My Favourite Author of All Time - by Rosalie Warren
I recently asked myself, as you do, who was my favourite
author of all time, for any age-group, any genre, fiction or non-fiction etc
etc etc… and, after about five seconds’ thought, decided that it had to be Tove
Jansson.
You’ve almost certainly heard of the Moomins and their
friends, but if you haven’t, please don’t bother reading any more of this but
go and find yourself one of the Moomin books instead. If you had the idea they
were only for children, please think again. These cute little creatures with
their rounded snouts and velvety skin are not only cuddly and appealing, they are savvy,
profound, liberated, inclusive and immensely comforting. They are perfect for a
dismal Sunday afternoon when you feel the need to cosy up in a warm place
(possibly behind a stove, in traditional Moomin fashion) and read away the troubles of a trying week. You
will, I promise, very soon feel enveloped in their kindness, their wit, their acceptance
and all their all-encompassing… I can only say moominimity. Try it!
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| My much-loved and well-battered copy |
I was introduced to the Moomins at the age of eleven by the
headmistress of my girls’ grammar school, who took our English class one day at
short notice and presumably did not have anything prepared. Instead of thinking up some boring
lesson, she read aloud from Finn Family Moomintroll and I was instantly
hooked (although I did hear it as ‘Moving Troll’, which puzzled our school librarian
when I later asked for the book). Once the librarian cottoned on, I began to read the
other books, which all came out in Puffin during the 1970s so that I was able
to buy them for myself. I still have most of my copies, including the hardback shown here, which contains my favourite story of all, ‘The Hemulen who
loved silence’. A Hemulen, for those who don’t know, looks a little like a
Moomin, though probably neither would be flattered by the comparison.
Hemulens tend to be collectors – scientifically-minded, very organised, a
little bossy and extremely noisy. So you can see that a Hemulen who loved
silence would not fit in well with his peers, and indeed this one didn’t. It's the
perfect story for introverts and all who would like to understand them.
There’s also a strange and rather frightening story of
the time Moominpappa sailed away to follow the mysterious Hattifatteners, who
never speak and spend their lives at sea in little boats, travelling in
odd numbers as they search for thunderstorms. Only when lightning strikes do
they truly come alive. Moominpappa was almost caught up in their lifestyle,
before coming to his senses and sailing hurriedly home for tea on the verandah.
If you’ve ever wanted just to sail away…
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| My pet Moomin on our kitchen floor |
I also love Moominsummer Madness, which tells the tale of
a flood where the Moomins drift out to sea and come across an abandoned
floating theatre, complete with lighting rigs, endless racks of costumes and
voluminous wigs. We meet a very shy young woman called Misabel, who has lank,
greasy hair and very little self-confidence, but who comes into her own dressed
up on the stage proclaiming someone else’s lines. She was me at fifteen, to a
T.
It’s interesting that many readers of the Moomins find
themselves identifying with one or more of the characters. At a recent
exhibition of Jansson’s work I discovered that Tove herself identified most
closely with Moomintroll and all his uncertainties. Too-Ticky (see below) was
based on Jansson’s life partner, Tuulikki Pietilä.
I’m not sure who I would be now. Not so much Misabel (better shampoo) – perhaps the quiet Hemulen, perhaps
Moomintroll or maybe Snufkin (again, see below).
My favourite of the books has to be Moominland Midwinter, where young Moomintroll wakes up one snowy day in early January
while the rest of his family are still hibernating. Unable to go back to sleep,
he wanders around this strange new world of snow and darkness (this is Finland,
so the sun has disappeared below the horizon for several weeks). His
loneliness, fear and sense of displacement are beautifully described – but then
he bumps into his adopted sister, Little My, who has no such worries and has
commandeered the family’s silver tea tray to be an excellent sledge. Moomintroll,
still unsure of himself, meets other friends, including the practical Too-Ticky, The Squirrel with the Marvellous Tail, and The Ancestor, a very shy and hairy
version of Moomin himself. By the time the sun noses its way above the horizon
for the first time he is feeling much more settled, though he is somewhat
alarmed when it dips back down after a few seconds.
I can’t possibly convey the wistful, magical, mournful yet hopeful atmosphere of this book (it also
has a noisy Hemulen, by the way, if you like such things). It spoke to me back then of all kinds of
important matters, and it continues to do so to this day.
Before I move on to the creator of these wonders, I have to
mention Snufkin – the wanderer – with whom I am still in love. Nuff said.
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| Two of my Moomin mugs, featuring The Groke, who constantly seeks warmth and light, only to extinguish fires by sitting on them, and the Snork Maiden, whom Moomintroll adores. |
Tove Jansson was born in Finland in 1914 to a family of
artists, illustrators and sculptors. Over her long lifetime she wrote and illustrated children’s
books, created satirical cartoons for newspapers and magazines, and was a well-respected
artist who painted self-portraits, portraits of family and friends, and many
whimsical and fantasy scenes. She had strong political views, some
of which were woven gently into her
writing as well as inspiring her more overtly satirical cartoons, which featured during WW2 on the cover of the Swedish anti-Fascist magazine Garm.
Jansson’s adult fiction, including her collections of short
stories, The Summer Book and A Winter Book are wonderful, too. She spent
most of her summers with her partner Tuulikki on a small, lonely island which was clearly the
inspiration for many of the Moomin stories.
The exhibition I went to was at Dulwich Picture Gallery.
Unfortunately it has now finished, but at the time of writing you can see some
of Jansson's artwork on the web page: https://www.dulwichpicturegallery.org.uk/whats-on/exhibitions/2017/october/tove-jansson/
(I hope it’s still there by the time this post goes out). It was interesting to
see so much of Jansson’s art, including her illustrations for classics
such as Alice in Wonderland and The Hobbit. (Her interpretation of
the hobbits was very appealing and utterly different from the way they are
portrayed in the recent films. If you’re familiar with her character The Whomper – there are
similarities).
I could talk about Tove and her characters forever, but had
better stop. Let me just show you my Moomin pillowcase, a much-loved gift from my daughter…
Sleep well!
Ros
All illustrations © Tove Jansson
Follow
me on Twitter @Ros_Warren
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