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Tove Jansson

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  1. 01
    Biography Tove Jansson’s vibrant life
    Tove Jansson’s vibrant life
  2. 02
    Gallery Tove Jansson’s invaluable artistic treasure
    Tove Jansson’s invaluable artistic treasure
  3. 03
    Tovepedia Facts about Tove Jansson
    Facts about Tove Jansson
  4. 04
    People (Coming 2022)
    (Coming 2022)
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    Places (Coming 2022)
    (Coming 2022)
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    News and treasures from the archives
    and treasures from the archives
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The Moomins take on the world

  1. 01The basic philosophy of Moominvalley
  2. 02Moomin becomes the toast of London
  3. 03Moomin products and productivity
01

The basic philosophy of Moominvalley


Moomin is born in times of hardship, in a poor and war-torn country. When Tove Jansson begins Moomintroll’s story, she gives him a foundation of disaster and surrounds him with many friends. Community and the power of art are what see Moomin through.

In the beginning, Moomintroll has a longer, sharper nose and is called ‘snork’. The character appears as a dark, shadowy figure in Tove Jansson’s pictures and becomes her trademark in the satirical magazine Garm. The figure can also be found even earlier, graffitied on an outhouse wall in response to a philosophical debate.

Tove Jansson writes the first Moomin story The Moomins and the Great Flood in the 1940s, a time of war and poverty, when children’s stories are rare. Even before its publication, she starts sketching her next book, while staying in Atos Wirtanen’s villa in Grankulla. Perhaps she finds her inspiration there in the promise of a happier time.

Tove Jansson's book cover for the original Swedish version of the book The Moomins and the Great Flood, 1945.

Tove Jansson’s book cover for the original Swedish version of the first Moomin story “The Moomins and the Great Flood”, 1945.

Comet in Moominland

Tove Jansson sketches rocky mountains, starry skies, comets and an observatory similar to the one she knows from Kaivopuisto/Brunnsparken in Helsinki. The shape of Moomin becomes rounder, softer. Her work culminates in the chapter book Comet in Moominland, about a comet that has veered off course and is heading straight for Moominvalley. Moomintroll and Sniff head to the observatory to find out more. On their way, they meet Snufkin, who becomes Moomin’s best friend, and then Snorkmaiden, who becomes his love interest. Snork and Hemulen also join the gang, giving Moomin a fulsome community.

Faced with a row of disasters, big and small, the friends rescue each other from falling into a pit in the Lonely Mountains, from the terrible Angostura and a giant octopus. The friends survive by helping each other. Snufkin helps to remind Moomin of the things that really matter, namely art and the beauty of nature. He also convinces Moomintroll and Sniff to free themselves from their awkward, materialistic luggage.

The observatory in Tove Jansson's book Comet in Moominland, 1946.

The observatory in Tove Jansson’s book “Comet in Moominland”, 1946.

The Muskrat philosopher

Atos Wirtanen, editor-in-chief of the daily newspaper Ny Tid, and Tove Jansson’s boyfriend at the time, decides that his paper needs a comic strip, as has become common in American papers. No sooner said than done, Tove gets to work writing and drawing, and the first series Moomintroll and the End of the World appears on the children’s pages.

It begins much like Comet in Moominland, with a great storm and the grumpy, boozing Muskrat telling the Moomin family about the impending comet. As the family goes out of their minds with worry, the Muskrat lies down in a hammock to read a book by Oswald Spengler about the decline of the West.

Tove Jansson's Muskrat illustration, 1947-48.

Tove Jansson’s Muskrat illustration, 1947-48.

Tove Jansson's first Moomin comic strip in the daily newspaper Ny Tid, 1947.

Tove Jansson’s first Moomin comic strip in the daily newspaper Ny Tid, 1947.

The Muskrat is a concrete reminder of the omnipresent philosophy and existentialism in Moominvalley. In the marshland near Wirtanen’s villa there is a place they call the “muskrat swamp”, where Wirtanen often goes to ponder philosophical questions. In her letters, Tove Jansson calls Wirtanen alternately “dearest”, “solofif” (a play on the Swedish word for philosopher – filosof) and “mi caro sofo”, and the thoughts of this real-life philosopher are deeply embedded in Moominvalley.

