish-speaking minority in Finland. He graduated from the Vaasa Svenska Samskola in 1943. His education was interrupted by World War II, and he did not resume studies until he finished his military service in 1945.
He took courses in the University of Helsinki studying zoology, chemistry, geology, and paleontology. He went on to study the Hipparion genus in Uppsala, Sweden, publishing his first scientific paper on the genus in 1952. He earned his PhD from the University of Helsinki in 1954.
Kurtén said that he chose paleontology as his career path because he did not want to do anything "useful".
Scientific career
After receiving his PhD, Kurtén became a Docent at the University of Helsinki, a position he held until 1972. From 1972 until his death, he was a Professor at the university. Throughout his career, he frequently traveled to study paleontological collections throughout Europe and North America. He also did field work in Sweden, Spain, and Tunisia. He received several fellowships from foreign institutions and lectured at Harvard University.
He was a prominent writer of popular science. For his work in popular science, he received numerous awards including the Finnish state award for popular dissemination of knowledge and UNESCO's Kalinga Prize.
Kurtén's research focused primarily on carnivorans, particularly prehistoric bears and hyenas. He wrote fifteen papers and one book about prehistoric bears and was the first person to study allometry in fossil teeth.
Fiction
Kurtén wrote his first novel in his late teens. He wrote in the genre of prehistoric fiction, combining elements of paleontology with science fiction. He authored a series of books about encounters between humans and Neanderthals, such as Dance of the Tiger. His works of fiction have been translated into over fourteen languages, although only two of his novels, Dance of the Tiger and Singletusk, have been translated into English.
Personal life
Kurtén married Ruth Nordman in 1950, and they had four children named Solveig, Joachim, Andrea, and Marina. He and his family spent summers in Stängesholmen, where they enjoyed birding, walking, and picking berries. Kurtén enjoyed the sauna, and often went straight from the sauna into cold ocean water, which he said brought out his "viking blood". He did most of his writing in Stängesholmen.
Death and legacy
Kurtén died in Helsinki in 1988 due to complications following brain surgery. The University of Helsinki has a paleontological club called the Björn Kurtén Club, named in his honor.
The prehistoric cat species Prionailurus kurteni was named after Kurtén in 2024.
References
- ^ Anderson, Elaine (19 February 1992). "Björn Kurtén, an eminent paleotheriologist" (PDF). Annales Zoologici Fennici.
- ^ "Who was Björn Kurtén?". Björn Kurtén Club. Retrieved 2024-12-15.
- Toivonen, Teemu (19 November 2024). "Bringing the past to life in writing — a look into Björn Kurtén's popular science literature" (PDF). Annales Zoologici Fennici.
- "What is Björn Kurtén Club?". Björn Kurtén Club. Retrieved 2024-12-15.
- Jiangzuo, Qigao; Werdelin, Lars; Zhang, Kai; Tong, Haowen; Yan, Yi; Chen, Yiying; Ma, Jiao; Liu, Jinyi; Wu, Xiujie (2024-11-19). "Prionailurus kurteni (Felidae, Carnivora), a new species of small felid from the late Middle Pleistocene fossil hominin locality of Hualongdong, southern China". Annales Zoologici Fennici. 61 (1). doi:10.5735/086.061.0120. ISSN 0003-455X.
External links
- Petri Liukkonen. "Björn Kurtén". Books and Writers.