Childish passions around a children's writer: the secrets of the mother of the Moomin trolls Tove Jansson

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

Finnish passed away 17 years ago writer Tove Jansson … All over the world she is known as the “mother” of Moomins, although she herself did not consider herself either an author of books for children, or a writer in general - her creative realization as an artist was much more important for her, and she considered literary activity her hobby. Both children and adults all over the world know what her designs look like. moomin trolls, which have become the national symbols of Finland, but most readers do not even suspect who was actually hiding behind the characters in children's books, and what secrets Tove Jansson did not like to talk about with journalists.

Her fate was largely predetermined from birth: Tove Jansson was born in 1914 in the family of a sculptor and illustrator and grew up in a creative atmosphere conducive to the development of talents. And the girl had plenty of them: besides her native Finnish and Swedish, she was fluent in English and French, already at the age of 10 she illustrated the children's magazine "Garm", and from the age of 15 she trained in art schools in France, Italy and Germany. Around the same time, the first Moomin troll appeared, drawn, according to family legend … on the wall of the toilet.

The first personal exhibition of Tove Jansson took place in Helsinki in 1943. In addition to illustrations for the works of J. Tolkien, L. Carroll and other authors, the artist performed work on the decoration of building facades and interior design. Moomins, before becoming heroes of literary works, were characters in comics created by Jansson for a children's magazine in 1940. And in 1946, the artist made her debut as a writer: she published the story "The Moomin and the Comet", which was followed by others works about funny creatures from the magic valley.

It was her literary activity that brought Tove Jansson worldwide fame, although she herself perceived it only as a hobby. Books about Moomin trolls were translated into 30 languages of the world, and the funny characters themselves soon became the national symbols of Finland. The trolls were actually borrowed by the writer from Scandinavian folklore, but her characters were significantly different from the fairy-tale characters. Firstly, they acquired a visible appearance, and secondly, in many of them one could recognize real people who were especially dear to Tove Jansson.

The writer did not like to communicate with journalists and kept her personal life a secret for a long time. Only in the 1990s. details became known that shocked the public and shed light on many significant features of her work. In her youth, her personal life was very stormy, but she was going to marry only once - for a journalist, member of parliament Athos Virtanen. Many saw them as an ideal couple, the chosen one of the writer was the same intellectual and cosmopolitan. But he was too keen on political activity and constantly busy with his own affairs, and the engagement that took place in 1947 did not end with the wedding. As it became known later, the failed groom became the prototype of the character of her works by the name of Snusmumrik. He wore the same old green hat as Virtanen and also avoided family ties.

Even before breaking up with Virtanen, Tove Jansson realized her bisexuality and went to Vivica Bandler, a theater director. They worked together on staging the works of the writer. And herself and Vivica Jansson captured in characters named Tofsla and Vifsla.

In 1956, the writer met the artist Tuulikki Pietilä, with whom she lived until the end of her days. They have not parted for 45 years, and although they did not advertise their relationship, they did not hide it either. For the first time, they openly announced this only at a press conference in 1993, but did not give more interviews on this topic.

Later, art critic and biographer of the writer Tuula Karjalainen published a book about Tova Jansson, where she said: “At that time, same-sex relationships were a crime and were punishable by imprisonment by law. Homosexuality was considered a disease, and back in the 1950s, there were cases in Finland when women were imprisoned for relationships with representatives of the same sex. However, Tove Jansson initially acted as if she had nothing to hide. As far as I know, they were the first same-sex couple who appeared at a reception at the presidential palace in honor of Independence Day precisely as a married couple, without hiding their relationship. Tove didn’t hide, but she didn’t try to talk about her preferences either. This was her personal life, and she was not going to apologize for her. In her adult texts, same-sex couples are often encountered, their relationship is taken as the basis of the plot and the action unfolds around them.

Tuulikki appeared in her life when she began to lose interest in the Moomins, and she helped her to look at them from a different angle. The writer portrayed her chosen one in books about Moomin trolls under the name Tuu-Tikki, wise and kind. The cold fetters the feelings of Moomin, but when he meets Tuu-Tikki, she proves to him that winter can be beautiful too. And in the life of Jansson there was the same "magic winter" about which she wrote.

The characters of the writer amaze with their wisdom: 15 Moomin Troll Tips That Will Make Your Life Better.