Tove Jansson

Tove Marika Jansson (August 9, 1914 – June 27, 2001) was a Finnish novelist, painter, illustrator and comic strip author. She is the author of, among other works, the world-famous Moomin books.

Life and Family

Tove Jansson was born and died in Helsinki, Finland, and was the daughter of the sculptor Viktor Jansson and the illustrator Signe Hammarsten-Jansson. Her brothers were also artists in different fields: Per Olof Jansson was a photographer, Lars Jansson an author and comic strip artist. A Finnish citizen whose mother tongue was Swedish, she was part of the Finland-Swedish minority. Because of this, all of her books were originally written in Swedish.

Related Topics:
Helsinki - Finland - Viktor Jansson - Signe Hammarsten-Jansson - Mother tongue - Swedish - Finland-Swedish

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The sea was Tove Jansson's greatest inspiration. When she was a child, her family lived in summer in the islands of the Gulf of Finland. Later in life, she had her atelier in Helsinki, but lived much of her life on a small island called Klovharu near the town of Porvoo. Tove Jansson lived with her partner, the graphic artist Tuulikki Pietilä.

Related Topics:
Gulf of Finland - Porvoo - Tuulikki Pietilä

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