As the comet casts its shadow over Moominvalley, Tove Jansson tells a story about the importance of friendship, art, beauty and community. When the comet finally arrives in Comet in Moominland, Moomin, his family and friends sit in a cave and hold each other close – reminiscent of a bomb shelter during a wartime air raid. Afterwards, it is eerily silent. There, at the intersection of the warmth of a close-knit community and the cruelty of a great comet, lies the basic philosophy of Moominvalley.

Cave illustration in Tove Jansson's book Comet in Moominland, 1946.

Cave illustration in Tove Jansson’s book “Comet in Moominland”, 1946.

Moomin is born in times of hardship, in a poor and war-torn country. When Tove Jansson begins Moomintroll’s story, she gives him a foundation of disaster and surrounds him with many friends. Community and the power of art are what see Moomin through.

In the beginning, Moomintroll has a longer, sharper nose and is called ‘snork’. The character appears as a dark, shadowy figure in Tove Jansson’s pictures and becomes her trademark in the satirical magazine Garm. The figure can also be found even earlier, graffitied on an outhouse wall in response to a philosophical debate.

Tove Jansson writes the first Moomin story The Moomins and the Great Flood in the 1940s, a time of war and poverty, when children’s stories are rare. Even before its publication, she starts sketching her next book, while staying in Atos Wirtanen’s villa in Grankulla. Perhaps she finds her inspiration there in the promise of a happier time.

Comet in Moominland

Tove Jansson sketches rocky mountains, starry skies, comets and an observatory similar to the one she knows from Kaivopuisto/Brunnsparken in Helsinki. The shape of Moomin becomes rounder, softer. Her work culminates in the chapter book Comet in Moominland, about a comet that has veered off course and is heading straight for Moominvalley. Moomintroll and Sniff head to the observatory to find out more. On their way, they meet Snufkin, who becomes Moomin’s best friend, and then Snorkmaiden, who becomes his love interest. Snork and Hemulen also join the gang, giving Moomin a fulsome community.

Faced with a row of disasters, big and small, the friends rescue each other from falling into a pit in the Lonely Mountains, from the terrible Angostura and a giant octopus. The friends survive by helping each other. Snufkin helps to remind Moomin of the things that really matter, namely art and the beauty of nature. He also convinces Moomintroll and Sniff to free themselves from their awkward, materialistic luggage.

The Muskrat philosopher

Atos Wirtanen, editor-in-chief of the daily newspaper Ny Tid, and Tove Jansson’s boyfriend at the time, decides that his paper needs a comic strip, as has become common in American papers. No sooner said than done, Tove gets to work writing and drawing, and the first series Moomintroll and the End of the World appears on the children’s pages.

It begins much like Comet in Moominland, with a great storm and the grumpy, boozing Muskrat telling the Moomin family about the impending comet. As the family goes out of their minds with worry, the Muskrat lies down in a hammock to read a book by Oswald Spengler about the decline of the West.

The Muskrat is a concrete reminder of the omnipresent philosophy and existentialism in Moominvalley. In the marshland near Wirtanen’s villa there is a place they call the “muskrat swamp”, where Wirtanen often goes to ponder philosophical questions. In her letters, Tove Jansson calls Wirtanen alternately “dearest”, “solofif” (a play on the Swedish word for philosopher – filosof) and “mi caro sofo”, and the thoughts of this real-life philosopher are deeply embedded in Moominvalley.

As the comet casts its shadow over Moominvalley, Tove Jansson tells a story about the importance of friendship, art, beauty and community. When the comet finally arrives in Comet in Moominland, Moomin, his family and friends sit in a cave and hold each other close – reminiscent of a bomb shelter during a wartime air raid. Afterwards, it is eerily silent. There, at the intersection of the warmth of a close-knit community and the cruelty of a great comet, lies the basic philosophy of Moominvalley.

London Evening News Moomin campaign, 1954.
02

Moomin becomes the toast of London


With a couple of Moomin books successfully published in Britain, Tove Jansson is commissioned to draw a Moomin series for adults. She likes the idea and after several years of hard work, Moomin becomes world famous. But fame does not come easily, or without problems.

