Tove Marika Jansson (; 9 August 1914 – 27 June 2001) was a

Swedish-speaking Finn The Swedish-speaking population of Finland (whose members are called by many names; fi, suomenruotsalainen) can be used as an attribute., group=Note—see below; sv, finlandssvenskar; fi, suomenruotsalaiset) is a linguistic minority in Finl ...

ish author, novelist, painter,

illustrator An illustrator is an artist who specializes in enhancing writing or elucidating concepts by providing a visual representation that corresponds to the content of the associated text or idea. The illustration may be intended to clarify complicat ...

and

comic strip A comic strip is a sequence of drawings, often cartoons, arranged in interrelated panels to display brief humor or form a narrative, often serialized, with text in balloons and captions. Traditionally, throughout the 20th and into the 21st ...

author. Brought up by artistic parents, Jansson studied art from 1930 to 1938 in

Stockholm Stockholm () is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, largest city of Sweden as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people liv ...

Helsinki Helsinki ( or ; ; sv, Helsingfors, ) is the Capital city, capital, primate city, primate, and List of cities and towns in Finland, most populous city of Finland. Located on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, it is the seat of the region of U ...

and

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

. Her first solo art exhibition was in 1943. At the same time, she was writing short stories and articles for publication, as well as creating the graphics for book covers and other purposes. She continued to work as an artist and a writer for the rest of her life. Jansson wrote the ''

Moomin The Moomins ( sv, Mumintroll) are the central characters in a series of novels, short stories, and a comic strip by Finnish writer and illustrator Tove Jansson, originally published in Swedish by Schildts in Finland. They are a family of white ...

'' books for children, starting in 1945 with '' The Moomins and the Great Flood''. The next two books, ''

Comet in Moominland ''Comet in Moominland'' (Swedish: ''Kometjakten'' / ''Mumintrollet på kometjakt'' / ''Kometen kommer'') is the second in Finnish author Tove Jansson's series of Moomin books. Published in 1946, it marks the first appearance of several main cha ...

'' and ''

Finn Family Moomintroll ''Finn Family Moomintroll'' (original Swedish title ''Trollkarlens hatt'', ‘The Magician's Hat’; US edition ''The Happy Moomins'') is the third in the series of Tove Jansson's Moomins books, published in Swedish in 1948 and translated to Eng ...

'', published in 1946 and 1948 respectively, were highly successful in sales, adding to sales of the first book. For her work as a children's writer she received the

Hans Christian Andersen Medal The Hans Christian Andersen Awards are two literary awards given by the International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY), recognising one living author and one living illustrator for their "lasting contribution to children's literature". Th ...

in 1966. The Moomins also spun off to a

, initially created by Jansson herself, and in 2016 Jansson was included in

The Will Eisner Award Hall of Fame The following is a list of winners of the Eisner Award, sorted by category. The Eisner Awards have been presented since 1988, but there were no Eisner Awards in 1990 due to balloting mix-ups."Eisners Cancelled," ''The Comics Journal'' #137 (Sept. ...

. Starting with the semi-autobiographical (''Sculptor's Daughter'') in 1968, Jansson wrote six novels, including the admired ('' The Summer Book''), and five books of short stories for adults.

Early life

Tove Jansson was born in

, in the

Grand Duchy of Finland The Grand Duchy of Finland ( fi, Suomen suuriruhtinaskunta; sv, Storfurstendömet Finland; russian: Великое княжество Финляндское, , all of which literally translate as Grand Principality of Finland) was the predecessor ...

, a part of the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War. ...

at the time. Her family, part of the Swedish-speaking minority of

Finland Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...

, was an artistic one: her father,

Viktor Jansson Viktor Bernhard "Faffan" Jansson (1 March 1886 in Helsinki – 22 June 1958 in Helsinki) was a Finnish sculptor belonging to the Swedish-speaking minority of Finland. Early life Jansson was born in Helsinki in 1886 to Julius Viktor Jansson a ...

, was a sculptor, and her mother,

Signe Hammarsten-Jansson Signe "Ham" Hammarsten-Jansson (née Hammarsten, 1 June 1882 Hannäs, – 6 July 1970) was a Swedish-Finnish graphic artist who designed, among other things, around 220 Finnish postage stamps during the course of three decades.''Suomen postimerkk ...

, was a Swedish-born

graphic designer A graphic designer is a professional within the graphic design and graphic arts industry who assembles together images, typography, or motion graphics to create a piece of design. A graphic designer creates the graphics primarily for published, ...

and illustrator. Tove's siblings also became artists:

Per Olov Jansson Per Olov Jansson (22 April 1920 – 7 February 2019) was a Finnish photographer.''Valolla piirtäjä - 60 vuotta valokuvaajana''. 2006. Early life He is the son of artists Viktor Jansson and Swedish-born Signe Hammarsten-Jansson, and the broth ...

became a photographer and Lars Jansson an author and cartoonist. Whilst their home was in

, the family spent many of their summers in a rented cottage on an island near

Porvoo Porvoo (; sv, Borgå ; la, Borgoa) is a city and a municipality in the Uusimaa region of Finland, situated on the southern coast about east of the city border of Helsinki and about from the city centre. Porvoo was one of the six medieval to ...

