Editing Tove Jansson (section)

== Work ==

=== Moomins ===

{{further|List of Moomin characters}}

[[File:Finn Family.png|thumb|upright|left|Cover of ''Finn Family Moomintroll'' (1948)]]

Jansson is principally known as the author of the Moomin books. Jansson created the [[Moomintroll]]s, a family who are white, round and smooth in appearance, with large snouts that make them vaguely resemble [[hippopotamus]]es. She first drew a deliberately ugly creature as a caricature of [[Immanuel Kant]], the philosopher; a kinder version became the Moomintroll.<ref name="Bosworth 2014"/> The first book, ''[[The Moomins and the Great Flood]]'', was published 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, ''[[Comet in Moominland]]'' (1946) and ''[[Finn Family Moomintroll]]'' (1948), brought Jansson some fame.{{efn|The original title of ''Finn Family Moomintroll'', {{lang|sv|Trollkarlens Hatt}}, which would more literally be ''The Magician's Hat'' in English.}}<ref name="Bosworth 2014">{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-26529309 |title=Tove Jansson: Love, war and the Moomins |last=Bosworth |first=Mark |publisher=[[BBC]] |date=13 March 2014 |accessdate=13 March 2014}}</ref>

The style of the Moomin books changed as time went by. The first books, written starting during the Second World War, up to ''[[Moominland Midwinter]]'' (1957), are adventure stories that include floods, comets and supernatural events.<ref name="Allardice 2019">{{Cite news |last=Allardice |first=Lisa |title='It is a religion': how the world went mad for Moomins |url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2019/apr/06/it-is-a-religion-how-the-world-went-mad-for-moomins |date=2019-04-06 |work=The Guardian |access-date=2019-04-07 |issn=0261-3077}}</ref> ''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]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Schoolfield |first=George C. |title=A history of Finland's literature |page=572 |publisher=[[University of Nebraska Press]] |date=1998 |isbn=978-0-8032-4189-3 }}</ref> ''Finn Family Moomintroll'' deals with adventures brought on by the discovery of a magician's hat.<ref name="Bosworth 2014"/> ''[[The Exploits of Moominpappa]]'' (1950) tells the story of Moominpappa's adventurous youth and cheerfully parodies the [[genre]] of [[memoir]].<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.moomin.com/en/blog/introduction-to-moomin-books-the-exploits-of-moominpappa-1950/#20ecff28 | title=Introduction to Moomin books: The Exploits of Moominpappa, 1950 | date=21 December 2015 }}</ref> Finally, ''[[Moominsummer Madness]]'' (''Farlig midsommar'', 1955) is set in a theatre: the Moomins explore the empty building and perform Moominpappa's [[melodrama]].<ref name="Detweiler 2010">{{cite web |last=Detweiler |first=Katelyn |title=Moominsummer Madness Re-read |url=https://www.tor.com/2010/04/22/moominsummer-madness/ |website=[[Tor.com]] |access-date=3 December 2023 |date=22 April 2010}}</ref> 

''[[Moominland Midwinter]]'' marks a turning point in the series. Jansson described it as a book about “what it is like when things get difficult”: the story focuses on Moomintroll, who wakes up in the middle of the winter (Moomins hibernate from November to April), and has to cope with the strange and unfriendly world he finds.<ref name="Guardian Books 7 May 2020">{{cite news |title=My favourite book as a kid ... Moominland Midwinter by Tove Jansson |url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/booksblog/2020/may/07/my-favourite-book-as-a-kid-moominland-midwinter-by-tove-jansson |newspaper=[[The Guardian]] |date=7 May 2020}}</ref><ref name="Guardian Books 6 April 2019">{{cite news |title='It is a religion': how the world went mad for Moomins |newspaper=[[The Guardian]] |url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2019/apr/06/it-is-a-religion-how-the-world-went-mad-for-moomins |date=6 April 2019}}</ref> The short story collection ''[[Tales from Moominvalley]]'' (1962) and the novels ''[[Moominpappa at Sea]]'' (1965) and ''[[Moominvalley in November]]'' (1970) are serious and psychologically searching books, far removed from the light-heartedness and cheerful humor of ''Finn Family Moomintroll''.<ref name="Guardian Books 6 April 2019"/> ''Moominvalley in November'', in which the Moomin family themselves never appear, is especially sombre in tone, possibly in consequence of the death of Jansson's mother during the year that it was written. Because of this, it has been described as being a "textbook on letting go, being a mature orphan, existing spiritually alone".<ref name="biografiakeskus"/> Following this book, Jansson stated that she "couldn't go back and find that happy Moominvalley again" and so decided to stop writing the Moomin books.<ref name=Burr>{{cite news |last=Burr |first=Ty |title=Moomin Struck - Tove Jansson: 1914-2001 |url=https://ew.com/article/2001/07/27/moomin-struck/ |newspaper=Entertainment Weekly |accessdate=25 November 2012 |date=27 July 2001 |archive-date=25 July 2015 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150725020417/https://ew.com/article/2001/07/27/moomin-struck/}}</ref>