On Walpurgis Eve 1952, Englishman Charles Sutton visits Helsinki on behalf of the Associated Newspapers syndicate. Sutton and Jansson have already exchanged letters about the idea of creating Moomin comics for a wider audience, and Tove Jansson books a table for a business lunch at the ritzy Hotel Kämp. She has forgotten that it is Walpurgis, a big celebration in Finland, and what starts as just a lunch turns into something else entirely.

Sketch of Moomintroll and Sniff for the first Moomin comic by Tove Jansson in 1954-55.

Sketch of Moomintroll and Sniff for the first Moomin comic by Tove Jansson in 1954-55.

From Hotel Kämp to Fleet Street

A young woman sits on Charles Sutton’s lap, balloons are everywhere and children are crawling under tables. Sutton had no idea that Finns were such party people! Their night descends into an international atelier party complete with a Scottish ceilidh, and culminates in Tove Jansson signing a seven-year contract for a serial about Moomin and his friends.

Charles Sutton and Tove Jansson collaborate by post. He requests she include Snorkmaiden, who he thinks is adorable and “uses female cunning with such sincerity that she is bound to win the hearts of men”. He is the one to suggest she draws Moominmamma in an apron to make her more instantly recognisable. Sutton puts a lot of love into the series and holds out for a decent publishing deal.

Tove Jansson is ingenious and innovative. Sutton encourages her use of elongated objects between the frames to separate the illustrations. There are already a good 20 examples of her doing just this, bordering the frames with everything from water hoses and paintbrushes to barbed wire.

Sutton might be considered the father of the Moomin comics because it was during those rainy days in Helsinki that it all began. One and a half years after that fateful Walpurgis Eve, she is invited to Fleet Street for an intensive workshop to finally hone the series for publication.

Tove Jansson, Moomin and the Golden Tail - 18, 1958

Tove Jansson, “Moomin and the Golden Tail”, 1958.

Tove Jansson, Moomin and the Golden Tail - 37, 1958.

Tove Jansson, “Moomin and the Golden Tail”, 1958.

Tove Jansson, Moomin and the Golden Tail - 59, 1958.

Tove Jansson, “Moomin and the Golden Tail”, 1958.

Tove Jansson, Moomin and the Golden Tail - 85, 1958.

Tove Jansson, “Moomin and the Golden Tail”, 1958.

Up the ante!

Julian Phipps, head of the comics department at Associated Newspapers, works with Tove Jansson for a few weeks in February 1954 in London. He says: “Up the ante! More excitement! More thrills!” After a few more visits later in the spring, the work is completed.

Tove Jansson’s first Moomin series goes into print in September 1954. It is published by Evening News and widely publicised around London to great effect. This is a turning point for Tove Jansson. Having previously lived on meagre illustrator’s fees, it is a huge relief to receive a regular pay cheque.

Twenty Million Readers

The comic strip in the Evening News and Charles Sutton’s continued global promotion make Moomin world famous, reaching an astounding 20 million readers on a good day. It is the most popular Finnish series of all time.

Whimsy and intimacy remain the artistic goals, but achieving this at the required pace is a tall order. The cartoon drains Tove Jansson’s energy. Sick of feeling like an efficient machine, she eventually tires of Moomin to the extent that she wants no more to do with him. She even intimates that producing comics under contract was a fate she wouldn’t wish on her worst enemy. Her exhaustion permeates the Moomins, and a more sombre tone seeps into the chapter books that were previously characterised by light-hearted adventures.

Lars and Tove Jansson together with the Fauni Moomin dolls, 1962.

Lars and Tove Jansson together with the Atelier Fauni Moomin dolls, 1962.

Better to be happy than famous

In her fourth year as a cartoonist Tove Jansson makes a series called Moomin and the Golden Tail. Although she has been collaborating on the series with her brother Lars Jansson, Moomin and the Golden Tail is one that she does alone.

The end of Moomin’s tail has turned golden. Snufkin, Moominpappa and Moominmamma don’t think fame is good for Moomin, Snorkmaiden flips between admiration and envy, and the cheeky Stinky tries to take advantage of Moomintroll. Fame brings parties and fun, but also misquotation, lack of time, trouble with copyright and an angry manager. In addition, everyone seems to lose interest in Moomin himself; they only want him for his tail.

