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Mumintrollen #7
الطفلة الخفية
من روائع الأدب العالمي للأطفال
48 pages
First published January 1, 1962
404 people are currently reading
5015 people want to read
About the author
Tove Jansson
878 books3,892 followersTove Jansson was born and died in Helsinki, Finland. As a Finnish citizen whose mother tongue was Swedish, she was part of the Swedish-speaking Finns minority. Thus, all her books were originally written in Swedish.
Although known first and foremost as an author, Tove Jansson considered her careers as author and painter to be of equal importance.
Tove Jansson wrote and illustrated her first Moomin book, The Moomins and the Great Flood (1945), during World War II. She said later that the war had depressed her, and she had wanted to write something naive and innocent. Besides the Moomin novels and short stories, Tove Jansson also wrote and illustrated four original and highly popular picture books.
Jansson's Moomin books have been translated into 33 languages.
Although known first and foremost as an author, Tove Jansson considered her careers as author and painter to be of equal importance.
Tove Jansson wrote and illustrated her first Moomin book, The Moomins and the Great Flood (1945), during World War II. She said later that the war had depressed her, and she had wanted to write something naive and innocent. Besides the Moomin novels and short stories, Tove Jansson also wrote and illustrated four original and highly popular picture books.
Jansson's Moomin books have been translated into 33 languages.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 842 reviews
November 21, 2018
One of the most rewarding pieces of juvenile fiction I've read in a while, possessing a surprising maturity that is distinctly nordic in tone: combines poetry, understated whimsy, and dry wit with a note of gentle melancholy running through it all.
December 12, 2010
What a bunch of strange, opaque, elliptical little stories.
This is my first entry into the Moomin world, Jansson's books having passed me by as a child. I was dubious - the pastelly coloured covers of the editions I keep weighing in my hands then returning to the shelves in Unity have put me off - but this was lent to me by a close friend whose taste I trust.
I flipped the book over and read the blurb first:
At the sight of that exclamation mark my heart sank. Japes ahoy, I thought - cute little animals getting up to whimsical things.
I couldn't have been more wrong. It might be because I was dropped into the Moomin world without any preparation, but the only thing I would childlike and traditionally delightful in this book were the names of the various creatures - the Moomins themselves, the Mymble, the whompers and creeps and fillyjonks, all words to savour across the lips.
Apart from that, I found the stories dark and puzzling and quite moving. In 'The Spring Tune' Snufkin is interrupted in his solitary wanderings (he is trying to let a song come to him, "a new tune, one part expectation, two parts spring sadness, and for the rest, just the delight of walking alone and liking it") by a little creep (some kind of forest creature) whose chatter drags him back towards his obligations, and who then asks him for a great favour - a name of his own. Snufkin, eventually, reluctantly, diffidently, offers 'Teety-woo' - "a light beginning, sort of, and a little sadness to round it off." And then
'The Fillyjonk who believed in Disasters' is a small, fantastical, psychological study of a woman who is living a life that doesn't fit her properly, and chafing against it, breaking free in the only way she can - her imagination:
Some of the stories are relatively straightforward - little Ninny, the girl who has become invisible out of neglect, and becomes visible again once enfolded in the Moomin family; the gentle satire of the Moomin's first Christmas.
But it's 'The Secret of the Hattifatteners' that really sticks in my mind. Despite the ludicrous title, it strikes me as having strange similarities toMalory's Holy Grail - a journey undertaken not from choice but from some force of fate, of unhappy and bemusing travels, of fear and discovery (up until the last couple of pages, which gentle back down, without the tragedy of Malory).
It's the opening of the story that really struck me:
That's not an opening that belongs in a whimsical children's book. That's the beginning to a hundred thousand children's stories about why someone who shouldn't have left did.
I'm not sure now if I want to back-read more of Jansson's books, or if I want to move straight on to her adult books and savour the weirdness of this little collection a little longer.
This is my first entry into the Moomin world, Jansson's books having passed me by as a child. I was dubious - the pastelly coloured covers of the editions I keep weighing in my hands then returning to the shelves in Unity have put me off - but this was lent to me by a close friend whose taste I trust.
I flipped the book over and read the blurb first:
If you found a tiny golden dragon with green paws, would you know what to do it it?
Well, Moomintroll thinks he knows what to do. But when he takes his new-found pet home, things don't work out as planned!
At the sight of that exclamation mark my heart sank. Japes ahoy, I thought - cute little animals getting up to whimsical things.
I couldn't have been more wrong. It might be because I was dropped into the Moomin world without any preparation, but the only thing I would childlike and traditionally delightful in this book were the names of the various creatures - the Moomins themselves, the Mymble, the whompers and creeps and fillyjonks, all words to savour across the lips.
Apart from that, I found the stories dark and puzzling and quite moving. In 'The Spring Tune' Snufkin is interrupted in his solitary wanderings (he is trying to let a song come to him, "a new tune, one part expectation, two parts spring sadness, and for the rest, just the delight of walking alone and liking it") by a little creep (some kind of forest creature) whose chatter drags him back towards his obligations, and who then asks him for a great favour - a name of his own. Snufkin, eventually, reluctantly, diffidently, offers 'Teety-woo' - "a light beginning, sort of, and a little sadness to round it off." And then
The little creep stared at him with yellow eyes in the firelight. It thought its name over, tasted it, listened to it, crawled inside it, and finally turned its snout up to the sky and softly howled its new name, so sadly and ecstatically than Snufkin felt a shiver along his back.
'The Fillyjonk who believed in Disasters' is a small, fantastical, psychological study of a woman who is living a life that doesn't fit her properly, and chafing against it, breaking free in the only way she can - her imagination:
Those storms of her own were the worst ones. And deep down in her heart the fillyjonk was just a little proud of her disasters that belonged to no one else.
Gaffsie is a jackass, she thought. A silly woman with cakes and pillow-slips all over her mind. And she doesn't know a thing about flowers. And least of all about me. Now she's sitting at home thinking that I haven't ever experienced anything. I, who see the end of the world every day, and still I'm putting on my clothes, and taking them off again, and eating and washing-up the dishes and receiving visits, just as if nothing ever happened!