In addition to the Moomin novels and short stories, Tove Jansson wrote and illustrated four  picture books: ''[[The Book about Moomin, Mymble and Little My]]'' (1952),<ref name="LOC 2014">{{cite web |last=Casper |first=Robert |url=https://blogs.loc.gov/catbird/2014/08/celebrating-tove-jansson/ |title=Celebrating Tove Jansson |publisher=Library of Congress |date=2014-08-11 |accessdate=2017-01-01}}</ref> ''[[Who will Comfort Toffle?]]'' (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{{efn|The first edition (1946) of ''Comet in Moominland'' echoed the threat to Finland of a Soviet takeover at that time. The 1956 and 1968 editions were edited as the threats changed. By 1968, that was nuclear war.<ref name="Markkanen 2016">{{cite journal |last=Markkanen |first=Tapio |title=Echoes of Cosmic Events and Global Politics in Moominvalley: Cosmic and Astronomical Sources of Incitement in Tove Jansson's Comet in Moominland |journal=Acta Baltica Historiae et Philosophiae Scientiarum |date=2016 |volume=4 |issue=1 |doi=10.11590/abhps.2016.1 |doi-access=free }}</ref>}} by Jansson and republished.<ref>{{cite book |last=Jansson |first=Tove |title=Mumintrollet på kometjakt |date=1956 |publisher=Sörlins förlag |location=[[Vadstena]] |edition=2nd |language=Swedish}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Jansson |first=Tove |title=Muminpappans memoarer |date=1956 |publisher=Geber |location=Stockholm |edition=2nd |language=Swedish}}</ref>

[[File:Tove Jansson 1956.jpg|thumb|Jansson in 1956 with Moomintroll dolls made by [[Atelier Fauni]] ]]
Critics have interpreted various Moomin characters as being inspired by real people, especially members of the author's family and close friends, and Jansson spoke in interviews about the backgrounds of, and possible models for, her characters.<ref name="biografiakeskus"/> The personality of Tuulikki Pietilä, Jansson's partner, inspired the character Too-Ticky in ''Moominland Midwinter'',<ref name="Liukkonen"/><ref name="biografiakeskus"/> while Moomintroll and [[Little My]] have been seen as psychological [[self-portrait]]s of the artist.<ref name="Liukkonen"/><ref name="biografiakeskus"/> <!--Jansson referred to Moomintroll as her alter-ego.(Karjalainen 2014, pn)--> The Moomins relate strongly to Jansson's own family – they were [[bohemianism|bohemian]] 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 lived with Tove part-time.<ref name="biografiakeskus"/> Moominpappa and Moominmamma are often seen as portraits of Jansson's parents.<ref name="Liukkonen"/><ref name="biografiakeskus"/>

=== Other writing ===
Jansson's first foray outside children's literature was ''[[Bildhuggarens dotter]]'' (''Sculptor's Daughter''), a semi-autobiographical novel published in 1968. She went on to write five more novels for adults, including {{lang|sv|Sommarboken}} (''[[The Summer Book]]'') and five collections of short stories. ''The Summer Book'' is the best known of her adult fiction; it describes 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.<ref name="Westin"/>