It’s just not fun any more and, after a period of planning and deliberation, Tove Jansson, in agreement with Associated Newspapers, transfers the comics to Lars and terminates her own contract prematurely, after five years.

“It’s as if a great weight has rolled off me, and I can see everything differently (…) The main thing is that it’s over and I can now calmly devote myself to just being – until something, some urge to be active, starts to flow again – not as a duty but as a need.” Letters from Tove

It’s better to be happy than famous, and Tove celebrates her emancipation one summer evening, sharing two bottles of Dopff Dry with her loved ones, Tooti and mother Ham.

With a couple of Moomin books successfully published in Britain, Tove Jansson is commissioned to draw a Moomin series for adults. She likes the idea and after several years of hard work, Moomin becomes world famous. But fame does not come easily, or without problems.

On Walpurgis Eve 1952, Englishman Charles Sutton visits Helsinki on behalf of the Associated Newspapers syndicate. Sutton and Jansson have already exchanged letters about the idea of creating Moomin comics for a wider audience, and Tove Jansson books a table for a business lunch at the ritzy Hotel Kämp. She has forgotten that it is Walpurgis, a big celebration in Finland, and what starts as just a lunch turns into something else entirely.

From Hotel Kämp to Fleet Street

A young woman sits on Charles Sutton’s lap, balloons are everywhere and children are crawling under tables. Sutton had no idea that Finns were such party people! Their night descends into an international atelier party complete with a Scottish ceilidh, and culminates in Tove Jansson signing a seven-year contract for a serial about Moomin and his friends.

Charles Sutton and Tove Jansson collaborate by post. He requests she include Snorkmaiden, who he thinks is adorable and “uses female cunning with such sincerity that she is bound to win the hearts of men”. He is the one to suggest she draws Moominmamma in an apron to make her more instantly recognisable. Sutton puts a lot of love into the series and holds out for a decent publishing deal.

Tove Jansson is ingenious and innovative. Sutton encourages her use of elongated objects between the frames to separate the illustrations. There are already a good 20 examples of her doing just this, bordering the frames with everything from water hoses and paintbrushes to barbed wire.

Sutton might be considered the father of the Moomin comics because it was during those rainy days in Helsinki that it all began. One and a half years after that fateful Walpurgis Eve, she is invited to Fleet Street for an intensive workshop to finally hone the series for publication.

Up the ante!

Julian Phipps, head of the comics department at Associated Newspapers, works with Tove Jansson for a few weeks in February 1954 in London. He says: “Up the ante! More excitement! More thrills!” After a few more visits later in the spring, the work is completed.

Tove Jansson’s first Moomin series goes into print in September 1954. It is published by Evening News and widely publicised around London to great effect. This is a turning point for Tove Jansson. Having previously lived on meagre illustrator’s fees, it is a huge relief to receive a regular pay cheque.

Twenty Million Readers

The comic strip in the Evening News and Charles Sutton’s continued global promotion make Moomin world famous, reaching an astounding 20 million readers on a good day. It is the most popular Finnish series of all time.

Whimsy and intimacy remain the artistic goals, but achieving this at the required pace is a tall order. The cartoon drains Tove Jansson’s energy. Sick of feeling like an efficient machine, she eventually tires of Moomin to the extent that she wants no more to do with him. She even intimates that producing comics under contract was a fate she wouldn’t wish on her worst enemy. Her exhaustion permeates the Moomins, and a more sombre tone seeps into the chapter books that were previously characterised by light-hearted adventures.

Better to be happy than famous

In her fourth year as a cartoonist Tove Jansson makes a series called Moomin and the Golden Tail. Although she has been collaborating on the series with her brother Lars Jansson, Moomin and the Golden Tail is one that she does alone.

The end of Moomin’s tail has turned golden. Snufkin, Moominpappa and Moominmamma don’t think fame is good for Moomin, Snorkmaiden flips between admiration and envy, and the cheeky Stinky tries to take advantage of Moomintroll. Fame brings parties and fun, but also misquotation, lack of time, trouble with copyright and an angry manager. In addition, everyone seems to lose interest in Moomin himself; they only want him for his tail.