, east of Helsinki; among other things, the Söderskär Lighthouse island off Porvoo in the

Gulf of Finland The Gulf of Finland ( fi, Suomenlahti; et, Soome laht; rus, Фи́нский зали́в, r=Finskiy zaliv, p=ˈfʲinskʲɪj zɐˈlʲif; sv, Finska viken) is the easternmost arm of the Baltic Sea. It extends between Finland to the north and E ...

served as an important source of inspiration for her later literature (see '' Moominpappa at Sea''). Jansson went to in

and then studied at

University College of Arts, Crafts and Design Konstfack, or University of Arts, Crafts and Design, is a university college for higher education in the area of art, crafts and design in Stockholm, Sweden. History Konstfack has had several different names since it was founded in 1844 by the ...

, in Stockholm in 1930–1933, the Graphic School of the Finnish Academy of Fine Arts in 1933–1937, and finally at and in Paris in 1938. She displayed a number of artworks in exhibitions during the 1930s and early 1940s, and her first solo exhibition was held in 1943. At age 14, Jansson wrote and illustrated her first picture book (''Sara and Pelle and Neptune's Children''). It was not published until 1933. She also sold drawings that were published in magazines in the 1920s. During the 1930s Jansson made several trips to other European countries. She drew from these for her short stories and articles, which she also illustrated, and which were also published in magazines, periodicals and daily papers. During this period, Jansson also designed many book covers, adverts and postcards. Following her mother's example, she drew illustrations for ', an

anti-fascist Anti-fascism is a political movement in opposition to fascist ideologies, groups and individuals. Beginning in European countries in the 1920s, it was at its most significant shortly before and during World War II, where the Axis powers were ...

Finnish-Swedish

satirical magazine This is a list of satirical magazines which have a satirical bent, and which may consist of fake news stories for mainly humorous purposes. List See also * List of satirists and satires * List of satirical news websites * List of satir ...

Tuulikki Pietilä Tove Jansson and Signe Hammarsten-Jansson 1956

She was briefly engaged in the 1940s to Atos Wirtanen. During her later studies, Jansson met her future

partner Partner, Partners, The Partner, or, The Partners may refer to: Books * ''The Partner'' (Grisham novel), by John Grisham, 1997 * ''The Partner'' (Jenaro Prieto novel), 1928 * ''The Partners'' (book), a 1983 book by James B. Stewart * ''Partner'' (m ...

Tuulikki Pietilä Ida Helmi Tuulikki Pietilä (18 February 1917 – 23 February 2009) was an American-born Finnish graphic artist and professor. Pietilä is considered one of Finland's most influential graphic artists, with her work being shown in multiple art exh ...

. The two women collaborated on many works and projects, including a model of the Moominhouse, in collaboration with Pentti Eistola. This is now exhibited at the Moomin museum in

Tampere Tampere ( , , ; sv, Tammerfors, ) is a city in the Pirkanmaa region, located in the western part of Finland. Tampere is the most populous inland city in the Nordic countries. It has a population of 244,029; the urban area has a population o ...

Work

Moomins

Jansson is principally known as the author of the Moomin books. Jansson created the

s, a family of

troll A troll is a being in Nordic folklore, including Norse mythology. In Old Norse sources, beings described as trolls dwell in isolated areas of rocks, mountains, or caves, live together in small family units, and are rarely helpful to human bei ...

s who are white, round and smooth in appearance, with large snouts that make them vaguely resemble

hippopotamus The hippopotamus ( ; : hippopotamuses or hippopotami; ''Hippopotamus amphibius''), also called the hippo, common hippopotamus, or river hippopotamus, is a large semiaquatic mammal native to sub-Saharan Africa. It is one of only two extan ...

es. The first Moomin book, '' The Moomins and the Great Flood'', was written in 1945. Although the primary characters are Moominmamma and Moomintroll, most of the principal characters of later stories were only introduced in the next book, so ''The Moomins and the Great Flood'' is frequently considered a forerunner to the main series. The book was not a success, but the next two installments in the Moomin series, ''

'' (1946) and ''

'' (1948), brought Jansson some fame. The original title of ''Finn Family Moomintroll'', , translates as ''The Magician's Hat''. The style of the Moomin books changed as time went by. The first books, written starting just after the Second World War, up to ''

Moominland Midwinter ''Moominland Midwinter'' (Swedish title ''Trollvinter'') is the sixth in the series of Tove Jansson's Moomins books, published in 1957. This book sees Jansson adopt a darker, more introspective tone compared to the earlier books that is continued ...

'' (1957), are adventure stories that include floods, comets and supernatural events. ''The Moomins and the Great Flood'' deals with Moominmamma and Moomintroll's flight through a dark and scary forest, where they encounter various dangers. In ''Comet in Moominland'', a comet nearly destroys the Moominvalley (some critics have considered this an allegory of

nuclear weapons A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions, either fission (fission bomb) or a combination of fission and fusion reactions (thermonuclear bomb), producing a nuclear explosion. Both bomb ...