Some of the stories are relatively straightforward - little Ninny, the girl who has become invisible out of neglect, and becomes visible again once enfolded in the Moomin family; the gentle satire of the Moomin's first Christmas.
But it's 'The Secret of the Hattifatteners' that really sticks in my mind. Despite the ludicrous title, it strikes me as having strange similarities toMalory's Holy Grail - a journey undertaken not from choice but from some force of fate, of unhappy and bemusing travels, of fear and discovery (up until the last couple of pages, which gentle back down, without the tragedy of Malory).
It's the opening of the story that really struck me:
Once upon a time, rather long ago, it so happened that Moominpappa went away from the house without the least explanation and without even himself understanding why he had to go.
Moominmamma said afterwards that he had seemed odd for quite a time, but probably he hadn't been odder than usual. That was just one of those things that one thinks up afterwards when one's bewildered and sad and wants the comfort of an explanation.
That's not an opening that belongs in a whimsical children's book. That's the beginning to a hundred thousand children's stories about why someone who shouldn't have left did.
I'm not sure now if I want to back-read more of Jansson's books, or if I want to move straight on to her adult books and savour the weirdness of this little collection a little longer.
February 9, 2021
Whoa now, these are some heavy hitting stories. My kid thought they were fun (and liked the ones where the Moomins show up), but they're all surprisingly deep.
My only critique is that you need to be familiar with the Moomins in general before reading these stories. Otherwise they won't make any sense.
But wow, this book is such a testament to what you can do with an already established world of characters and ideas. The stories here can get pretty soul rattling.
I'll definitely be reading more of Tove Jansson's short fiction.
My only critique is that you need to be familiar with the Moomins in general before reading these stories. Otherwise they won't make any sense.
But wow, this book is such a testament to what you can do with an already established world of characters and ideas. The stories here can get pretty soul rattling.
I'll definitely be reading more of Tove Jansson's short fiction.
September 17, 2021
Some children's books are really for grownups who need to get in touch with their primal needs and fears and dreams again!
Tove Jansson writes in a native Swedish that is so poetical, dark and strong that it gives me goosebumps. I always "hear" the text in my head in that stunningly beautiful accent that is typical for the Swedish-speaking community in Finland.
But apart from the literary luxury of Swedish in its most beautiful expression, the Moomin stories (and I mean the originals, not the commercial spin-offs!) deliver endless reflections on the interaction within families and communities of people with the most incompatible personalities.
Strangely, one can see oneself in all these people, though, as they are segments of the complicated mix that makes up each human being.
I am Snusmumriken longing for peace and freedom and bogged down by social duties. I am Filifjonkan, believing in catastrophes. I am Lilla My, wanting to kick and scream and be naughty. I am the invisible child, worried and pale. I am Muminpappan, trying to find a balance between being adventurous and a family member. I am not so much Moomin and his mum, actually, but I know them and respect and love them all the same. Sometimes I wish I could be them.
At work I try not to be so much like all the hemuls, but I sense myself falling into the pattern more often than not...
I am afraid of Mårran, but fascinated too.
My heart breaks with Sniff when he gives away his toy.
And Christmas is a dangerous dark cloud hanging over my confused head as well!
Tove Jansson's world is mine too, and I find comfort in the sad happiness that comes alive in her books!
Tove Jansson writes in a native Swedish that is so poetical, dark and strong that it gives me goosebumps. I always "hear" the text in my head in that stunningly beautiful accent that is typical for the Swedish-speaking community in Finland.
But apart from the literary luxury of Swedish in its most beautiful expression, the Moomin stories (and I mean the originals, not the commercial spin-offs!) deliver endless reflections on the interaction within families and communities of people with the most incompatible personalities.
Strangely, one can see oneself in all these people, though, as they are segments of the complicated mix that makes up each human being.
I am Snusmumriken longing for peace and freedom and bogged down by social duties. I am Filifjonkan, believing in catastrophes. I am Lilla My, wanting to kick and scream and be naughty. I am the invisible child, worried and pale. I am Muminpappan, trying to find a balance between being adventurous and a family member. I am not so much Moomin and his mum, actually, but I know them and respect and love them all the same. Sometimes I wish I could be them.
At work I try not to be so much like all the hemuls, but I sense myself falling into the pattern more often than not...
I am afraid of Mårran, but fascinated too.
My heart breaks with Sniff when he gives away his toy.
And Christmas is a dangerous dark cloud hanging over my confused head as well!
Tove Jansson's world is mine too, and I find comfort in the sad happiness that comes alive in her books!
March 29, 2016
No eihän siinä koko Pääsiäistä mennyt Muumimaailmassa, vaan lueskelin muitakin kirjoja. Pidin vain pientä jännitystä yllä, sillä blogini 4v. synttärit ovat maaliskuussa ja toivoisin mahdollisimman monen osallistuvan kirja-arvontoihin blogissani.
http://kirjasahkokayra.blogspot.fi/20...
Näkymätön lapsi on arvonnan yksi kirjoista.
Näkymätön lapsi ja muita kertomuksia sisältää yhdeksän kertomusta, joista jotkut voivat olla hyvinkin pelottavia. Näillä tarinoilla ei haluta perinteisessä mielessä pelotella lapsia, vaan niiden takana on syvempääkin pohdiskelua. Ihana Tove ja ihana Ninni, joka tulit näkyväksi Muumimamman rakkauden ja hellyyden ansiosta.
http://kirjasahkokayra.blogspot.fi/20...
Näkymätön lapsi on arvonnan yksi kirjoista.
Näkymätön lapsi ja muita kertomuksia sisältää yhdeksän kertomusta, joista jotkut voivat olla hyvinkin pelottavia. Näillä tarinoilla ei haluta perinteisessä mielessä pelotella lapsia, vaan niiden takana on syvempääkin pohdiskelua. Ihana Tove ja ihana Ninni, joka tulit näkyväksi Muumimamman rakkauden ja hellyyden ansiosta.
