Tove Jansson

'Beautifully crafted and deceptively simple-seeming, these stories are like pieces of scattered light.' Ali SmithFollowing the widely acclaimed and bestselling The Summer Book, here is A Winter Book collection of some of Tove Jansson's best loved and most famous stories. Drawn from youth and older age, and spanning most of the twentieth century, this newly translated selection provides a thrilling showcase of the great Finnish writer's prose, scattered with insights and home truths. It has been selected and is introduced by Ali Smith. A Winter Book features 13 stories from Tove Jansson's first book for adults, The Sculptor's Daughter (1968) plus seven of her most cherished later stories (from 1971 to 1996), translated into English and published here for the first time.

When Moomintroll learns that a comet will be passing by, he and his friend Sniff travel to the Observatory on the Lonely Mountains to consult the Professors. Along the way, they have many adventures, but the greatest adventure of all awaits them when they learn that the comet is headed straight for their beloved Moominvalley.

It is spring in the valley and the Moomins are ready for adventure! Moomintroll and his friends Snufkin and Sniff find the Hobgoblin's top hat, all shiny and new and just waiting to be taken home. They soon realize that his is no ordinary hat; it can turn anything—or anyone—into something else! ### From Publishers Weekly The initial volume in the Moomintroll series of Finnish fantasy, which dates back more than 40 years, opens as three of the fabulous folk in the Moomin Valley find the Hobgoblin's top hat. Ages 7-10. Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc. ### Review “There is, in short, everything in the Moon books: giant comets and secret caves and tree houses and stilts and magic-carpet clouds and amusement parks run by despotic practical-joking kings and time machines and ski instructors.” – **Harper’s * * ** *“We need Moominland for its gentle pace, its sense of beauty and awe, and its spirit of friendliness and empathy—now more than ever.” –*** The Horn Book * * ***“These charming fantasies are propelled by a childlike curiosity and filled with quiet wisdom, appealing geniality, and a satisfying sense of self-discovery.” –** School Library Journal.com * * **“If you had no shame reading *Harry Potter* on the subway, there’s no need to hide Tove Jansson’s witty, whimsically illustrated Finnish series.” –**Daily Candy * * **“The Moomin books make for both splendid bedtime read-alouds and solitary savoring.”** – *Wall Street Journal* *** * *“It’s more than forty years since Jansson’s Moomintrolls first appeared. I found the writing and invention as appealing as ever. She has a thistledown touch.”— *The Washington Post Book World*** * *“The adventures of the easygoing Moomintrolls have all the crispness and tart surprise of a lingonberry, thanks to Jansson’s ineffably light touch, her uncanny sensitivity to universal childhood emotions, and her gift for terse, naturalistic dialogue.”— *Entertainment Weekly*** * *“A gentle, offbeat fantasy.”— *The Horn Book*** * *“A lost treasure now rediscovered . . . A surrealist masterpiece.”—Neil Gaiman** * *“Jansson was a genius of a very subtle kind. These simple stories resonate with profound and complex emotions that are like nothing else in literature for children or adults: intensely Nordic, and completely universal.”—Philip Pullman** * *“Tove Jansson is undoubtedly one of the greatest children’s writers there has ever been. She has the extraordinary gift of writing books that are very clearly for children, but can also be enjoyed when the child, like me, is over sixty and can still find new pleasures with the insights that come from adulthood.”—Sir Terry Pratchett** * *“Clever, gentle, witty, and completely engrossing.”—Jeff Smith, author of *Bone*** * *“It’s not just Tove Jansson’s wonderfully strange fairytale world that so appeals but also her beautiful line work and exquisite sense of design.”—Lauren Child** * *“[Tove Jansson] is a master.”— *The Times Literary Supplement* (London)** * *“The most original works for children to be published since the Pooh books, and possibly, since Alice.”— *Saturday Review*** * *“You will declare yourself a citizen of Moominvalley and call the stories your own—the Moomin world is that compelling.”— *Riverbank Review***

A Moomintroll is small and shy and fat, and has a Moominpappa and a Moominmamma. Moomins live in the forests of Finland. One day Moominpappa is feeling at a loss. He has no idea what to do with himself because it seems everything has already been done. So he takes his family off to start a new life in a lighthouse on a tiny, rocky island far out to sea. It's rather quiet and lonely at first, but as they begin to explore their unusual surroundings the Moomins discover some funny and surprising new things about themselves.

When a flood sweeps through the valley, the Moomins must find a new house. And with typical Moomin good luck, one just happens to be floating by. It looks normal enough, but there are curtains where one wall should be, strange rows of lights, and other odd amenities. Then Moomintroll and the Snork Maiden disappear, and the family realize that the house may hold the answers to more than they ever dreamed.

