Writers and Artists: Tove Jansson and Lars Jansson
The Moomins were invented by Tove Jansson, a Finnish writer and artist who found success in a number of media. She first introduced the Moomins and their world in a 1945 novel, The Moomins and the Great Flood, initially in Swedish, her own first language. She started the comic strip in 1947. The charming hippo-like trolls have since found their way into television, film, theatre, video games and even theme parks, including one in Japan. Moomin Adventures 1 collects seven of the comic strip serials. While Tove produced all of the stories for many years, eventually her brother Lars took over the comics.
Moomintroll (often referred to simply as "Moomin") and his family live a simple life in Moominvalley. Every once in a while on a whim, they'll set off on an adventure. This book includes trips to the Riviera and a desert island. Sometimes, the adventures find them such as when gold prospectors or artists come to the valley. The atmosphere is light but there is plenty of playful satire along the way - occasional nuggets of wisdom, too.
Tove Jansson's story is one of many real-life bios featured in Be Gay, Do Comics. Jansson was with her partner Tuulikki Pietilä for the last 45 years of her life. Unfortunately, they were not able to be open about their relationship for decades. Eventually, they became important symbolic figures in Finland as one of the first same-sex couples to attend prominent public events together.
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