March 11, 2021
This is a collection of short stories set in Moomin Valley and it’s really quite good. Not all the stories feature the Moomins themselves but it’s none the worse for that. A highlight for me was the tale in which Moomintroll discovers a dragon.
My next book: Essential Man-Thing vol. 1
My next book: Essential Man-Thing vol. 1
July 15, 2020
What a pleasant surprise this book was! A collection of stories featuring different characters, their backstories, and with different atmospheres: cute, wholesome, creepy and melancholic, this was so much fun!
August 18, 2016
Somewhere under his hat the tune began to move, one part expectation, and two parts spring sadness, and for the rest just a colossal delight at being alone.
‘The Spring Tune’
I took one of those “which Moominvalley” character are you personality quizzes. It would be great to be one of them and live amongst all of the others. Well, except for the Witch (not in these stories). She recalls a certain type of much older woman I’m afraid I’ll age into if I am around them too much. The kind that seem to have no life except for being obsessed with babies, new babies cast aside when they are also the too old babies. Jansson shines a light under the bed and into all of my hiding places of my sadness roots. Moominvalley is my happy place and my happy place must remind me that I purposely make myself feel sad when I am happy or I could never truly fit in there. Like, the Moominvalley denizens are terrified of The Groke in other stories (she’s not in this collection), their floating talisman of hunger that cannot be fed. I guess, after all, I don’t fear that kind of loneliness. The Groke knows what she is and I wanted to sit with her. Helplessly mute to be understood, yes, but there are no forgotten babies. So it was supposed to work out that I’d briefly feel if things had worked out differently I’d be listening to Moominpapa’s memoirs right now. I got Snufkin. There was something wronger than most with this quiz (still not lovably quirky like Gonzo, still waiting for the fuzzy blue transformation) because I’ll never be as cool as Snufkin. Snufkin himself would kindly help me understand that I’m not supposed to want to be as cool as him…. Half wishing he was chasing a mental tune into the real.... I adore Snufkin. He loves Moomintroll who would go into hibernation just so he wouldn’t have to miss his friend so badly. I want to be Moomintroll. Don’t want to wait for Christmas lights? Go to sleep. I think Jansson would cherish the waiting, though. One of my favorite stories in this set is about the Hemulen desiring his retirement so he can do nothing but love the empty rooms in his dollhouse. Of course I want to tell him you can just get a new dream and love the one that came true (okay, so Snufkin would do that). The children won’t understand that he can’t stop punching their amusement park tickets. His family “knew”, in the way that families think they know what is best for you, that he had to punch tickets to be happy. How it works out with their silent amusement park is a dream to me. I love watching children be happy and simultaneously revert to my own fetal position over shrieking. Kids begging for watermelon in grocery stores is my personal nightmare. I’m probably too fragile. Hemulen had it made with this. I want what he got that wasn’t his dream. Snufkin isn’t a shut-out I want to be alone with my savoring aloneness. When Sniff expects he’s going to be bullied into giving up his beloved toy because it’s the “Right thing to do”, the sacrifice isn’t the point of Snufkin’s story at all. The Fillyjonk (LOVED the wet and dark sea beating her carpet and too much inherited family junk staring down the judgement of what she thinks a snotty neighbor could improve if she’d just let Fillyjonk confess her fears) is similar. It isn’t the end of everything if the magic whatever can happen inside you to accept it happens. It isn’t about not wanting to be away from Moomintroll for Snufkin. I totally get it too. I pretty much always miss wherever I am not. I could miss that looked forward to time because I’m squeezing myself for a glimpse of how much I’m going to want it when it’s over. Snufkin is so comfortable with himself. I want to be envious of how comfortable with himself he is. It must be great to be Moomintroll and have this cool friend who can chase away the suspicious twinges things aren’t as they should be. It doesn’t matter if there isn’t anyone who can give you permission to switch on the right mood, though. Fillyjonk didn’t have it and the old lady he tells Sniff about discovers on her own when the laughter happens to shake the bone out of her gut and saves her life (thank god Sniff got to keep his Cedric. I hate it when anyone grows up too fast and Velveteen Rabbit sadness for no good reason).
I love Moominpapa the best. I bought myself a small plush of Moominpapa to sit on my favorite bookcase (there’s a wonderful instagram where someone takes him on adventures. I do this with a shark toy already but I’m still envious of the fun they must be having with Moominpapa). His story about the Hattenfatters is my very favorite. Moominpapa is haunted by their unspeakable mystery. Those long white figures look like they could start from the ground or start from the sky they are reaching. They never say a word and Moominpapa lets himself dismiss the veranda happiness of swimsuits on rocks and juice glasses in the sand (I wouldn’t want it anymore if it were everyday, either, I suppose. I love envying Moominpapa this life). I hope I never forget the quiet feeling inside I got looking at the illustrations of the electrifying gathering of all the Hattenfatters in their meeting boats. Moominpapa tries to stick with “his” three but he isn’t sure if he’s right about who they are. I wanted him to stop mind-reading them wrong that he was wrong and live his life as he wanted but it was also so right that sometimes you want to be like the Hattenfatters and just be quiet. Snufkin would have understood.
All of the pictures were great. Little My sitting like a cat on top of the wardrobe in her grandmother’s house when the Whomper from next door comes crying because the stories he frightened his little brother with came to frighten him instead. I don’t know if Little My was having him on or was she afraid too. Whomper’s dad is understanding about the Whomper’s whoppers. They go eat all of the dessert. I wish that would really happen that you could make yourself scared so you could feel all safe afterwards with desserts. (As a very little kid I was more like Little My then the rest of them. Mouthy and fearless except to make it more adventurous. I’m SHOCKED the personality quiz didn’t know this.)
Not too sure about the little invisible girl that lets herself disappear because she’s afraid of her judgmental aunt. The mood at just the right time saves her life, she laughs herself visible, as laughter has saved them all, but I missed the doing it on purpose that Snufkin and Moominpapa had. Fillyjonk and this girl let go and won't get their sadness back. That is more my speed so you can feel invisible and make it all go away by laughing at the same time. Stories never have to end if you can make it all happen at the same time.
