Runeberg's most famous work is the Fänrik Ståls Sägner (The Tales of Ensign Stål, Vänrikki Stoolin tarinat in Finnish) written between 1848 and 1860. It is considered the greatest Finnish classical epic poem and contains tales of the Finnish War of 1808-09, that was fought between Sweden and Russia. The first poem "Vårt land", (Our Land) became the Finnish National Anthem.

See also: List of Swedish language writers