Somehow a new Tove Jansson edition has come from Sort Of Books without me noticing (or them telling me, come to that!) – and I have now, of course, got it. It’s her memoir/short story collection The Sculptor’s Daughter – word of warning, many (most?) of these stories appeared in the very brilliant collection A Winter Book, but there are some that don’t seem to have been translated into English elsewhere.
It’s a beautiful edition – it doesn’t match the other Tove Jansson books Sort Of have published, with their blue covers, but it’s got a lovely feel and quality to it. News it, I am told, that more Jansson stories are going to be translated, and a biography will also appear. Lovely!
So, not a review, just a so-you-know. Something for a Christmas stocking?
and today's OED online word of the day is Moomin
Moomin, n. [‘ In the children's tales of Tove Jansson: a member of a race of small, shy, fat, hibernating creatures inhabiting the forests of Finland. Freq. attrib.’]
Pronunciation: Brit. /ˈmuːmɪn/, U.S. /ˈmum(ə)n/
Etymology: < Swedish Mumin- in Mumintroll (1945 in the short story Småtrollen och den Stora Överswämningen), coined by the Finnish writer Tove Jansson (1914–2001), writing in Swedish, and first translated into English by Elizabeth Portch in Finn Family Moomintroll; > Finnish muumi.
In the children's tales of Tove Jansson: a member of a race of small, shy, fat, hibernating creatures inhabiting the forests of Finland. Freq. attrib.
1950 E. Portch tr. T. Jansson Finn Family Moomintroll i. 14 One spring morning at four o'clock the first cuckoo arrived in the Valley of the Moomins
I read 'Art in Nature' last year and was very impressed – I hope to try more of her (adult) work some time soon :)
Oh what very good news – this has been difficult to obtain in English for ages. Hurra! I'll be keeping an Eye on Sort Of.
What a coincidence! A week ago I reviewed Tove Jansson's novel/collection of vignettes Fair Play on my blog. I knew the Moomins only from the cartoons which were shown on TV when I was a child … but I had no idea who was the author until I read the short biography introducing my copy of Fair Play. However, the vignettes written for adults are brilliant. If you'd like to read the review, you'll find it here http://edith-lagraziana.blogspot.com/2013/11/fair-play-by-tove-jansson.html.
Barnes and Noble do have four books in English and one in Dutch
I confess to never having read *any* Tove Jansson – though your enthusiasm rather makes me think I should…. ;)
I share your enthusiasm – a writer and an artist I cannot get enough of!
Oh! Oh! I missed this too! THANK you so much Simon!