Fantasy, Childrens, Young Adult, Classics Now that autumn is turning into winter, a group of unlikely friends—including the Fillyjonk, the Hemulen, and Toft—are waiting in Moominvalley to see the Moomins, for winter doesn’t seem right without them. But the Moomins are not at home. So all the visitors settle down to await their return, and oddly enough find themselves warming up to their new life together. For Moominvalley is Moominvalley still, even without the Moomins in it. ### Review “There is, in short, everything in the Moon books: giant comets and secret caves and tree houses and stilts and magic-carpet clouds and amusement parks run by despotic practical-joking kings and time machines and ski instructors.” – **Harper’s * * ** *“We need Moominland for its gentle pace, its sense of beauty and awe, and its spirit of friendliness and empathy—now more than ever.” –*** The Horn Book * * ***“These charming fantasies are propelled by a childlike curiosity and filled with quiet wisdom, appealing geniality, and a satisfying sense of self-discovery.” –** School Library Journal.com * * **“If you had no shame reading *Harry Potter* on the subway, there’s no need to hide Tove Jansson’s witty, whimsically illustrated Finnish series.” –**Daily Candy * * **“The Moomin books make for both splendid bedtime read-alouds and solitary savoring.”** – *Wall Street Journal* *** * *“It’s more than forty years since Jansson’s Moomintrolls first appeared. I found the writing and invention as appealing as ever. She has a thistledown touch.”— *The Washington Post Book World*** * *“The adventures of the easygoing Moomintrolls have all the crispness and tart surprise of a lingonberry, thanks to Jansson’s ineffably light touch, her uncanny sensitivity to universal childhood emotions, and her gift for terse, naturalistic dialogue.”— *Entertainment Weekly*** * *“A gentle, offbeat fantasy.”— *The Horn Book*** * *“A lost treasure now rediscovered . . . A surrealist masterpiece.”—Neil Gaiman** * *“Jansson was a genius of a very subtle kind. These simple stories resonate with profound and complex emotions that are like nothing else in literature for children or adults: intensely Nordic, and completely universal.”—Philip Pullman** * *“Tove Jansson is undoubtedly one of the greatest children’s writers there has ever been. She has the extraordinary gift of writing books that are very clearly for children, but can also be enjoyed when the child, like me, is over sixty and can still find new pleasures with the insights that come from adulthood.”—Sir Terry Pratchett** * *“Clever, gentle, witty, and completely engrossing.”—Jeff Smith, author of *Bone*** * *“It’s not just Tove Jansson’s wonderfully strange fairytale world that so appeals but also her beautiful line work and exquisite sense of design.”—Lauren Child** * *“[Tove Jansson] is a master.”— *The Times Literary Supplement* (London)** * *“The most original works for children to be published since the Pooh books, and possibly, since Alice.”— *Saturday Review*** * *“You will declare yourself a citizen of Moominvalley and call the stories your own—the Moomin world is that compelling.”— *Riverbank Review***

<P>Tove Jansson, the Finnish winner of the 1966 Hans Christian Andersen Award, needs no introduction to English readers: her Moomin books have made her one of the best loved writers of children’s books.</P> <P>In this book for adults she writes about the enchantment of childhood, the magical world of delight and fear in which all children at some time find themselves and learn to come to terms with. Throughout the book the blend of fantasy and reality in this world is seen through the eyes of the sculptor’s daughter: the mysterious darkness behind her father’s sacks of plaster, the sounds of a balalaika party in his studio, the great storms that blow in from the sea, the illuminated iceberg and the stone that will make the whole family rich, are all part of the reality of the child’s experience of life. From these rich&nbsp;memories of her childhood, Tove Jansson creates a series of fascinating <I>vignettes</I></P><I>Sculptor’s Daughter </I>is truly a book that is ‘suitable for all ages’. With great&nbsp; delicacy she hints at the limits of the child’s understanding and allows the child herself to use her own native intelligence in finding explanations for her own experiences. <BR><BR>