). ''Finn Family Moomintroll'' deals with adventures brought on by the discovery of a magician's hat. ''

The Exploits of Moominpappa ''The Exploits of Moominpappa'', first published in 1950 and then considerably revised in 1968 under the title ''Moominpappa's Memoirs'', is the fourth book in the Moomin series by Tove Jansson. The story found in this book is mentioned in the ...

'' (1950) tells the story of Moominpappa's adventurous youth and cheerfully parodies the

genre Genre () is any form or type of communication in any mode (written, spoken, digital, artistic, etc.) with socially-agreed-upon conventions developed over time. In popular usage, it normally describes a category of literature, music, or other for ...

memoir A memoir (; , ) is any nonfiction narrative writing based in the author's personal memories. The assertions made in the work are thus understood to be factual. While memoir has historically been defined as a subcategory of biography or autobi ...

. Finally, ''

Moominsummer Madness ''Moominsummer Madness'' (Swedish title ''Farlig midsommar'', or "Dangerous Midsummer") is the fifth in the series of Tove Jansson's Moomins books, published in 1954. The major theme of the novel is theatre, described as an infuriating but ultim ...

'' (1955) pokes fun at the world of the theatre: the Moomins explore an empty theatre and perform Moominpappa's pompous

hexametric Hexameter is a metrical line of verses consisting of six feet (a "foot" here is the pulse, or major accent, of words in an English line of poetry; in Greek and Latin a "foot" is not an accent, but describes various combinations of syllables). It w ...

melodrama A modern melodrama is a dramatic work in which the plot, typically sensationalized and for a strong emotional appeal, takes precedence over detailed characterization. Melodramas typically concentrate on dialogue that is often bombastic or exces ...

. In addition to the Moomin novels and short stories, Tove Jansson also wrote and illustrated four original and popular picture books: ''

The Book about Moomin, Mymble and Little My ''The Book about Moomin, Mymble and Little My'' was the first Moomin picture book by Finnish people, Finnish author Tove Jansson, published in 1952 in Swedish language, Swedish. It is the first Moomin book to be adapted into an iPad app. Plot Moom ...

'' (1952), ''

Who will Comfort Toffle? ''Who Will Comfort Toffle?'' is the second picture book in the Moomin series by Tove Jansson. It was first published in 1960. It was first translated into English by Kingsley Hart. Plot The lonely Toffle leaves his home to look for friends, e ...

'' (1960), '' The Dangerous Journey'' (1977) and '' An Unwanted Guest'' (1980). As the Moomins' fame grew, two of the original novels, ''Comet in Moominland'' and ''The Exploits of Moominpappa'', were revised by Jansson and republished. Critics have interpreted various Moomin characters as being inspired by real people, especially members of the author's family, and Jansson spoke in interviews about the backgrounds of, and possible models for, her characters. Pietilä's personality inspired the character Too-Ticky in ''Moominland Midwinter'' and Moomintroll and

Little My Little My (original sv, Lilla My, literally: "Little Mu") is a character in the Moomin series of books by Tove Jansson. The character first appeared in the fourth book, The Exploits of Moominpappa (1950). She is a small, determined and fiercely ...

have been seen as psychological

self-portrait A self-portrait is a representation of an artist that is drawn, painted, photographed, or sculpted by that artist. Although self-portraits have been made since the earliest times, it is not until the Early Renaissance in the mid-15th century tha ...

s of the artist. Jansson referred to Moomintroll as her alter-ego. The Moomins, generally speaking, relate strongly to Jansson's own family – they were

bohemian Bohemian or Bohemians may refer to: *Anything of or relating to Bohemia Beer * National Bohemian, a brand brewed by Pabst * Bohemian, a brand of beer brewed by Molson Coors Culture and arts * Bohemianism, an unconventional lifestyle, origin ...

and lived close to nature. Jansson remained close to her mother until her mother's death in 1970; even after Tove had become an adult, the two often traveled together, and during her final years Signe also lived with Tove part-time. Moominpappa and Moominmamma are often seen as portraits of Jansson's parents.

Other writing

After ''Moominvalley in November'' Tove Jansson stopped writing about Moomins and started writing for adults. Jansson's first foray outside children's literature was ' (''Sculptor's Daughter''), a semi-autobiographical novel published in 1968. After that, she wrote five more novels, including ('' The Summer Book'') and five collections of short stories. ''The Summer Book'' is the best known of her adult fiction translated into English. It is a work of charm, subtlety and simplicity, describing the summer stay on an island of a young girl and her grandmother. The girl is modelled on her niece, Sophia Jansson; the girl's father on Sophia's father, Lars Jansson; and the grandmother on Tove's mother Signe.