===Wartime satire in ''Garm'' magazine===

[[File:Tove Jansson cover of Garm magazine October 1944.jpg|thumb|upright|Cover of ''[[Garm (magazine)|Garm]]'' magazine, October 1944, lampooning [[Adolf Hitler]] as "self-important and comic"<ref name="McDonagh">{{cite journal |last1=McDonagh |first1=Melanie |date=18 November 2017 |title=A chance to see the Moomins' creator for the genius she really was: Tove Janssons<!--sic--> reviewed |url=https://www.spectator.co.uk/2017/11/a-chance-to-see-the-moomins-creator-for-the-genius-she-really-was-tove-janssons-reviewed/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180106082641/https://www.spectator.co.uk/2017/11/a-chance-to-see-the-moomins-creator-for-the-genius-she-really-was-tove-janssons-reviewed/ |archive-date=6 January 2018 |url-status=dead |journal=The Spectator |issue=November 2017}}</ref>]]

Tove Jansson worked as an illustrator and cartoonist for the Swedish-language<!--Ahola/Biografiakeskus says "During the war it strove to act as a mouthpiece for antifascist opinion"--> [[satirical magazine]] ''[[Garm (magazine)|Garm]]'' from 1929 to 1953, when the magazine ceased production.<ref>{{cite journal |author=Ant O'Neill |title=Moominvalley Fossils: Translating the Early Comics of Tove Jansson |journal=Bookbird: A Journal of International Children's Literature |date=2017 |volume=55 |issue=2 |page=52 |doi=10.1353/bkb.2017.0023 |s2cid=151535137 |issn=0006-7377 |url=https://muse.jhu.edu/article/656106/pdf}}</ref> One of her [[political cartoon]]s achieved a brief international fame: she drew [[Adolf Hitler]] as a crying baby in diapers, surrounded by [[Neville Chamberlain]] and other great European leaders, who tried to calm the baby down by giving it slices of cake – [[Anschluss|Austria]], [[General Government|Poland]], [[Czechoslovakia]], etc. In the [[Second World War]], during which [[Military history of Finland during World War II|Finland fought against the Soviet Union]], part of the time cooperating with Nazi Germany,<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/photo/2013/05/finland-in-world-war-ii/100519/ |title=Finland in World War II |last1=Taylor |first1=Alan |date=23 May 2013 |magazine=The Atlantic |access-date=5 January 2018}}</ref> her cover illustrations for ''Garm'' lampooned both Hitler and [[Joseph Stalin]]: in one, Stalin draws his sword from his impressively long [[scabbard]], only to find it absurdly short; in another, multiple Hitlers ransack a house, carrying away food and artworks. In ''[[The Spectator]]''{{'}}s view, Jansson made both "Hitler and Stalin appear as preposterous little figures, self-important and comic".<ref name="McDonagh"/>

=== Comic strip artist ===

{{See also|Moomin comic strips}}

<!--Jansson produced illustrations during this period for the Christmas magazines {{lang|sv|Julen}} and ''Lucifer'' (just as her mother had earlier) as well as several smaller productions.-->Her earliest comic strips were created for productions including {{lang|sv|Lunkentus}} ({{lang|sv|Prickinas och Fabians äventyr}}, 1929), {{lang|sv|Vårbrodd}} ({{lang|sv|Fotbollen som Flög till Himlen}}', 1930), and {{lang|sv|Allas Krönika}} ({{lang|sv|Palle och Göran gå till sjöss}}, 1933).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://lambiek.net/artists/j/jansson_t.htm |title=Comic creator: Tove Jansson |work=lambiek.net |access-date=18 November 2014 }}</ref>

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,<ref name="biografiakeskus" /> 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]] 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 {{lang|sv|Småtrollen och den stora översvämningen}}), the Immanuel-Kant-Moomin is still perceptible. The name ''Moomin'' comes from Tove Jansson's uncle, [[Einar Hammarsten]]: when she was studying in [[Stockholm]] 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.<ref name="biografiakeskus" />

