Coming very soon: #MoominWeek!

Moomin Week @ LiteraryPotpourri and @ Calmgrove.

Did you know that today officially marks the seventh Moomin’s Day? But why today? Here’s why: born 110 years ago on 9th August 1914 in Finland’s capital, Helsinki, Tove Jansson is now recognised as a fine author of adult fiction, a prolific painter, cartoonist … and of course as the creator of the Moomins!

This August (and every August, if course) is therefore a perfect time to focus on her life and contributions, which I shall be doing as part of Paula‘s #ToveTrove reading meme on BookJotter.com here on this post.

And later in August Mallika of Literary Potpourri and I will be hosting a one-off #MoominWeek to mark Paula’s forthcoming marriage to her long-term partner, as originally announced here. Will you be joining us?

Tove Jansson’s self-portrait with some of her creations.

Now, who are the Moomins and how did they come about? This link gives the official history of the small trolls who, with their wide circle of friends, soon found their way in the hearts of devoted fans.¹

A deeper delve into their origins can be found in ‘Tove Jansson and the Questioning of the Moomins’ by Stephanie Sauer.²

A selection of Moomin titles in English.

The nine canonic novels in the Mumintrollen series were published as follows (links are to my reviews so far):

• The Moomins and the Great Flood (1945).
• Comet in Moominland (1946): reviewed.
• Finn Family Moomintroll (1948): reviewed.
• The Exploits of Moominpappa (1950): reviewed.
• Moominsummer Madness (1954): reviewed.
• Moominland Midwinter (1957): review imminent.
• Tales from Moominvalley (1962): review imminent.
• Moominpappa at Sea (1965).
• Moominvalley in November (1970): reviewed.

In addition there are the strip cartoons Jansson wrote that were serialised around the world from 1954 to 1974 (the later strips drawn by Tove’s brother Lars), and also picture books and other spin-offs in theatre, animated series and theme parks.

But though she also saw herself as a serious artist and a writer of novels and short stories it’s for the whimsical and at times melancholy moods of the Moomin narratives that she’s best known.

Tove Jansson.

During Moomin Week co-host Mallika and I invite you to read or otherwise immerse yourself in Moomin matters and to post on social media about the Moomins.

They can be reviews, personal reactions or memories; don’t forget to tag them with #MoominWeek and with Paula’s #ToveTrove so they can be shared more widely.

#ToveTrove: Reading Tove Jansson. https://bookjotter.com/2019/07/29/tove-trove-reading-the-books-of-tove-jansson/.

Not fallen for the curious creatures and their wondrous world yet? Now is the perfect time to explore them and Moominland – with a little over a fortnight before Moomin Week starts!

And of course today is also – ta-dah! – #BookLoversDay — so time to get reading! ³

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¹ https://www.moomin.com/en/history/

² ‘Tove Jansson and the Questioning of the Moomins’ by Stephanie Sauer: https://www.asymptotejournal.com/special-feature/stephanie-sauer-on-tove-jansson/

³ August is also Women In Translation Month, or #WITMonth, and so a chance to bag several memes with one author!

Tove Jansson self-portrait (‘Girl’s Head’): Tovejansson.com.