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.

Painter and Illustrator

In addition to her own Moomin books Jansson illustrated other classics like J. R. R. Tolkien's The Hobbit and Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.

Related Topics:
J. R. R. Tolkien - The Hobbit - Lewis Carroll - Alice's Adventures in Wonderland

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The figure of Moomin appears first in Tove Jansson's political cartoons, where it is used as a signature character near the artist's name. This "Proto-Moomin" is thin and ugly with a long, narrow nose and devilish tail. Jansson has said that she had designed the Moomins in her youth: when she lost a philosophical quarrel about Immanuel Kant with her brother, she drew "the ugliest creature imaginable" on the wall of their WC and wrote under it "Kant". This Moomin later gained weight and got a more pleasant appearance, but in the first Moomin book Småtrollen och den stora översvämningen this Immanuel-Kant-Moomin is still perceptible. The name of the creature comes from Tove Jansson's uncle: when Tove studied in Stockholm and lived with her Swedish relations, her uncle tried to stop her pilfering food by telling her that a "Moomintroll" lived in the kitchen closet and breathed cold breath down people's necks.

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