In 1952, after ''Comet in Moominland'' and ''Finn Family Moomintroll'' had been translated into English, a British newspaper man, Charles Sutton, asked if Tove Jansson would be interested in drawing comic strips about the Moomins.<ref name="Prideaux 2014"/> Jansson<!-- had already drawn a long Moomin comic adventure, {{lang|sv|Mumintrollet och jordens undergång}} (''Moomintroll and the End of the World''), based loosely on ''Comet in Moominland'', for the Swedish-language newspaper {{lang|sv|[[Ny Tid (Finland)|Ny Tid]]}}, and she--> accepted the offer.<ref name="Prideaux 2014"/> The comic strip ''Moomintroll'' started <!--in 1954--> in the London ''[[Evening News (London)|Evening News]]'', which had a circulation of 12 million at that time, making it the world's largest daily newspaper.<ref name="Prideaux 2014"/> The strip spread to hundreds of other newspapers in 12 countries.<!--Tove Jansson drew 21 long Moomin stories from 1954 to 1959, writing them at first by herself and then with her brother Lars (Lasse) 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.--><ref name="Prideaux 2014"/>

=== Painter and illustrator ===

==== Paintings ====

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 throughout her life.<!-- changing style from the classical [[impressionism]] of her youth to the highly abstract modernist style of her later years--> She exhibited during the 1930s and early 1940s, holding her first solo exhibition in 1943. Despite generally positive reviews, criticism induced Jansson to refine her style; her 1955 solo exhibition was simpler in detail and content. Between 1960 and 1970 she held five more solo exhibitions.<ref name="biografiakeskus"/> The National Biography of Finland describes Jansson as going "against the conventional image of an artist with her unusually even balance between visual art and writing."<ref name="biografiakeskus"/>

==== Murals ====

Throughout her career, Jansson created a series of commissioned [[mural]]s and public works which may still be viewed in their original locations, including:

* The canteen at the {{lang|sv|[[Stromberg (company)|Strömberg]]|italic=no}} factory at {{lang|fi|[[Pitäjänmäki]]|italic=no}}, Helsinki (1945)<ref name="biografiakeskus"/>
* The Aurora Children's Hospital in Helsinki<ref name="Liukkonen"/>
* The {{lang|fi|Seurahuone|italic=no}} hotel at [[Hamina]]<ref name="biografiakeskus"/>
* The ''[[Parable of the Ten Virgins|Wise and Foolish Virgins]]'' altarpiece in [[Teuva]] Church (1954)<ref name="biografiakeskus"/>
* [[Fairy tale|Fairy-tale]] murals in schools, including the [[kindergarten]] in [[Pori]] (1984)<ref name="biografiakeskus"/>

==== Illustrations ====

{{further|Illustrating Tolkien}}

[[File:Tove_Jansson_Smaug_destroys_Lake-town.jpg|thumb|upright|Detail of Jansson's drawing of [[Smaug]] destroying [[Lake-town]], a scene from a 1962 edition of ''[[The Hobbit]]''. Her work helped to define how [[fantasy]] could be illustrated,<ref name="Sundmark 2020"/> but has been seen as unfashionably "expressive".<ref name="Sundmark 2014"/><ref name="BL 2021"/> ]]

As well as illustrating her own books, Jansson illustrated Swedish translations of classics such as [[Lewis Carroll]]'s ''[[The Hunting of the Snark]]'' and ''[[Alice's Adventures in Wonderland]]''.<ref name="BL 2021"/>

