Saturday, May 1, 2010

Tove Jansson's Moomintrolls

For the fans of Tove Jansson's Moomintrolls--which are hidden gems in the United States, but more openly adored in other parts of the world--four of the books have recently been rereleased into hardcover editions, for the first time in several years, perhaps even since the original releases decades ago (although I didn't verify that so don't quote me).

I have a dear friend who adores the books herself and while the books have been more readily available in paperback through special order, hardcovers have been rare or costly if you want a sturdier edition of a beloved book.

Comet in Moominland (Moomintrolls)

Comet in Moominland (Moomintrolls)

Finn Family Moomintroll (Moomintrolls)

Finn Family Moomintroll (Moomintrolls)

Moominsummer Madness (Moomintrolls)

Moominsummer Madness (Moomintrolls)

Moominpappa's Memoirs (Moomintrolls)

Moominpappa's Memoirs (Moomintrolls)

TOVE JANSSON grew up in Helsinki, Finland. She is the author of nine novels set in Moominvalley, and has garnered numerous awards for her work, including the Selma Lagerlof Award and the Hans Christian Anderson Children's Book Medal. Her books, originally written in Swedish, have been translated into more than thirty languages. Jansson died in 2001 at the age of eighty-six.

So are you a Moomintroll fan?

Moominweek has been going on over at Tor.com--believe it or not I planned this post before I discovered that--so for lots more Moominmania, visit there.

4 comments:

  1. I love the moomins!!!!

    Really fun to see that you are writing about these books. They are highly valued among scandinavian children and grown ups:-)

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  2. Love them! The philosophy behind the simple words can be so honest that it hurts...

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  3. Tove Jansson is in the top three of my favourite writers for children! My whole family adores her books and every time I read them, I find something new. She makes me laugh and cry, and ponder upon those "simple" things that build our lives.There's so much wisdom, irony and sweet humour in her works!... I'm a puppet theatre director and I had the chance to put on stage three of her fairy-tales... It was such a pleasure!! Thank you for the information about the Moominweek!!!

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  4. They are indeed hidden in the US. The only reason I knew of their existence was the Dictionary of Imaginary Places, but that was sufficient to gratify a random Finn I met.

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