‘The Spring Tune’
I took one of those “which Moominvalley” character are you personality quizzes. It would be great to be one of them and live amongst all of the others. Well, except for the Witch (not in these stories). She recalls a certain type of much older woman I’m afraid I’ll age into if I am around them too much. The kind that seem to have no life except for being obsessed with babies, new babies cast aside when they are also the too old babies. Jansson shines a light under the bed and into all of my hiding places of my sadness roots. Moominvalley is my happy place and my happy place must remind me that I purposely make myself feel sad when I am happy or I could never truly fit in there. Like, the Moominvalley denizens are terrified of The Groke in other stories (she’s not in this collection), their floating talisman of hunger that cannot be fed. I guess, after all, I don’t fear that kind of loneliness. The Groke knows what she is and I wanted to sit with her. Helplessly mute to be understood, yes, but there are no forgotten babies. So it was supposed to work out that I’d briefly feel if things had worked out differently I’d be listening to Moominpapa’s memoirs right now. I got Snufkin. There was something wronger than most with this quiz (still not lovably quirky like Gonzo, still waiting for the fuzzy blue transformation) because I’ll never be as cool as Snufkin. Snufkin himself would kindly help me understand that I’m not supposed to want to be as cool as him…. Half wishing he was chasing a mental tune into the real.... I adore Snufkin. He loves Moomintroll who would go into hibernation just so he wouldn’t have to miss his friend so badly. I want to be Moomintroll. Don’t want to wait for Christmas lights? Go to sleep. I think Jansson would cherish the waiting, though. One of my favorite stories in this set is about the Hemulen desiring his retirement so he can do nothing but love the empty rooms in his dollhouse. Of course I want to tell him you can just get a new dream and love the one that came true (okay, so Snufkin would do that). The children won’t understand that he can’t stop punching their amusement park tickets. His family “knew”, in the way that families think they know what is best for you, that he had to punch tickets to be happy. How it works out with their silent amusement park is a dream to me. I love watching children be happy and simultaneously revert to my own fetal position over shrieking. Kids begging for watermelon in grocery stores is my personal nightmare. I’m probably too fragile. Hemulen had it made with this. I want what he got that wasn’t his dream. Snufkin isn’t a shut-out I want to be alone with my savoring aloneness. When Sniff expects he’s going to be bullied into giving up his beloved toy because it’s the “Right thing to do”, the sacrifice isn’t the point of Snufkin’s story at all. The Fillyjonk (LOVED the wet and dark sea beating her carpet and too much inherited family junk staring down the judgement of what she thinks a snotty neighbor could improve if she’d just let Fillyjonk confess her fears) is similar. It isn’t the end of everything if the magic whatever can happen inside you to accept it happens. It isn’t about not wanting to be away from Moomintroll for Snufkin. I totally get it too. I pretty much always miss wherever I am not. I could miss that looked forward to time because I’m squeezing myself for a glimpse of how much I’m going to want it when it’s over. Snufkin is so comfortable with himself. I want to be envious of how comfortable with himself he is. It must be great to be Moomintroll and have this cool friend who can chase away the suspicious twinges things aren’t as they should be. It doesn’t matter if there isn’t anyone who can give you permission to switch on the right mood, though. Fillyjonk didn’t have it and the old lady he tells Sniff about discovers on her own when the laughter happens to shake the bone out of her gut and saves her life (thank god Sniff got to keep his Cedric. I hate it when anyone grows up too fast and Velveteen Rabbit sadness for no good reason).
I love Moominpapa the best. I bought myself a small plush of Moominpapa to sit on my favorite bookcase (there’s a wonderful instagram where someone takes him on adventures. I do this with a shark toy already but I’m still envious of the fun they must be having with Moominpapa). His story about the Hattenfatters is my very favorite. Moominpapa is haunted by their unspeakable mystery. Those long white figures look like they could start from the ground or start from the sky they are reaching. They never say a word and Moominpapa lets himself dismiss the veranda happiness of swimsuits on rocks and juice glasses in the sand (I wouldn’t want it anymore if it were everyday, either, I suppose. I love envying Moominpapa this life). I hope I never forget the quiet feeling inside I got looking at the illustrations of the electrifying gathering of all the Hattenfatters in their meeting boats. Moominpapa tries to stick with “his” three but he isn’t sure if he’s right about who they are. I wanted him to stop mind-reading them wrong that he was wrong and live his life as he wanted but it was also so right that sometimes you want to be like the Hattenfatters and just be quiet. Snufkin would have understood.
All of the pictures were great. Little My sitting like a cat on top of the wardrobe in her grandmother’s house when the Whomper from next door comes crying because the stories he frightened his little brother with came to frighten him instead. I don’t know if Little My was having him on or was she afraid too. Whomper’s dad is understanding about the Whomper’s whoppers. They go eat all of the dessert. I wish that would really happen that you could make yourself scared so you could feel all safe afterwards with desserts. (As a very little kid I was more like Little My then the rest of them. Mouthy and fearless except to make it more adventurous. I’m SHOCKED the personality quiz didn’t know this.)
Not too sure about the little invisible girl that lets herself disappear because she’s afraid of her judgmental aunt. The mood at just the right time saves her life, she laughs herself visible, as laughter has saved them all, but I missed the doing it on purpose that Snufkin and Moominpapa had. Fillyjonk and this girl let go and won't get their sadness back. That is more my speed so you can feel invisible and make it all go away by laughing at the same time. Stories never have to end if you can make it all happen at the same time.