Wartime satire in ''Garm'' magazine

Tove Jansson worked as an illustrator and cartoonist for the Swedish-language

'' Garm'' from the 1930s to 1953. One of her

political cartoon A political cartoon, a form of editorial cartoon, is a cartoon graphic with caricatures of public figures, expressing the artist's opinion. An artist who writes and draws such images is known as an editorial cartoonist. They typically combine ...

s achieved a brief international fame: she drew

Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Nazi Germany, Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his death in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the le ...

as a crying baby in diapers, surrounded by

Neville Chamberlain Arthur Neville Chamberlain (; 18 March 18699 November 1940) was a British politician of the Conservative Party who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from May 1937 to May 1940. He is best known for his foreign policy of appeasemen ...

and other great European leaders, who tried to calm the baby down by giving it slices of cake –

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...

Czechoslovakia , rue, Чеськословеньско, , yi, טשעכאסלאוואקיי, , common_name = Czechoslovakia , life_span = 1918–19391945–1992 , p1 = Austria-Hungary , image_p1 ...

, etc. In the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, during which Finland fought against the Soviet Union, part of the time cooperating with Nazi Germany, her cover illustrations for ''Garm'' lampooned both Hitler and

Joseph Stalin Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin (born Ioseb Besarionis dze Jughashvili; – 5 March 1953) was a Georgian revolutionary and Soviet political leader who led the Soviet Union from 1924 until his death in 1953. He held power as General Secreta ...

: in one, Stalin draws his sword from his impressively long

scabbard A scabbard is a sheath for holding a sword, knife, or other large blade. As well, rifles may be stored in a scabbard by horse riders. Military cavalry and cowboys had scabbards for their saddle ring carbine rifles and Lever action, lever-action ...

, only to find it absurdly short; in another, multiple Hitlers ransack a house, carrying away food and artworks. In ''

The Spectator ''The Spectator'' is a weekly British magazine on politics, culture, and current affairs. It was first published in July 1828, making it the oldest surviving weekly magazine in the world. It is owned by Frederick Barclay, who also owns ''The ...

''s view, Jansson made Hitler a preposterous little figure, self-important and comic.

Comic strip artist

Jansson also produced illustrations during this period for the Christmas magazines and ''Lucifer'' (just as her mother had earlier) as well as several smaller productions. Her earliest comic strips were created for productions including (, 1929), (', 1930), and (, 1933). The figure of the Moomintroll appeared first in Jansson's political cartoons, where it was used as a signature character near the artist's name. This "Proto-Moomin", then called Snork or Niisku, was thin and ugly, with a long, narrow nose and devilish tail. Jansson said that she had designed the Moomins in her youth: after she lost a philosophical quarrel about

Immanuel Kant Immanuel Kant (, , ; 22 April 1724 – 12 February 1804) was a German philosopher and one of the central Enlightenment thinkers. Born in Königsberg, Kant's comprehensive and systematic works in epistemology, metaphysics, ethics, and ...

with one of her brothers, she drew "the ugliest creature imaginable" on the wall of their outhouse and wrote under it "Kant". This Moomin later gained weight and a more pleasant appearance, but in the first Moomin book '' The Moomins and the Great Flood'' (originally ), the Immanuel-Kant-Moomin is still perceptible. The name ''Moomin'' comes from Tove Jansson's uncle,

Einar Hammarsten Einar Hammarsten (January 4, 1889 in Norrköping - February 16, 1968 in Solna) was a Swedish physician and professor of pharmacy and chemistry at the Karolinska Institute from 1928 to 1957. His area of research was the chemistry of the cell nucle ...

: when she was studying in

and living with her Swedish relatives, her uncle tried to stop her pilfering food by telling her that a "Moomintroll" lived in the kitchen closet and breathed cold air down people's necks. Tove Jansson 1956

In 1952, after ''Comet in Moominland'' and ''Finn Family Moomintroll'' had been translated into English, a British publisher asked if Tove Jansson would be interested in drawing comic strips about the Moomins. Jansson had already drawn a long Moomin comic adventure, (''Moomintroll and the End of the World''), based loosely on ''Comet in Moominland'', for the Swedish-language newspaper , and she accepted the offer. The comic strip ''Moomintroll'', started in 1954 in the London ''

Evening News Evening News may refer to: Television news *''CBS Evening News'', an American news broadcast *''ITV Evening News'', a UK news broadcast *'' JNN Evening News'', a Japanese news broadcast *''Evening News'', an alternate name for '' News Hour'' in so ...

''. Tove Jansson drew 21 long Moomin stories from 1954 to 1959, writing them at first by herself and then with her brother Lars Jansson. She eventually gave the strip up because the daily work of a comic artist did not leave her time to write books and paint, but Lars took over the strip and continued it until 1975. The series was published in book form in Swedish; books 1 to 6 have been published in English, ''Moomin: The Complete Tove Jansson Comic Strip''.