It’s just not fun any more and, after a period of planning and deliberation, Tove Jansson, in agreement with Associated Newspapers, transfers the comics to Lars and terminates her own contract prematurely, after five years.

 “It’s as if a great weight has rolled off me, and I can see everything differently (…) The main thing is that it’s over and I can now calmly devote myself to just being – until something, some urge to be active, starts to flow again – not as a duty but as a need.” Letters from Tove

It’s better to be happy than famous, and Tove celebrates her emancipation one summer evening, sharing two bottles of Dopff Dry with her loved ones, Tooti and mother Ham.

Moomin-themed window at Stockmann in Helsinki, 1956.
03

Moomin products and productivity


Thanks to a determined struggle to make a living from her art without compromising her artistic integrity, Tove Jansson eventually reaches a point where she is heralded as a genius. What’s more, her commercial success has stolen too much of her life. The time has come to end the story of Moomin. But how can she leave behind a world that has grown so big?
Tove Jansson and Moomins in NK's advertisement, 1957.

Tove Jansson and Moomins in NK’s advertisement, 1957.

It is February 1957 and Tove Jansson is the guest of honour in Stockholm. Stars of Swedish children’s fiction Astrid Lindgren and Lennart Hellsing are also present. Like Tove Jansson, their popularity has grown alongside the development of the welfare state. But of all the winding queues of fans waiting for autographs, hers is the longest. She has five published Moomin chapter books and a Moomin picture book under her belt, and she is now reading from Moominland Midwinter, her next chapter book to be published later the same year.

Tove Jansson, Snorkmaiden and Moomintroll at Stockmann, 1956.

Tove Jansson, Snorkmaiden and Moomintroll at Stockmann, 1956.

Astrid Lindgren and Tove Jansson, 1957.

Astrid Lindgren and Tove Jansson, 1957.

Remake!

With all this success, being Moomin-Tove, or the ‘Moomin doodler’, takes up a lot of time. She works across multiple disciplines and assignments. She edits Comets in Moominland several times and the story is adapted into a children’s play called Moomin and the Comet  directed by Vivica Bandler at the Swedish Theatre in 1949. There are also two versions of the Moomin and Comet cartoon, first in Ny Tid and later with a professional redesign and modern stylisation, in collaboration with Lars Jansson.

Every time a new piece is produced, it is adapted to its new medium and time. The play Moomin and the Comet contains elements borrowed from Finn Family Moomintroll and The Exploits of Moominpappa, which Tove Jansson has also found time to write. As long as she has the final say, everything will be fine, but art has a way of slipping away from its creator, as though of its own accord. The Gothenburg City Theatre production of Moomin and the Comet is not a great success, and Tove is pleased that the play goes no further.

Moomin and commercialism

After making the conscious decision to support herself on her artistic work alone, Tove Jansson finds herself at a point where she has to turn down most offers, and the Moomins appear on everything from marzipan to ceramics. Moomins in various guises are first sold in Swedish department store NK and Stockmann, and she monitors and approves products through the nascent family company Moomin Characters. When Mettoy Playcraft wants to make dolls, she sends over detailed instructions:

”Say, about 5 to 6 inches for Moomin and Snorkmaiden, and 6 to 7 for the parents (possible 6 ½ for mamma and 7 for pappa as he has his hat on).” Tove Jansson. Life, Art, Words

When Tove Jansson is invited to take part in NK’s big Moomin campaign in Stockholm, she brings both her parents. It is the trip of a lifetime, during which her father Faffan is proud as a peacock and they thoroughly enjoy themselves. Travelling for business consists mostly of networking and signings, while also being an intensive course in the art of protecting one’s privacy, learning to discreetly withdraw.

Tove Jansson together with Atelier Fauni Moomin dolls, 1956.

Tove Jansson together with Atelier Fauni Moomin dolls, 1956.

Lauded and accused

By the time Moominland Midwinter is released, Tove Jansson has been lauded as a genius. She receives the Elsa Beskow Plaque for her illustrations etched from a dark surface, from black to white. She is darling of the critics, favourite of the public and subject of research – and this lavish attention also leads to problems.