September 25, 2021
I only discovered the Moomins in my late twenties, but soon fell in love with the quirky charm of Jansson’s characters and their often melancholy musings. Her stories feel like they can be read on multiple levels, with younger readers delighting in the bizarre creations and older ones sensing the pensiveness behind their quests. There are magical events here: Moomintroll discovers a dragon small enough to be kept in a jar; laughter is enough to bring a fearful child back from literal invisibility. But what struck me more was the lessons learned by neurotic creatures. In “The Fillyjonk who believed in Disasters,” the title character fixates on her belongings—
“we are so very small and insignificant, and so are our tea cakes and carpets and all those things, you know, and still they’re important, but always they’re threatened by mercilessness…”
—but when a gale and a tornado come and sweep it all away, she experiences relief and joy:
“the strange thing was that she suddenly felt quite safe. It was a very strange feeling, and she found it indescribably nice. But what was there to worry about? The disaster had come at last.”
My other favourite was “The Hemulen who loved Silence.” After years as a fairground ticket-taker, he can’t wait to retire and get away from the crowds and the noise, but once he’s obtained his precious solitude he realizes he needs others after all. The final story, “The Fir Tree,” is a lovely Christmas one in which the Moomins, awoken midway through their winter hibernation, get caught up in seasonal stress and experience the holiday for the first time.
Originally published on my blog, Bookish Beck.
“we are so very small and insignificant, and so are our tea cakes and carpets and all those things, you know, and still they’re important, but always they’re threatened by mercilessness…”
—but when a gale and a tornado come and sweep it all away, she experiences relief and joy:
“the strange thing was that she suddenly felt quite safe. It was a very strange feeling, and she found it indescribably nice. But what was there to worry about? The disaster had come at last.”
My other favourite was “The Hemulen who loved Silence.” After years as a fairground ticket-taker, he can’t wait to retire and get away from the crowds and the noise, but once he’s obtained his precious solitude he realizes he needs others after all. The final story, “The Fir Tree,” is a lovely Christmas one in which the Moomins, awoken midway through their winter hibernation, get caught up in seasonal stress and experience the holiday for the first time.
Originally published on my blog, Bookish Beck.
June 16, 2022
Sirdsmiera saglabāšanai un/vai atjaunošanai kā zāles lietoju vienu Muminu grāmatu mēnesī. Sirsnīgi un smieklīgi stāsti, un katrs burvīgs savā veidā, īpaši tas par baisajiem Ziemassvētkiem, kurus varbūt var mēģināt savaldzināt.
“Cilvēki ciena tādu, kas nemēdz pļāpāt. Viņi domā, ka tāds cilvēks aplam daudz zina un viņa dzīve ir briesmīgi trauksmaina.”
“Cilvēki ciena tādu, kas nemēdz pļāpāt. Viņi domā, ka tāds cilvēks aplam daudz zina un viņa dzīve ir briesmīgi trauksmaina.”
August 12, 2025
Det här är en novellsamling. Flera av berättelserna älskar jag; som den om den nervösa Filifjonkan vars oro avfärdas av grannen (igenkänning!) och som senare när stormen bedarrat likt Venus föds som ny ut havet. När katastrofen väl kom hanterade hon den galant och att bli av med alla saker var en lättnad. Den arbetskritiska sagan om Hemulen som låtsasklipper biljetter på tivoli roar mig stort. Jag får välkommet huvudbry av hattifnattarna. Pappan ger efter för rastlösheten och flyr vardagen tillsammans med dem. Men vad symboliserar hattifnattarna egentligen? De kommer ur frön som sås på midsommarafton (engångsligg?). De rör sig i flock, talar inte, tycker inget, lever inte i nuet utan är ständigt i rörelse mot nya mål. De skulle kunna symbolisera män i grupp eller flockdjuret människan som ständigt jagar efter något som är bättre.
May 25, 2021
"Żeby nigdy nie moc się cieszyć lub rozczarować! Nigdy nikogo nie kochać, nie móc się rozgniewać na tego kogoś, a potem mu przebaczyć. Nie móc spać ani marznąć, nigdy się nie mylić, nie mieć bólów brzucha i potem wyzdrowieć, nie obchodzić urodzin, nie pić piwa i nigdy nie mieć nieczystego sumienia... To wszystko jest straszne!"
February 6, 2010
I loved this book. There were several little stories about small, even nameless creatures trying to find happiness and their own strength in the big world full of norms that try to restrict life by telling people how to behave or what to do. Jansson half-secretly encourages to rebel against the society and do as you please, as long as you don't harm anyone, and the attitude of the characters and the stories generally is wonderfully liberating.
I was completely absorbed in some of the stories, like that of a Hemulen restoring a destroyed amusement park. The atmosphere of the writing is quite melancholy but on the same time it's hilarious and finds happiness in very little things. I also like it how the creatures often don't have a specific age or even gender; for example Snufkin (who is my favourite character) wanders around the world alone and on the other hand he plays with (the other) kids like a child, so you can't really know if he's a 30-something hippie or an 8-year-old boy.
I was completely absorbed in some of the stories, like that of a Hemulen restoring a destroyed amusement park. The atmosphere of the writing is quite melancholy but on the same time it's hilarious and finds happiness in very little things. I also like it how the creatures often don't have a specific age or even gender; for example Snufkin (who is my favourite character) wanders around the world alone and on the other hand he plays with (the other) kids like a child, so you can't really know if he's a 30-something hippie or an 8-year-old boy.
September 6, 2021
"Mumini" ir tas lieliskais gadījums, kad tiem, kas tos lasījuši tikai bērnībā, noteikti vajadzētu ķerties pie pārlasīšanas arī pieaugušo vecumā. Atradīsiet daudz jauna.
