Aleko Lilius
Encyclopedia
Aleko Axel August Eugen Lilius
, (2 April 1890 in Saint Petersburg
, Russia
– 24 June 1977 in Helsinki
, Finland
) was an explorer, free-lance writer
and photographer, variously described as an “English
journalist
,” “Russia
n-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:
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 (In search of Venus—or—the Marvelous Adventures of a Young Man). 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.
The “mysterious woman pirate chief,” Lai Choi San, is widely believed to be the source inspiration for the character of the Dragon Lady
, the oriental ‘’femme fatal’’ in Milton Caniff
’s comic strip, Terry and the Pirates
. Although Lilius did not use the term “Dragon Lady” in his book—he referred to Lai Choi San as “Queen of the Pirates”— Caniff did, in fact, appropriate the Chinese name for his character. According to one source, this was the cause of a later legal dispute between Lilius and the syndicate that produced the comic strip, Terry and the Pirates.
A review of the later (1991) Oxford University Press
reprint says that the book is a “ …a good read in the sensational nineteen-twenties style of journalism…briskly moving but somewhat superficial…”
August 1936. Africa (revealed by Words and Pictures) Cooroog the Damned by Aleko E Lilius
Lilius
Lilius is a surname and may refer to:* Lilius family* Aloysius Lilius, principal author of the Gregorian Calendar** Lilius , named after him* Franciszek Lilius Lilius is a surname and may refer to:* Lilius family* Aloysius Lilius,(c. 1510 – 1576) principal author of the Gregorian Calendar** Lilius...
, (2 April 1890 in Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea...
, Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
– 24 June 1977 in Helsinki
Helsinki
Helsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is...
, Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
) was an explorer, free-lance writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
and photographer, variously described as an “English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
,” “Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n-Finnish,” “an English writer of Finnish origins,” “a United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
citizen of Finnish origin,” a “Swedish
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
journalist and adventurer,” and an “intrepid American journalist.” A lawsuit involving Lilius in the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
in 1934
described him thus:
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 (In search of Venus—or—the Marvelous Adventures of a Young Man). 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.
I Sailed with Chinese Pirates
Lilius is primarily remembered as the author of I Sailed with Chinese Pirates. An account of the time he spent among pirates of the South China seas. The original review in the New York Times of 27 July 1931 reads in part:The “mysterious woman pirate chief,” Lai Choi San, is widely believed to be the source inspiration for the character of the Dragon Lady
Dragon Lady
Dragon Lady is a phrase referring to a seductive, treacherous, domineering, and/or tyrannical woman, especially an Asian one. Women famously referred to as "Dragon Lady" include:*Madame Ngo Dinh Nhu, First Lady of South Vietnam...
, the oriental ‘’femme fatal’’ in Milton Caniff
Milton Caniff
Milton Arthur Paul Caniff was an American cartoonist famous for the Terry and the Pirates and Steve Canyon comic strips.-Biography:...
’s comic strip, Terry and the Pirates
Terry and the Pirates (comic strip)
Terry and the Pirates was an action-adventure comic strip created by cartoonist Milton Caniff. Captain Joseph Patterson, editor for the Chicago Tribune New York News Syndicate, had admired Caniff’s work on the children's adventure strip Dickie Dare and hired him to create the new adventure strip,...
. Although Lilius did not use the term “Dragon Lady” in his book—he referred to Lai Choi San as “Queen of the Pirates”— Caniff did, in fact, appropriate the Chinese name for his character. According to one source, this was the cause of a later legal dispute between Lilius and the syndicate that produced the comic strip, Terry and the Pirates.
A review of the later (1991) Oxford University Press
Oxford University Press
Oxford University Press is the largest university press in the world. It is a department of the University of Oxford and is governed by a group of 15 academics appointed by the Vice-Chancellor known as the Delegates of the Press. They are headed by the Secretary to the Delegates, who serves as...
reprint says that the book is a “ …a good read in the sensational nineteen-twenties style of journalism…briskly moving but somewhat superficial…”
Partial bibliography
- (1919) Herr C.G's politiska affärer Mr. C G's Political Affairs
- (in the 1920s) Extensive photography for the Rudolf Schuller Papers. These papers consist of field notes, vocabulary lists, manuscripts, and photos from Schuller's studies of a variety of Mexican and Central American Indian languages and dialects, with particular emphasis on the culture and language of the Huastecan Indians. The collection is now in the hands of the Middle American Research Institute of Tulane UniversityTulane UniversityTulane University is a private, nonsectarian research university located in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States...
. - (1928) Min kinesiska Krigsbok (My Chinese War Diary) Pub. Hökerbergs.
- (1931) I sailed with Chinese Pirates
- (1948) The Romantic Thousand Islands, Their Towns and Times, Publisher: Holliday Publications Ltd., Canada.
- (1956) Turbulent Tangier , an account of the money marketMoney marketThe money market is a component of the financial markets for assets involved in short-term borrowing and lending with original maturities of one year or shorter time frames. Trading in the money markets involves Treasury bills, commercial paper, bankers' acceptances, certificates of deposit,...
and smugglingSmugglingSmuggling is the clandestine transportation of goods or persons, such as out of a building, into a prison, or across an international border, in violation of applicable laws or other regulations.There are various motivations to smuggle...
operations in post-war TangierTangierTangier, also Tangiers is a city in northern Morocco with a population of about 700,000 . It lies on the North African coast at the western entrance to the Strait of Gibraltar where the Mediterranean meets the Atlantic Ocean off Cape Spartel...
. The book was also published as Lady Jaguar and is a picture of a Morocco in transition during unstable French rule. Lilius comes across terrorists, encounters a Muslim reformer, traffick in jewels, etc. The title alludes to a somewhat shadowy smuggler queen in Tangiers, whom Lilius claims to have known personally. - (1956) Memorarerna Ung man i farten (Memoirs: A Young Man's Journey)
- (1957) Memorarerna Ett herrans liv (Memoirs: A Gentleman's Life)
- (1962)The Romantic Thousand Islands: Photographs - Maps – History, Publisher: Wallace.
- Also, Lilius published a number of free-lance articles in magazines such as Argosy (UK) (May 1947), ‘’Stag’’ (Feb 1952), AdventureAdventure (magazine)Adventure magazine was first published in November 1910 as a monthly pulp magazine. Adventure went on become one of the most profitable and critically acclaimed of all the American pulp magazines...
Magazine (Jan 1953), The Wide World, (Sept, 1930, Publisher: George Newnes Ltd, London); and The Sphere Illustrated Newspaper (London), (July 4, 1931), which was “…a brief sketch of the Sultan of Sulu, courted by the U.S. in an effort to defuse Moro hostility during its governance of the Philippines…”; and (1964) “The Sultan of Sulu tells how England ‘stole’ North Borneo.
External links
August 1936. Africa (revealed by Words and Pictures) Cooroog the Damned by Aleko E Lilius