An art professor writes in Expressen that Moomin is a rip-off of Verner Molin’s Dark Sow. The accusation is false, because it is technically impossible for Tove Jansson to have been influenced by Molin’s exhibition in Sweden in 1942 while she was stuck in war-torn Helsinki. The business of Moomin, with all the appearances and correspondence, is getting messy.

Tove Jansson's illustration of Moomintroll and Ancestor for the book Moominland Midwinter, 1958.

Tove Jansson’s illustration of Moomintroll and Ancestor for the book “Moominland Midwinter”, 1958.

Tove Jansson Moominvalley in November, 1970.

Tove Jansson “Moominvalley in November”, 1970.

Writing a farewell

On occasion Tove Jansson says that she thinks Moomin-mania is slowing down, but it never really does. It eventually totals as nine chapter books, three picture books and so many collaborations, translations and business opportunities that a final farewell seems impossible.

The last Moomin chapter book Moominvalley in November is a sort of full stop. When Tove Jansson has finished writing the manuscript and is about to start illustrating, Ham dies. It is summer and her illustration work keeps her going. For a while she does nothing but sit huddled over the work table at Klovharun. She produces 83 pictures and notes: “I have a feeling that I have been worried about Ham all my life”.

Moominvalley in November is dedicated to Lars. He requests that the story be cheerier, but she chooses to keep much of the palpable sadness and sense of time passing. The melancholy wrapped around Moominvalley is reflected in the book’s reception. It is indeed possible to write a farewell.

“Snufkin stood outside his tent and knew that it was time to break camp, he was ready to be off. The valley would soon be cut off .” Moominvalley in November

Thanks to a determined struggle to make a living from her art without compromising her artistic integrity, Tove Jansson eventually reaches a point where she is heralded as a genius. What’s more, her commercial success has stolen too much of her life. The time has come to end the story of Moomin. But how can she leave behind a world that has grown so big?

It is February 1957 and Tove Jansson is the guest of honour in Stockholm. Stars of Swedish children’s fiction Astrid Lindgren and Lennart Hellsing are also present. Like Tove Jansson, their popularity has grown alongside the development of the welfare state. But of all the winding queues of fans waiting for autographs, hers is the longest. She has five published Moomin chapter books and a Moomin picture book under her belt, and she is now reading from Moominland Midwinter, her next chapter book to be published later the same year.

Remake!

With all this success, being Moomin-Tove, or the ‘Moomin doodler’, takes up a lot of time. She works across multiple disciplines and assignments. She edits Comets in Moominland several times and the story is adapted into a children’s play called Moomin and the Comet  directed by Vivica Bandler at the Swedish Theatre in 1949. There are also two versions of the Moomin and Comet cartoon, first in Ny Tid and later with a professional redesign and modern stylisation, in collaboration with Lars Jansson.

Every time a new piece is produced, it is adapted to its new medium and time. The play Moomin and the Comet contains elements borrowed from Finn Family Moomintroll and The Exploits of Moominpappa, which Tove Jansson has also found time to write. As long as she has the final say, everything will be fine, but art has a way of slipping away from its creator, as though of its own accord. The Gothenburg City Theatre production of Moomin and the Comet is not a great success, and Tove is pleased that the play goes no further.

Moomin and commercialism

After making the conscious decision to support herself on her artistic work alone, Tove Jansson finds herself at a point where she has to turn down most offers, and the Moomins appear on everything from marzipan to ceramics. Moomins in various guises are first sold in Swedish department store NK and Stockmann, and she monitors and approves products through the nascent family company Moomin Characters. When Mettoy Playcraft wants to make dolls, she sends over detailed instructions:

”Say, about 5 to 6 inches for Moomin and Snorkmaiden, and 6 to 7 for the parents (possible 6 ½ for mamma and 7 for pappa as he has his hat on).” Tove Jansson. Life, Art, Words

When Tove Jansson is invited to take part in NK’s big Moomin campaign in Stockholm, she brings both her parents. It is the trip of a lifetime, during which her father Faffan is proud as a peacock and they thoroughly enjoy themselves. Travelling for business consists mostly of networking and signings, while also being an intensive course in the art of protecting one’s privacy, learning to discreetly withdraw.