Šoreiz sev atklāju pēdējo krājumā iekļauto stāstu par jucekli par un ap Ziemassvētkiem unpartokovēljapaspējsagādātpirmssvētkiem. Tā kā "Neredzamo bērnu" pirmo reizi lasīju savā padomju laika bērnībā, tolaik pat objektīvi nebija iespējams saprast, par ko vispār runa :)
Šoreiz sev atklāju pēdējo krājumā iekļauto stāstu par jucekli par un ap Ziemassvētkiem unpartokovēljapaspējsagādātpirmssvētkiem. Tā kā "Neredzamo bērnu" pirmo reizi lasīju savā padomju laika bērnībā, tolaik pat objektīvi nebija iespējams saprast, par ko vispār runa :)
May 5, 2020
ვიწყებ ჩელენჯს #სჯობსგვიანვიდრე არასდროს და ვის გამოვიწვევ თუ არა ჩემს ნატალის🤷♀️
რაც შეეხება ამ კრებულს, ვერ ვხსნი იმ ფენომენს რატომ გამოსდით სკანდინავიელ ავტორებს საბავშვო ლიტერატურის წერა ასე შესანიშნავად
რაც შეეხება ამ კრებულს, ვერ ვხსნი იმ ფენომენს რატომ გამოსდით სკანდინავიელ ავტორებს საბავშვო ლიტერატურის წერა ასე შესანიშნავად
October 18, 2020
I never thought I'd happily say that I love the Moomin's (a Finnish/swedish children's book series from the 1950's) but oh my God are these stories endearing! Yet dark! Yet strangely Optimistic!
My personal favourite was the moomin family being woken up from hibernation in December and being made to prepare for Christmas, to which they end up believing they must sate the whims of some dark and powerful winter spirit called "Christmas" by chopping down a fir tree, lighting candles and giving it offerings.
Incredible!
Would definitely recommend.
My personal favourite was the moomin family being woken up from hibernation in December and being made to prepare for Christmas, to which they end up believing they must sate the whims of some dark and powerful winter spirit called "Christmas" by chopping down a fir tree, lighting candles and giving it offerings.
Incredible!
Would definitely recommend.
November 5, 2024
ჩემი წმინდა წიგნებია ტუვეს წიგნები, ჩემი ბიბლია, ჩემი ანტიდეპრესანტი, ჩემი სამაგიდო წიგნი.
საოცარი მოთხრობებია, საოცარი.
საოცარი მოთხრობებია, საოცარი.
October 16, 2020
Voiko Tove Janssonin Näkymätön lapsi -novellikokoelmaa olla rakastamatta? Nuuskamuikkusen kevätlaulu, Vilijonkka valmistautumassa onnettomuuteen, näkymätön Ninni, Nipsun Sedrik ja pelottava joulu... Näissä tarinoissa on lämmintä huumoria ja viisautta vaikka muille jakaa.
Kuopuksen kanssa nauroimme ääneen, kun muumiperhe meni joulua piiloon pöydän alle ja pohdimme, että tarinat olisivat voineet olla pitempiäkin. Muumi-tarinat eivät tosiaankaan ole valmiiksi pureskeltua höttöä, vaan syvästi suvaitsevaisuuden ja tarinankertomisen asialla.
Kuopuksen kanssa nauroimme ääneen, kun muumiperhe meni joulua piiloon pöydän alle ja pohdimme, että tarinat olisivat voineet olla pitempiäkin. Muumi-tarinat eivät tosiaankaan ole valmiiksi pureskeltua höttöä, vaan syvästi suvaitsevaisuuden ja tarinankertomisen asialla.
October 6, 2022
Najwspanialsza jak do tej pory część całego cyklu. Wiem, wszystkie części oceniam na 5, bo są super, ale ta była wprost niesamowita!!! Jak do tej pory najbardziej mi się podobała. Przepiękne opowiadania!
April 11, 2022
This is one of those books I have been meaning to read for many years. I remember the original rather disturbing but also thoroughly entertaining animated series not really knowing or understanding its heritage.
Then go forward many years (okay many many years) and then I discover that the tales came Tove Jansson and where written and drawn many years before I was even born (amazing to think right).
So now I had to find some of the original stories but that it appears was not as easy to achieve since they have been re-told and changed and updated so many times that I never felt like I was looking at the original- till now.
So finally I get to read some of the collected tales - not the main stories I now realise but the tales of those lesser characters who pass through the lives and adventures of the Moomintroll family.
Part fable - part cautionary tell and thoroughly entertaining it felt like they had a moral to tell and yet were not heavy handed or trying to be too clever for their own good instead they were charming tales that left you with something more than a simple little tale.
I will certainly be looking for other in this collectors edition series to see what other lessons I can learn .
Then go forward many years (okay many many years) and then I discover that the tales came Tove Jansson and where written and drawn many years before I was even born (amazing to think right).
So now I had to find some of the original stories but that it appears was not as easy to achieve since they have been re-told and changed and updated so many times that I never felt like I was looking at the original- till now.
So finally I get to read some of the collected tales - not the main stories I now realise but the tales of those lesser characters who pass through the lives and adventures of the Moomintroll family.
Part fable - part cautionary tell and thoroughly entertaining it felt like they had a moral to tell and yet were not heavy handed or trying to be too clever for their own good instead they were charming tales that left you with something more than a simple little tale.
I will certainly be looking for other in this collectors edition series to see what other lessons I can learn .
December 23, 2021
This was the first Moomin book by Tove Jansson to be a collection of short stories, instead of a novel. Here then we have The Spring Tune, A Tale of Horror, The Fillyjonk who Believed in Disasters, The Last Dragon in the World, The Hemulen who Loved Silence, The Invisible Child, The Secret of the Hattifatteners, Cedric, and The Fir Tree.
Although the Moomin family, Snuffkin and other regular characters do appear here a number of these tales do not actually feature them. Thus we have a varied selection of tales that take in many elements, and are ideal obviously for the young, as well as us adults.
With stories that are relatively light, there is also at times darker undertones peeping through making us think not only about friendship, imagination, and playing, but also lying, not being able to express yourself fully, due to anxiety, and becoming aware for the first time about Christmas. All the tales are great for little ones, especially with all the illustrations throughout, but due to Tove Jansson’s writing skills, at the same time being just as pleasurable to read for us adults, with the bonus that they make us think about certain issues.
Although the Moomin family, Snuffkin and other regular characters do appear here a number of these tales do not actually feature them. Thus we have a varied selection of tales that take in many elements, and are ideal obviously for the young, as well as us adults.