Painter and illustrator

Although she became known first and foremost as an author, Tove Jansson considered her careers as author and painter to be of equal importance. She painted her whole life, changing style from the classical

impressionism Impressionism was a 19th-century art movement characterized by relatively small, thin, yet visible brush strokes, open Composition (visual arts), composition, emphasis on accurate depiction of light in its changing qualities (often accentuating ...

of her youth to the highly abstract modernist style of her later years. Jansson displayed a number of artworks in exhibitions during the 1930s and early 1940s, and her first solo exhibition was held in 1943. Despite generally positive reviews, criticism induced Jansson to refine her style such that in her 1955 solo exhibition her style had become less overloaded in terms of detail and content. Between 1960 and 1970 Jansson held five more solo exhibitions. Jansson also created a series of commissioned murals and public works throughout her career, which may still be viewed in their original locations. These works of Jansson's included: * The canteen at the factory at , Helsinki (1945) * The Aurora Children's Hospital in Helsinki * The restaurant of

Helsinki City Hall Helsinki City Hall ( fi, Helsingin kaupungintalo, sv, Helsingfors stadshus) is a central administrative building of Helsinki, Finland. City Hall is located in the Kruununhaka district, overlooking Market Square, at address Pohjoisesplanadi 11–1 ...

– Transferred in 1974 to Helsinki Swedish-language Adult Education Centre "Workers' Institute" Arbis and in 2016 to a permanent Jansson exhibition at Helsinki Art Museum * The hotel at

Hamina Hamina (; sv, Fredrikshamn, , Sweden ) is a List of cities in Finland, town and a Municipalities of Finland, municipality of Finland. It is located approximately east of the country's capital Helsinki, in the Kymenlaakso Regions of Finland, reg ...

* The '' Wise and Foolish Virgins'' altarpiece in

Teuva Teuva ( sv, Östermark) is a municipality of Finland. It is located in the South Ostrobothnia region. The population of Teuva is () and the municipality covers an area of of which is inland water (). The population density is . The municipali ...

Church (1954) * A number of fairy-tale murals in schools and kindergartens including the kindergarten in

Pori ) , website www.pori.fi Pori (; sv, Björneborg ) is a city and municipality on the west coast of Finland. The city is located some from the Gulf of Bothnia, on the estuary of the Kokemäki River, west of Tampere, north of Turku and north-w ...

(1984) In addition to providing the illustrations for her own Moomin books, Jansson also illustrated Swedish translations of classics such as

J. R. R. Tolkien John Ronald Reuel Tolkien (, ; 3 January 1892 – 2 September 1973) was an English writer and philologist. He was the author of the high fantasy works ''The Hobbit'' and ''The Lord of the Rings''. From 1925 to 1945, Tolkien was the Rawlins ...

's ''

The Hobbit ''The Hobbit, or There and Back Again'' is a children's fantasy novel by English author J. R. R. Tolkien. It was published in 1937 to wide critical acclaim, being nominated for the Carnegie Medal and awarded a prize from the '' ...

'' and

Lewis Carroll Charles Lutwidge Dodgson (; 27 January 1832 – 14 January 1898), better known by his pen name Lewis Carroll, was an English author, poet and mathematician. His most notable works are ''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland'' (1865) and its sequel ...

's ''

The Hunting of the Snark ''The Hunting of the Snark'', subtitled ''An Agony in 8 Fits'', is a poem by the English writer Lewis Carroll. It is typically categorised as a nonsense poem. Written between 1874 and 1876, it borrows the setting, some creatures, and eight por ...

'' and ''

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland ''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland'' (commonly ''Alice in Wonderland'') is an 1865 English novel by Lewis Carroll. It details the story of a young girl named Alice (Alice's Adventures in Wonderland), Alice who falls through a rabbit hole into a ...

'' (some used later in Finnish translations as well). She also illustrated her late work, '' The Summer Book'' (1972).

Theatre

Several stage productions have been made from Jansson's Moomin series, including a number that Jansson herself was involved in. The earliest production was a 1949 theatrical version of ''Comet in Moominland'' performed at

Åbo Svenska Teater Åbo Svenska Teater ( fi, Turun ruotsalainen teatteri) is a Finland-Swedish theatre in the city of Turku in Finland and the oldest theatre in the country, founded in 1839. The building itself is also the oldest still functioning theatre house in F ...

. In the early 1950s, Jansson collaborated on Moomin-themed children's plays with

Vivica Bandler Vivica Aina Fanny Bandler (5 February 1917 – 30 July 2004) was a Finnish-Swedish theatre director and agronomist. She bought a theatre (''Lilla Teatern'') in Helsinki in 1955 and is credited for popularizing avant-garde Finnish theatre. She wa ...

. In 1952, Jansson designed stage settings and dresses for ''Pessi and Illusia'', a ballet by Ahti Sonninen () which was performed at the

Finnish National Opera The Finnish National Opera and Ballet ( fi, Suomen Kansallisooppera ja -baletti; sv, Finlands Nationalopera och -balett) is a Finnish opera company and ballet company based in Helsinki. It is headquartered in the Opera House on the coast of the T ...

. By 1958, Jansson began to become directly involved in theater as Lilla Teater produced (''Troll in the

wings A wing is a type of fin that produces lift while moving through air or some other fluid. Accordingly, wings have streamlined cross-sections that are subject to aerodynamic forces and act as airfoils. A wing's aerodynamic efficiency is expresse ...