Lauded and accused

By the time Moominland Midwinter is released, Tove Jansson has been lauded as a genius. She receives the Elsa Beskow Plaque for her illustrations etched from a dark surface, from black to white. She is darling of the critics, favourite of the public and subject of research – and this lavish attention also leads to problems.

An art professor writes in Expressen that Moomin is a rip-off of Verner Molin’s Dark Sow. The accusation is false, because it is technically impossible for Tove Jansson to have been influenced by Molin’s exhibition in Sweden in 1942 while she was stuck in war-torn Helsinki. The business of Moomin, with all the appearances and correspondence, is getting messy.

Writing a farewell

On occasion Tove Jansson says that she thinks Moomin-mania is slowing down, but it never really does. It eventually totals as nine chapter books, three picture books and so many collaborations, translations and business opportunities that a final farewell seems impossible.

The last Moomin chapter book Moominvalley in November is a sort of full stop. When Tove Jansson has finished writing the manuscript and is about to start illustrating, Ham dies. It is summer and her illustration work keeps her going. For a while she does nothing but sit huddled over the work table at Klovharun. She produces 83 pictures and notes: “I have a feeling that I have been worried about Ham all my life”.

Moominvalley in November is dedicated to Lars. He requests that the story be cheerier, but she chooses to keep much of the palpable sadness and sense of time passing. The melancholy wrapped around Moominvalley is reflected in the book’s reception. It is indeed possible to write a farewell.

“Snufkin stood outside his tent and knew that it was time to break camp, he was ready to be off. The valley would soon be cut off .” Moominvalley in November

Sources and rights

Text

Hanna Ylöstalo

Sources

Jansson, Tove. Moomintroll and the End of the World (3.10.1947–2.4.1948) in Ny Tid. Part of Jorden går under! Tove Janssons första muminserie i Ny Tid 1947–48 (2007). (The basic philosophy of Moominvalley)

Jansson, Tove & Jansson, Lars. Comet in Moominvalley, text Lars Jansson and illustration Tove Jansson (1958). (The basic philosophy of Moominvalley)

Jansson, Tove. Moomin and the Golden Tail (1958). (Moomin becomes the toast of London)

Jansson, Tove. Moominvalley in November (1970).

Jansson, Tove. “Atos min vän”, in Astra Nova nr. 2/1996. Part of Jorden går under! Tove Janssons första muminserie i Ny Tid 1947–48 (2007). (The basic philosophy of Moominvalley)

Järvelä, Juha. Tove Janssonin Helsinki (2021). (The basic philosophy of Moominvalley)

Ringbom, Henrika.“Det var i Ny Tid serien började: MUMINTROLLET och jordens UNDERGÅNG. Vad tror du att det hände sen?”. Part of Jorden går under! Tove Janssons första muminserie i Ny Tid 1947–48. (Moomin becomes the toast of London)

Tolvanen, Juhani. Vid min svans! Tove och Lars Janssons tecknade muminserie (2000). (Moomin becomes the toast of London)

Westin, Boel. Tove Jansson. Life, Art, Words (2014), translated into English by Silvester Mazzarella. (Moomin becomes the toast of London: p. 281–292, p. 334. Moomin products and productivity: p. 292–298 and the quote ”Say, about 5 to 6 inches…”, written 29.5.1966.)

Eds. Westin, Boel & Svensson Helen. Letters from Tove (2019), translated into English by Sarah Death. (The basic philosophy of Moominvalley: chapter on Atos Wirtanen. Quote from letter 4.1.1948. Moomin becomes the toast of London: letter to Tuulikki Pietilä July 1956 and letter to Maya Vanni 11.7.1959. Moomin products and productivity: letter to Tuulikki Pietilä 25.3.1957.)

Kuvaoikeudet

01  Moomin Characters archives

02–06 © Moomin Characters ™

07-08 Moomin Characters archives

09-13 © Moomin Characters ™

14-15 Moomin Characters archives

16 © Moomin Characters ™

17-18 Moomin Characters archives

19 © Reino Loppinen

20-22 © Moomin Characters ™


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Life in an artist’s studio

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The artist who composes her life

Tove Jansson author

The attuned author

Tove Jansson Little Toffle

Once there was a little toffle

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An island for the free and lonely

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The joyous labour

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