With stories that are relatively light, there is also at times darker undertones peeping through making us think not only about friendship, imagination, and playing, but also lying, not being able to express yourself fully, due to anxiety, and becoming aware for the first time about Christmas. All the tales are great for little ones, especially with all the illustrations throughout, but due to Tove Jansson’s writing skills, at the same time being just as pleasurable to read for us adults, with the bonus that they make us think about certain issues.
August 27, 2020
Vilken ljuvlighet. Bara det att beskriva ett regn som "vitt och glänsande", jag tackar och bockar.
December 23, 2020
To chyba moja ulubiona część Muminków! Te opowiadania były przekochane 😍
July 20, 2021
Muumi-sarjan seitsemäs osa herätti vähän ristiriitaisia tunteita. Kirja koostuu yhdeksästä kertomuksesta, joista osa on ihan parasta muumimahtavuutta ja osan taas olisin mielelläni jättänyt lukematta (Kamala tarina oli minusta nimensä mukaisesti aika kamala, höh ja pöh).
Teksteissä on tovemaiseen tapaan rutkasti muumifilosofiaa: pohditaan, mikä onkaan elämässä merkityksellistä, kuinka tärkeää on oppia sanomaan ei, miten muita ihmisiä (no, tai otuksia) tulisi kohdella ja sen semmoista. Tästä innostuneena sujautin Jukka Laajarinteen kirjan Muumit ja olemisen arvoitus lukulistan jatkoksi, vaikka se on jo valmiiksi kilometrien mittainen...
Alun synkempien novellien jälkeen tuumasin, että koko kirja taitaa olla sopivampi aikuisille ja että näitä juttuja en to-del-la-kaan voi lukea lapselle iltasaduksi. Mutta sitten pääsin neljänteen kertomukseen, jossa Muumipeikko löytää lätäköstä lohikäärmeen, sellaisen tulitikkuaskin kokoisen. Ah! 💛😍
Maailman viimeisen lohikäärmeen lisäksi tykkäsin paljon kertomuksesta Hemuli joka rakasti hiljaisuutta, mutta ehdoton lempparini oli kirjan päättänyt Kuusi. Se täytyy lukea uudestaan joskus joulun alla!
"- Äiti, herää, Muumipeikko sanoi pelästyneenä. - On kuulemma tapahtunut jotain kamalaa. Sanovat sitä jouluksi.
- Mitä sinä tarkoitat? kysyi äiti ja työnsi kuononsa näkyviin.
- En oikein tiedä, sanoi Muumipeikko. - Mutta mitään ei ole järjestetty ja jotain on hukassa ja kaikki juoksevat ympäriinsä kuin hullut. Ehkä on taas tulva." (s. 176)
Teksteissä on tovemaiseen tapaan rutkasti muumifilosofiaa: pohditaan, mikä onkaan elämässä merkityksellistä, kuinka tärkeää on oppia sanomaan ei, miten muita ihmisiä (no, tai otuksia) tulisi kohdella ja sen semmoista. Tästä innostuneena sujautin Jukka Laajarinteen kirjan Muumit ja olemisen arvoitus lukulistan jatkoksi, vaikka se on jo valmiiksi kilometrien mittainen...
Alun synkempien novellien jälkeen tuumasin, että koko kirja taitaa olla sopivampi aikuisille ja että näitä juttuja en to-del-la-kaan voi lukea lapselle iltasaduksi. Mutta sitten pääsin neljänteen kertomukseen, jossa Muumipeikko löytää lätäköstä lohikäärmeen, sellaisen tulitikkuaskin kokoisen. Ah! 💛😍
Maailman viimeisen lohikäärmeen lisäksi tykkäsin paljon kertomuksesta Hemuli joka rakasti hiljaisuutta, mutta ehdoton lempparini oli kirjan päättänyt Kuusi. Se täytyy lukea uudestaan joskus joulun alla!
"- Äiti, herää, Muumipeikko sanoi pelästyneenä. - On kuulemma tapahtunut jotain kamalaa. Sanovat sitä jouluksi.
- Mitä sinä tarkoitat? kysyi äiti ja työnsi kuononsa näkyviin.
- En oikein tiedä, sanoi Muumipeikko. - Mutta mitään ei ole järjestetty ja jotain on hukassa ja kaikki juoksevat ympäriinsä kuin hullut. Ehkä on taas tulva." (s. 176)
December 15, 2021
Bölcsességet tanulni mindig időszerű.
Kilenc novella, kilenc felnőttmese. Felnőtt azért, mert elsősorban felnőtteknek szól, gyerekekről és gyerekkorról, és a felnőtt értheti meg őket maradéktalanul. Felnőtt azért is, mert a mesék cselekménye alig-alig illeszkedik a gyerekek által megszokott logikájú történetmintákhoz; egyszerűen soha nem az történik bennük, amit várnánk, így a gyerek nehezen tud velük mit kezdeni. De leginkább azért, mert olyan bölcsességeket tanítanak, amelyekre a felnőttnek sokkal nagyobb szüksége van. Például minek egy gyereknek azt tudni, hogy hogyan érdemes viszonyulni felnőttként a gyerekekhez?!
Részletes értékelés a blogon:
https://gyujtogeto-alkoto.blog.hu/202...
Kilenc novella, kilenc felnőttmese. Felnőtt azért, mert elsősorban felnőtteknek szól, gyerekekről és gyerekkorról, és a felnőtt értheti meg őket maradéktalanul. Felnőtt azért is, mert a mesék cselekménye alig-alig illeszkedik a gyerekek által megszokott logikájú történetmintákhoz; egyszerűen soha nem az történik bennük, amit várnánk, így a gyerek nehezen tud velük mit kezdeni. De leginkább azért, mert olyan bölcsességeket tanítanak, amelyekre a felnőttnek sokkal nagyobb szüksége van. Például minek egy gyereknek azt tudni, hogy hogyan érdemes viszonyulni felnőttként a gyerekekhez?!
Részletes értékelés a blogon:
https://gyujtogeto-alkoto.blog.hu/202...