Here are nine delightfully funny stories about the triumphs and tribulations of the citizens of Moominvalley. Readers will discover how the Moomin family save young Ninny from permanent invisibility, and what happens when Moomintroll catches the last dragon in the world. Some of the characters in these tales will be brand-new to Moomin fans, but there are lots of old friends to meet as well. ### Review “There is, in short, everything in the Moon books: giant comets and secret caves and tree houses and stilts and magic-carpet clouds and amusement parks run by despotic practical-joking kings and time machines and ski instructors.” – **Harper’s * * ** *“We need Moominland for its gentle pace, its sense of beauty and awe, and its spirit of friendliness and empathy—now more than ever.” –*** The Horn Book * * ***“These charming fantasies are propelled by a childlike curiosity and filled with quiet wisdom, appealing geniality, and a satisfying sense of self-discovery.” –** School Library Journal.com * * **“If you had no shame reading *Harry Potter* on the subway, there’s no need to hide Tove Jansson’s witty, whimsically illustrated Finnish series.” –**Daily Candy * * **“The Moomin books make for both splendid bedtime read-alouds and solitary savoring.”** – *Wall Street Journal* *** * *“It’s more than forty years since Jansson’s Moomintrolls first appeared. I found the writing and invention as appealing as ever. She has a thistledown touch.”— *The Washington Post Book World*** * *“The adventures of the easygoing Moomintrolls have all the crispness and tart surprise of a lingonberry, thanks to Jansson’s ineffably light touch, her uncanny sensitivity to universal childhood emotions, and her gift for terse, naturalistic dialogue.”— *Entertainment Weekly*** * *“A gentle, offbeat fantasy.”— *The Horn Book*** * *“A lost treasure now rediscovered . . . A surrealist masterpiece.”—Neil Gaiman** * *“Jansson was a genius of a very subtle kind. These simple stories resonate with profound and complex emotions that are like nothing else in literature for children or adults: intensely Nordic, and completely universal.”—Philip Pullman** * *“Tove Jansson is undoubtedly one of the greatest children’s writers there has ever been. She has the extraordinary gift of writing books that are very clearly for children, but can also be enjoyed when the child, like me, is over sixty and can still find new pleasures with the insights that come from adulthood.”—Sir Terry Pratchett** * *“Clever, gentle, witty, and completely engrossing.”—Jeff Smith, author of *Bone*** * *“It’s not just Tove Jansson’s wonderfully strange fairytale world that so appeals but also her beautiful line work and exquisite sense of design.”—Lauren Child** * *“[Tove Jansson] is a master.”— *The Times Literary Supplement* (London)** * *“The most original works for children to be published since the Pooh books, and possibly, since Alice.”— *Saturday Review*** * *“You will declare yourself a citizen of Moominvalley and call the stories your own—the Moomin world is that compelling.”— *Riverbank Review***

'I decided to run away. There simply wasn't anything else to do.' Here at last is Moominpappa's promised life story - from the days when he was abandoned in a newspaper parcel on the doorstep of a Moomin orphanage, to when he ran away to see the world and was lucky enough to meet Moominmamma.

Tove Jansson's classic, bestselling novelSoon to be a major motion picture starring Glenn Close'Distils the essence of summer' Robert Macfarlane'Magical, life-affirming' Elizabeth Gilbert The Worldwide Classic about a tiny island and larger love. An elderly artist and her six-year-old grand-daughter while away a summer together on a tiny island in the gulf of Finland. As the two learn to adjust to each other's fears, whims and yearnings, a fierce yet understated love emerges - one that encompasses not only the summer inhabitants but the very island itself. Written in a clear, unsentimental style, full of brusque humour, and wisdom, The Summer Book is a profoundly life-affirming story. Tove Jansson captured much of her own life and spirit in the book, which was her favourite of her adult novels. With a foreword by Esther Freud and an afterword by Sophia Jansson (on whom the child 'Sophia' is based) who returns to the island during the pandemic at the point of becoming a grandmother herself. Includes a 15pp epilogue by Tove's niece Sophia Jansson - the inspiration for 'Sophia' - on a personal and moving return to the island.'Eccentric, funny, wise, full of joys and small adventures. This is a book for life.' Esther Freud'Tove Jansson was a genius. This is a marvellous, beautiful, wise novel, which is also very funny.' Philip Pullman

A New York Review Books OriginalWinner of the Best Translated Book AwardDeception—the lies we tell ourselves and the lies we tell others—is the subject of this, Tove Jansson’s most unnerving and unpredictable novel. Here Jansson takes a darker look at the subjects that animate the best of her work, from her sensitive tale of island life, The Summer Book, to her famous Moomin stories: solitude and community, art and life, love and hate. Snow has been falling on the village all winter long. It covers windows and piles up in front of doors. The sun rises late and sets early, and even during the day there is little to do but trade tales. This year everybody’s talking about Katri Kling and Anna Aemelin. Katri is a yellow-eyed outcast who lives with her simpleminded brother and a dog she refuses to name. She has no use for the white lies that smooth social intercourse, and she can see straight to the core of any problem. Anna, an elderly children’s book illustrator, appears to be Katri’s opposite: a respected member of the village, if an aloof one. Anna lives in a large empty house, venturing out in the spring to paint exquisitely detailed forest scenes. But Anna has something Katri wants, and to get it Katri will take control of Anna’s life and livelihood. By the time spring arrives, the two women are caught in a conflict of ideals that threatens to strip them of their most cherished illusions.