''), a play with lyrics by Jansson and music composed by

Erna Tauro Erna Tauro, née Pergament (16 August 1916 Viipuri4 June 1993 Stockholm), was a Finnish-Swedish pianist and composer. Biography Erna Tauro was born in Viipuri, daughter of Isak Pergament and Rifka (née Rosenthal), and niece of composers Moses ...

. The production was a success, and later performances were held in Sweden and Norway. In 1974 the first Moomin opera was produced, with music composed by Ilkka Kuusisto.

Personal life

Jansson had several male lovers, including the political philosopher Atos Wirtanen, who was the inspiration for the Moomin character

Snufkin Snufkin (original Swedish: ''Snusmumrik ''en' or ''Mumrik ''en', Finnish: ''Nuuskamuikkunen'') is a character in the Moomin series of books authored by Swedish-speaking Finn Tove Jansson, appearing in six of the nine books; his first appearance ...

. However, she eventually "went over to the spook side" as she put it—a coded expression for

homosexuality Homosexuality is romantic attraction, sexual attraction, or sexual behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality is "an enduring pattern of emotional, romantic, and/or sexual attractions" to peop ...

—and developed a secret love affair with the married theater director

. In 1956 Jansson met her lifelong partner, – or "Tooti", as she was known. In Helsinki they lived separately, in neighbouring blocks, visiting each other privately through an attic passageway. In the 1960s, they built a house on a tiny uninhabited island in the

, from Helsinki, where they would escape for the summer months. Jansson's and Pietilä's travels and summers spent together on the Klovharu island in Pellinki have been captured on several hours of film, shot by Pietilä. Several documentaries have been made of this footage, the latest being (''Haru, the lonely island'') (1998) and (''Tove and Tooti in Europe'') (2004). It is speculated that the character Too-ticky, a wise human who wears a red striped shirt and carries a briefcase, was inspired by Pietilä. Jansson died on 27 June 2001 at the age of 86 from cancer and is buried with her parents and younger brother Lars, at the

Hietaniemi Cemetery The Hietaniemi cemetery ( fi, Hietaniemen hautausmaa, sv, Sandudds begravningsplats) is located mainly in the Lapinlahti quarter and partly in the Etu-Töölö district of Helsinki, the capital of Finland. It is the location for Finnish state ...

in Helsinki.

Family

* Viktor Jansson (born 1829) married Ida Maria Lemström (born 1842) ** Julius Viktor Jansson (1862–1892) married Johanna Theresia Karlsson (1864–1938) *** Viktor Bernhard Jansson (1886–1958) married Signe Hammarsten (1882–1970) **** Tove Marika Jansson (1914–2001), intimate partnership with Tuulikki "Tooti" Pietilä (1956–until death) ****

(1920–2019) **** Lars Jansson (1926–2000) ***** Vivica Sophia Jansson (born 1962) married ______ Zambra ****** James Zambra (born 1989) ****** Thomas Zambra (born 1992) *** Julius Edvard Jansson (born 1887) married Toini Maria Ilmonen

Cultural legacy

The biennial

Hans Christian Andersen Award The Hans Christian Andersen Awards are two literary awards given by the International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY), recognising one living author and one living illustrator for their "lasting contribution to children's literature". Th ...

conferred by the

International Board on Books for Young People The International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY) is an international non-profit organization committed to bringing books and children together. The headquarters of the IBBY are located in Basel, Switzerland. IBBY history In 1952, Jella Lepm ...

is the highest recognition available to a writer or illustrator of children's books. Jansson received the writing award in 1966. In 1968, Swedish public TV, SVT, made a documentary about Tove called ''Moomins and the Harbor'' (39 min.). Jansson's books, originally written in Swedish, have been translated into 45 languages. After the and books by

Mika Waltari Mika Toimi Waltari (; 19 September 1908 – 26 August 1979) was a Finnish writer, best known for his best-selling novel ''The Egyptian'' ( fi, Sinuhe egyptiläinen). He was extremely productive. Besides his novels he also wrote poetry, short stori ...

, they are the most widely translated works of

Finnish literature Finnish literature refers to literature written in Finland. During the European early Middle Ages, the earliest text in a Finnic language is the unique thirteenth-century Birch bark letter no. 292 from Novgorod. The text was written in Cyri ...

. The Moomin Museum in

displays much of Jansson's work on the Moomins. There is also a Moomin theme park named

Moomin World Moomin World ( fi, Muumimaailma, sv, Muminvärlden) is a theme park based on the Moomin books by Tove Jansson. It was designed by Dennis Livson, and located on the island of Kailo next to the old town of Naantali, in Southwest Finland. The blueb ...

in . Tove Jansson was selected as the main motif in the 2004 minting of a Finnish commemorative coin, the €10 Tove Jansson and Finnish Children's Culture commemorative coin. The obverse depicts a combination of Tove Jansson portrait with several objects: the skyline, an artist's palette, a crescent and a sailing boat. The reverse design features three Moomin characters. In 2014 she was again featured on a commemorative coin, minted at €10 and €20 values, being the only person other than the former Finnish president to be granted two such coins. She was also featured on a

