Tove Jansson

Biography

Tove Marika Jansson was a Swedish-speaking Finnish novelist, painter, illustrator and comic strip author. For her contribution as a children's writer she received the Hans Christian Andersen Medal in 1966. Brought up by artistic parents, Jansson studied art from 1930 to 1938 in Stockholm, Helsinki and then Paris. Her first solo art exhibition was in 1943. At the same time, she was writing short stories and articles for publication, as well as creating the graphics for book covers and other purposes. She continued to work as an artist for the rest of her life, alongside her writing. Jansson is best known as the author of the Moomin books for children. The first such book, The Moomins and the Great Flood, appeared in 1945, though it was the next two books, Comet in Moominland and Finn Family Moomintroll, published in 1946 and 1948 respectively, that brought her fame. Starting with the semi-autobiographical Bildhuggarens dotter (Sculptor's Daughter) in 1968, she wrote six novels and five books of short stories for adults.

Known For

Haru, Island of the Solitary

as Herself (archive footage)

Moomin and the Sea

as Self

Hur gick det sen?

as Narrator

Moominland Tales: The Life of Tove Jansson

as Self (archive footage)

The Complete Amateur's Guide to Moomin

as Self

Travelling with Tove

as Herself

Tove Jansson and the Moomins

Tove and Tooti in Europe

as Herself

Who Will Comfort Toffle?

as Narrator

The Book about Moomin, Mymble and Little My

as Narrator