April 5, 2023
Tales from Moominvalley is a delightful collection of short stories for kids and adults alike. Tove Jansson's imagination is boundlessly creative, yet at the same time grounded in human nature through the colorful imperfect characters which she portrays. What I enjoyed most about her tales is that she touches on the full breadth of the human emotional experience. She doesn't only focus on positive emotions like happiness and joy, which so often are the dominant theme of books oriented towards children. Jansson also delves into everyday negative emotions like sorrow, loss, anxiety and loneliness. This is certainly reflected in my three favorite stories in Tales from Moominvalley, which are - The Fillyjonk Who Believes in Disasters, The Invisible Child and The Secret of the Hattifatteners. For me the themes explored in these tales are quite mature and adult, but are handled in an accessible manner that children can understand and easily relate. In The Secret of the Hattifatteners, for instance, the Hattifatteners are creatures who are isolated and outcast from the society, with many false and misleading rumors spread about them. Yet when Moominpapa accompanies them on a sojourn he learns that much of what he has heard about them is false and he realizes that they are not what they seem on the surface. What I also find admirable in Tales from Moominvalley is that not all of the stories end on a positive "happily ever after" note. Instead the main characters typically learn a lesson through an experience which builds their character in a small but positive way. Overall, in my view Janson's stories are timeless and will surely entertain children and adults for many generations to come.
June 16, 2014
مقدّمة غير مهمة:
هذه ليست حكاياتٍ للصغار، أو أقلاً - ليس ما اعتدنا أن يكون قصصاً للأطفال. ليس
في هذه الحكايات أميرات ولا قلاع حصينة ولا حتى النهايات السعيدة التي نختم بها حدوتة ما قبل النوم. هذا لا يعني بالطبع أن توفه جانسون (أو يانسن) حين كتبتها لم تقصد أن تخاطب بها الصغار، لكني أتسائل ما كان الأطفال قبل ستين أو سبعين عاماً أنضج منهم الآن لأنهم لم يحشوا رؤوسهم بحكايات تبسيطية عن العالم.
***
هذه ثاني قراءةٍ لحكايات المومِن - الأولى كانت مع الترجمة العربية لـ عائلة المومن الفنلندية - والكتاب السادس ضمن سلسلة الكتب الثمانية التي أصدرتها جانسن. أجد قلبي أقرب إلى هذه القراءة الآن، ربما لأن "توفه" كشفت عن حيوات جديدة، عن مخلوقاتٍ أخرى خارج نطاق عائلة المومن أحياناً: عن سنفكن وحيداً في الغابة، المرأة التي تسكن وحيدة قرب الشاطئ ويسكنها خوف مجهول من كارثة وشيكة، الطفل الذي تقوده مخيلته إلى الوقوع في شباك مخيلة أخرى.
لا شئ في هذه الحكايات تقليدي، لكنه عالمٌ غراثبي وحقيقي جداً في نفس الوقت. تنجح توفه في جعل القارئ يتماهى مع شخصياتها الغريبة، يشعر بما تشعر به، ويهز رأسه متذكراً: "نعم، مررت بهذا الشعور من قبل". لغتها ذكية مع مزيج من كآبة وخفة مرحة.
سعيدةٌ بهذه الصحبة، وأنوي العودة لها من جديد.
تحديث: ترجمة لإحدى قصص المجموعة http://fahimaj.wordpress.com/2014/06/...
هذه ليست حكاياتٍ للصغار، أو أقلاً - ليس ما اعتدنا أن يكون قصصاً للأطفال. ليس
في هذه الحكايات أميرات ولا قلاع حصينة ولا حتى النهايات السعيدة التي نختم بها حدوتة ما قبل النوم. هذا لا يعني بالطبع أن توفه جانسون (أو يانسن) حين كتبتها لم تقصد أن تخاطب بها الصغار، لكني أتسائل ما كان الأطفال قبل ستين أو سبعين عاماً أنضج منهم الآن لأنهم لم يحشوا رؤوسهم بحكايات تبسيطية عن العالم.
***
هذه ثاني قراءةٍ لحكايات المومِن - الأولى كانت مع الترجمة العربية لـ عائلة المومن الفنلندية - والكتاب السادس ضمن سلسلة الكتب الثمانية التي أصدرتها جانسن. أجد قلبي أقرب إلى هذه القراءة الآن، ربما لأن "توفه" كشفت عن حيوات جديدة، عن مخلوقاتٍ أخرى خارج نطاق عائلة المومن أحياناً: عن سنفكن وحيداً في الغابة، المرأة التي تسكن وحيدة قرب الشاطئ ويسكنها خوف مجهول من كارثة وشيكة، الطفل الذي تقوده مخيلته إلى الوقوع في شباك مخيلة أخرى.
لا شئ في هذه الحكايات تقليدي، لكنه عالمٌ غراثبي وحقيقي جداً في نفس الوقت. تنجح توفه في جعل القارئ يتماهى مع شخصياتها الغريبة، يشعر بما تشعر به، ويهز رأسه متذكراً: "نعم، مررت بهذا الشعور من قبل". لغتها ذكية مع مزيج من كآبة وخفة مرحة.
سعيدةٌ بهذه الصحبة، وأنوي العودة لها من جديد.
تحديث: ترجمة لإحدى قصص المجموعة http://fahimaj.wordpress.com/2014/06/...
Read
April 12, 2021I reread this before giving it to a friend for her five-year-old, and I think I misremembered how suitable for children the Moomins are! This is a lovely collection of beautiful, atmospheric stories, but I don't think I realised how subtle and complex the story themes are, and how serious. I don't want to say they're "adult" themes because that's not right, but they're much more melancholy and thoughtful than I recall.
August 21, 2021
Subtle weaver of joyous allegories, peolled with extraordinary characters. Spiky, sharp, prickly, snappy but overlaid with a blanket of love. Such a wonderful interpreter of life.
December 24, 2023
One of the best of the series. Perhaps even (so far) the best one, some of the stories in this collection were touchingly brilliant, e.g. "The Fillyjonk Who Believed in Disasters", "The Last Dragon in the World" and "The Invisible Child".
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