€2 commemorative coin €2 commemorative coins are special euro coins minted and issued by member states of the eurozone since 2004 as legal tender in all eurozone member states. Only the national obverse sides of the coins differ; the common reverse sides do not. The ...

that entered general circulation in June 2014. Since 1988, Finland's Post has released several postage stamp sets and one

postal card Postal cards are postal stationery with an imprinted stamp or indicium signifying the prepayment of postage. They are sold by postal authorities. On January 26, 1869, Dr. Emanuel Herrmann of Austria described the advantages of a ''Correspon ...

with Moomin motifs. In 2014, Jansson herself was featured on a Finnish stamp set. In 2014 the City of Helsinki honored Jansson by renaming a park in as Tove Jansson's Park ( fi, Tove Janssonin puisto, sv, Tove Janssons park). The park is located near Jansson's childhood home. In March 2014, the Ateneum Art Museum opened a major centenary exhibition showcasing Jansson's works as an artist, an illustrator, a political caricaturist and the creator of the Moomins. The exhibition drew nearly 300,000 visitors in six months. After Helsinki the exhibition embarked on a tour in Japan to visit five Japanese museums. In 2012, the BBC broadcast a one-hour documentary on Jansson, ''Moominland Tales: The Life of Tove Jansson''. From October 2017 to January 2018, the

Dulwich Picture Gallery Dulwich Picture Gallery is an art gallery in Dulwich, South London, which opened to the public in 1817. It was designed by Regency architect Sir John Soane using an innovative and influential method of illumination. Dulwich is the oldest pub ...

held an exhibition of Jansson's paintings, illustrations, and cartoons. This was the first major retrospective exhibition of her work in the United Kingdom. With a new animated series, ''Moominvalley'' broadcast in 2019,

Rhianna Pratchett Rhianna Pratchett (born 30 December 1976) is an English video game writer and journalist. She has worked on '' Heavenly Sword'' (2007), ''Overlord'' (2007), '' Mirror's Edge'' (2008) and ''Tomb Raider'' (2013) and its follow up, '' Rise of the ...

wrote an article about the impact Tove Jansson had had on her father

Sir Terry Pratchett Sir Terence David John Pratchett (28 April 1948 – 12 March 2015) was an English humourist, satirist, and author of fantasy novels, especially comical works. He is best known for his ''Discworld'' series of 41 novels. Pratchett's first nove ...

; he called Jansson one of the greatest children's writers there has ever been and credited her writing as one of the reasons he became an author. A

biopic A biographical film or biopic () is a film that dramatizes the life of a non-fictional or historically-based person or people. Such films show the life of a historical person and the central character's real name is used. They differ from docudra ...

, titled ''

Tove Tove is a Scandinavian given name that derives from the Old Norse name Tófa. The name is usually given to girls but occasionally to boys. It is also an alternative English spelling of the Hebrew name more commonly spelled Tovah or Tova. Origins ...

'', directed by

Zaida Bergroth Zaida Bergroth (born 8 February 1977) is a Finnish film director best known for her 2020 film '' Tove''. Career Bergroth was born in Kivijärvi in 1977. She graduated from the Aalto University School of Arts, Design and Architecture in 2004. He ...

was released in October 2020.

Bibliography

The Moomin books

Novels

* (1945, '' The Moomins and the Great Flood'') * (1946, ''

'') * (1968; reworked edition of ''Comet in Moominland'') * (1948, ''

''; in some editions ''The Happy Moomins'') * (1950, ''

'') * (1968, ''The Memoirs of Moominpappa''; reworked edition of ''The Exploits of Moominpappa'') * (1954, ''

'') * (1957, ''

'') * (1965, '' Moominpappa at Sea'') * (1970, ''

Moominvalley in November ''Moominvalley in November'' (Swedish: ''Sent i november'', 'Late in November'; Finnish: ''Muumilaakson marraskuu'') is the ninth and final book in the Moomin series by Finnish author Tove Jansson, and was first published in her native Swedish in ...

'')

Short story collections

* (1962, ''

Tales from Moominvalley ''Tales from Moominvalley'' (, literally 'The Invisible Child and other stories') is the seventh book in the ''Moomins The Moomins ( sv, Mumintroll) are the central characters in a series of novels, short stories, and a comic strip by Finns, ...

'')

Picture books

* (1952, ''

'') * (1960, ''

Who Will Comfort Toffle? ''Who Will Comfort Toffle?'' is the second picture book in the Moomin series by Tove Jansson. It was first published in 1960. It was first translated into English by Kingsley Hart. Plot The lonely Toffle leaves his home to look for friends, e ...

'') * (1977, '' The Dangerous Journey'') * (1980, ''

Villain in the Moominhouse ''Skurken i Muminhuset'', or ''Villain in the Moominhouse'', is a picture book from 1980 by the Finnish author Tove Jansson. The final Moomin story written by Jansson, the story revolves around a mysterious nocturnal visitor to the Moominhouse, ...

'') * (1993, ''Songs From Moominvalley''; songbook. With Lars Jansson and Erna Tauro)

Comic strips

* , Books 1–7 (1977–1981, ''

''; Books 3–7 with Lars Jansson) (Books 1–6 released in English).

