Aleko Lilius

Who was Aleko Lilius?

Aleko Axel August Eugen Lilius, was an explorer, free-lance writer and photographer, variously described as an “English journalist,” “Russian-Finnish,” “an English writer of Finnish origins,” “a United States citizen of Finnish origin,” a “Swedish journalist and adventurer,” and an “intrepid American journalist.” A lawsuit involving Lilius in the Philippines in 1934 described him thus:

…The plaintiff Aleko E. Lilius has, for many years, been a well-known and reputed journalist, author and photographer. At the time of the collision in question, he was a staff correspondent in the Far East of the magazines The American Weekly of New York and The Sphere of London…Some of his works have been translated into various languages. He had others in preparation when the accident occurred. According to him, his writings netted him a monthly income of P1,500. He utilized the linguistic ability of his wife Sonja Maria Lilius, who translated his articles and books into English, German, and Swedish. Furthermore, she acted as his secretary…

Virtually all of Lilius' output as a writer is based on his wide-ranging travels in such places as China, Morocco, and Mexico. The first mention of Lilius as a writer is as the author of the script for the 1919 Finnish film Venusta etsimässä eli erään nuoren miehen ihmeelliset seikkailut. During the 1920s and 30s, Lilius functioned as foreign correspondent in Asia and North Africa. During the 1920s he worked with linguist Rudolf Schuller as a photographer in Mexico. In the 1950s he lived in Morocco. In the 1930s, Lilius lived in the United States, residing in the famous Armour-Stiner Octagon house in Irvington-on-Hudson in the state of New York. In 1958 he moved to Helsinki, Finland, and devoted himself to painting.