She created a set of illustrations for the 1962 Swedish edition of [[J. R. R. Tolkien]]'s 1937 children's book ''[[The Hobbit]]''.<ref name="BL 2021">{{cite web |title=Tove Jansson's illustrations for Carroll and Tolkien |url=https://blogs.bl.uk/european/2021/11/tove-janssons-illustrations-for-carroll-and-tolkien.html |website=[[British Library]]: European Studies Blog |date=8 November 2021}}</ref> The scholar of literature Björn Sundmark states that Jansson's work helped to define how Tolkien's [[Middle-earth]] fantasy could be depicted visually.<ref name="Sundmark 2020">{{cite book |last=Sundmark |first=Björn |title=Translating and Transmediating Children's Literature |chapter=The Translation and Visualization of Tolkien's The Hobbit into Swedish, the Aesthetics of Fantasy, and Tove Jansson’s Illustrations |publisher=[[Springer International Publishing]] |publication-place=Cham |year=2020 |isbn=978-3-030-52526-2 |doi=10.1007/978-3-030-52527-9_7 |pages=117–132|s2cid=226550272 }}</ref> The edition with her illustrations was not reprinted for many years,{{efn|It was eventually reprinted in 1994 in the same 24 cm format by Rabén Prisma, {{isbn|978-9-15182-727-8}}.}} even though reviewers and "Tolkienists" liked Jansson's "expressive"<ref name="Sundmark 2014"/> images. Sundmark suggests that the reason was that in the 1960s, a new, more realistic style became the norm for fantasy art.<ref name="Sundmark 2014">{{cite journal |last=Sundmark |first=Björn |title="En hobbit och ett mumintroll skulle kunna mötas i bästa sämja": Receptionen av Bilbo, en hobbits äventyr (1962) |language=Swedish |trans-title="A hobbit and a moomintroll would be able to meet in complete harmony": Reception of 'Bilbo, en hobbits äventyr' |journal=Barnboken |publisher=The Swedish Institute for Children's Books |volume=37 |year=2014 |issn=0347-772X |doi=10.14811/clr.v37i0.186|doi-access=free |hdl=2043/20341 |hdl-access=free }}</ref>

=== Adaptations ===

{{further|Moomins}}

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]].<ref name="biografiakeskus"/><ref name="Liukkonen"/> In the early 1950s, Jansson collaborated on Moomin-themed children's plays with [[Vivica Bandler]]. In 1952, Jansson designed stage settings and dresses for ''Pessi and Illusia'', a ballet by [[Ahti Sonninen]] ({{lang |sv |[[Radio tekee murron]]}}) which was performed at the [[Finnish National Opera]].<ref name="biografiakeskus"/> By 1958, Jansson began to become directly involved in theater as Lilla Teater produced {{lang |sv |Troll i kulisserna}} (''Troll in the [[Wings (theater) |wings]]''), a play with lyrics by Jansson and music composed by [[Erna Tauro]].<ref name="Liukkonen"/> The production was a success, despite the actors' difficulties speaking through their bulbous "Moominsnouts",<ref name="Prideaux 2014"/> and later performances were held in Sweden and Norway.<ref name="Liukkonen"/>

In 1974 the first Moomin opera was produced, with music composed by [[Ilkka Kuusisto]].<ref name="Liukkonen"/> The Moomintrolls have been adapted to media including television animations<ref name=biografiakeskus/> such as the [[Moomin (1990 TV series) |1990 Moomin series]],<ref>{{cite book |last1=Clements |first1=Jonathan |author-link1=Jonathan Clements |last2=McCarthy |first2=Helen |author-link2=Helen McCarthy |title=The Anime Encyclopedia: A Guide to Japanese Animation Since 1917 |url=https://archive.org/details/animeencyclopedi00clem_0 |url-access=limited |edition=Revised and Expanded |year=2006 |publisher=Stone Bridge Press |location=Berkeley, California |isbn=978-1933330105 |page=[https://archive.org/details/animeencyclopedi00clem_0/page/428 428]}}</ref> and feature films.<ref>{{cite news |title=The 58th BFI London Film Festival in partnership with American Express® announces full 2014 programme |url=https://www2.bfi.org.uk/news-opinion/news-bfi/announcements/58th-bfi-london-film-festival-partnership-american-express |access-date=8 September 2014 |date=4 September 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140908230932/http://www.bfi.org.uk/news-opinion/news-bfi/announcements/58th-bfi-london-film-festival-partnership-american-express |archive-date=8 September 2014}}</ref>