Other books

Novels

* (1972, '' The Summer Book'') * (1974, '' Sun City'') * (1982, '' The True Deceiver'') * (1984, ''The Field of Stones'') * (1989, ''

Fair Play Fair play or Fairplay usually refers to sportsmanship. Fair play or Fairplay may also refer to: Media * ''Fair Play'' (1925 film), an American silent film * ''Fair Play'', a 1972 TV movie starring Paul Ford * ''Fair Play'' (2014 film), a Czech ...

'')

Short story collections

* (1968, '' Sculptor's Daughter'') (semi-autobiographical) * (1971, ''The Listener'') * (1978, ''Art in Nature'') * (1987, ''Travelling Light'') * (1991, ''Letters from Klara and Other Stories'') * (1998 compilation, ''Messages. Selected stories 1971–1997'') * '' A Winter Book'' (2006 compilation)

Miscellaneous

* (under the pseudonym of Vera Haij, 1933, ''Sara and Pelle and the Octopuses of the Water Sprite'') * (1993, ''Notes from an Island''; autobiography; illustrated by

) * (2019) (personal letters written by Tove, edited by Boel Westin and Helen Svensson)

Awards

(gold medal, 1966) * Award for State Literature (1963, 1971 and 1982) *

Swedish Academy Finland Prize The Finland Prize ( sv, Finlandspriset) is a literary award presented annually by the Swedish Academy since 1966. It is awarded to somebody that has done important activities for the Swedish language, Swedish-speaking culture in Finland. The amount ...

(1972) *

Order of the Smile The Order of the Smile (Polish: ''Order Uśmiechu'') is an international award given by children to adults distinguished in their love, care and aid for children. History The idea of the Order of the Smile was established in 1968 by the Polis ...

(1975) *

Pro Finlandia The Order of the Lion of Finland ( fi, Suomen Leijonan ritarikunta; sv, Finlands Lejons orden) is one of three official orders in Finland, along with the Order of the Cross of Liberty and the Order of the White Rose of Finland. The President o ...

Medal (1976) * Swedish Culture Foundation Honorary Award (1983) * The Finnish Cultural Award (1990) *

Selma Lagerlöf Prize The Selma Lagerlöf Prize is a Swedish literary prize awarded to an author writing in the spirit of Selma Lagerlöf who was the first woman to win the Nobel Prize in Literature. The prize was founded by the Sunne Municipality in 1983 and has been ...

(1992) * The Finland Art Prize (1993) * (1994) * The

Swedish Academy The Swedish Academy ( sv, Svenska Akademien), founded in 1786 by King Gustav III of Sweden, Gustav III, is one of the Swedish Royal Academies, Royal Academies of Sweden. Its 18 members, who are elected for life, comprise the highest Swedish lang ...

Award (1994) *

The American-Scandinavian Foundation The American-Scandinavian Foundation (ASF) is an American non-profit foundation dedicated to promoting international understanding through educational and cultural exchange between the United States and Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Swede ...

Honorary Cultural Award (1996) * WSOY Literary Foundation Award (1999) *

Notes

References

External links

Tove Jansson
at www.moomin.com

at

Schildts Schildts Förlags Ab was a Swedish-language book publisher in Finland. The publisher published textbooks as well as fiction and non-fiction. The head office was in Helsinki and there was a branch located in Vaasa. The publisher was owned by Svens ...

Tove Jansson and the altarpiece "Ten Virgins"

Tove Jansson
at WSOY
thisisFINLAND: People – Tove Jansson
writer, painter and illustrator
The Moomin Trove
Comprehensive lists of Tove Jansson's Moomin books
Tove Jansson and The Moomin Trove
by Finland Travel Club
''Moominland Tales: The Life of Tove Jansson'' (BBC)
by Eleanor Yule * *
Jansson, Tove (1914 - 2001)
at National Biographies of Finland * {{DEFAULTSORT:Jansson, Tove 1914 births 2001 deaths Writers from Helsinki People from Uusimaa Province (Grand Duchy of Finland) Finnish writers in Swedish Writers from Uusimaa Finnish comic strip cartoonists Finnish cartoonists Finnish children's writers Finnish comics artists Finnish fantasy writers Finnish women illustrators Finnish women short story writers Finnish short story writers Finnish women novelists Finnish people of Swedish descent Konstfack alumni Bisexual writers Bisexual artists LGBT comics creators LGBT writers from Finland Moomins Tolkien artists Finnish female comics artists Female comics writers Writers who illustrated their own writing Hans Christian Andersen Award for Writing winners Selma Lagerlöf Prize winners Finnish children's book illustrators Women science fiction and fantasy writers Finnish women children's writers Swedish-speaking Finns 20th-century Finnish novelists 20th-century Finnish women writers 20th-century Finnish women artists Artists from Helsinki 20th-century short story writers Burials at Hietaniemi Cemetery Finnish painters Modern painters Deaths from cancer in Finland LGBT artists from Finland LGBT people from Finland