Tove Jansson. The Listener

Tove Jansson can rightfully be called one of the most enigmatic writers of the last century. A rather private person, guarding her personal life from outsiders, Tove nevertheless generously filled her works with autobiographical details: childhood memories, the smell of plaster and oil paints, salty sea air, and creative explorations. Laconically describing the everyday, Jansson skillfully highlighted the main points, as if composing a manual for her life: “If the water rises, there will be a storm. If it falls very quickly and low, there can also be a storm. A rim around the sun can be dangerous. And a sunset in smoky, dark crimson hues bodes ill.” Her creative consciousness was not clouded even by the success of the Moomin fairy tales and the popularity that came with it. And Tove Jansson’s prose is the best answer to the question, “How did she do it?”