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Letters from Tove
"I find myself talking to you about all the great joys, all the agonies, all my thoughts..." - Letter to Eva Konikova, 1946
Out of the thousands of letters Tove Jansson wrote a cache remains that she addressed to her family, her dearest confidantes, and her lovers, male and female. Into these she spilled her innermost thoughts, defended her ideals and revealed her heart. To read these letters is both an act of startling intimacy and a rare privilege.
Penned with grace and humour, Letters from Tove offers an almost seamless commentary on Tove Jansson's life as it unfolds within Helsinki's bohemian circles and her island home. Spanning fifty years between her art studies and the height of Moomin fame, we share with her the bleakness of war; the hopes for love that were dashed and renewed, and her determined attempts to establish herself as an artist.
Vivid, inspiring and shining with integrity, Letters from Tove shows precisely how an aspiring and courageous young artist can evolve into a very great one.
Out of the thousands of letters Tove Jansson wrote a cache remains that she addressed to her family, her dearest confidantes, and her lovers, male and female. Into these she spilled her innermost thoughts, defended her ideals and revealed her heart. To read these letters is both an act of startling intimacy and a rare privilege.
Penned with grace and humour, Letters from Tove offers an almost seamless commentary on Tove Jansson's life as it unfolds within Helsinki's bohemian circles and her island home. Spanning fifty years between her art studies and the height of Moomin fame, we share with her the bleakness of war; the hopes for love that were dashed and renewed, and her determined attempts to establish herself as an artist.
Vivid, inspiring and shining with integrity, Letters from Tove shows precisely how an aspiring and courageous young artist can evolve into a very great one.
500 pages, Unknown Binding
First published September 19, 2014
173 people are currently reading
3529 people want to read
About the author
Tove Jansson
877 books3,866 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.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 68 reviews
November 25, 2020
I’m fascinated by the access suggested by letters or diaries, both to individuals and the times they lived through. I found these ones particularly engrossing, not just because I’m a Tove Jansson fan but also for the quality of the writing. As you’d expect if you’ve read her novels or stories, Jansson has an impressive ability to convey place and mood, although the tone and content of her letters changes dramatically depending on who she’s talking to. This carefully-curated selection’s taken from a wealth of correspondence with family, friends and lovers; it follows Jansson from 1932, when aged 18 she left her home in Finland to study commercial art in Paris, through to the late 1980s. Sarah Death’s translation’s impressively smooth, convincing in its representation of Jansson’s various styles of expression, her ‘voice.’
The earlier letters home were the least engaging although still very readable: upbeat, gossipy, acutely-observed, creating an impression of someone endlessly curious about the world but there’s an air of distance, an anxiety to appear undemanding, reassuring. I imagine that’s partly down to self-censorship, common between parents and adult children, but Jansson’s also had money worries – she picked a commercial course as a speedy route to work that could help them. The wartime entries display a marked shift, freer, richer, more intense. These are for her best friend, photographer Eva Konikoff, a fellow Finn with Russian-Jewish roots, who’d fled to America in 1941. They’d been active in the same artistic circles and it’s to Eva that Jansson confides her ideas about art, her growing feminism, the experience of falling in love with theatre director Viveca Bandler (basis for ‘Thingumy’ and ‘Bob’) and then her decision to fully embrace her ‘ghost side’ - code for relationships with women. These, with the letters that come next, form a compelling memoir in miniature packed with details of Jansson’s daily life including the origins of the Moomins,
“When I was very young and always hungry I stayed with him (Uncle Einar) in Stockholm, I used to help myself to snacks from the larder at night. He did his best to convince me there were ‘moomintrolls’ who would come and blow down the back of my neck – they lived behind the stove in the kitchen. I got the idea for how Moomin looked from a tree stump in the forest that was covered in snow…Started writing the first Moomin story…when I was feeling depressed and scared of the bombing and wanted to get away from my gloomy thoughts…I crept into an unbelievable world where everything was natural and benign – and everything was possible.”
Included here too are extracts from Jansson’s writings to Bandler, they became close friends, starting with passionate, love letters that also highlight the repressive atmosphere surrounding lesbians in Finland, illegal until 1971, secrecy was built into Jansson’s relationships for many years. These are followed by a series of moving, intimate, and expansive pieces for artist Tuulikki Pietila (Tooti, or My Too-Tikki). Jansson met Pietila in 1955, and later wrote to tell her,
“I love you as if bewitched, yet at the same time with profound calm, and I’m not afraid of anything life has in store for us.”
They remained together for 45 years until Jansson’s death in 2001.
For anyone interested in Tove Jansson I highly recommend this excellent, absorbing collection. It’s well-edited and illustrated with a range of photographs, black-and-white drawings and sketches. The editors have inserted an admirable array of overviews, mini-biographies, and notes, providing context, background details or clarifying references readers might puzzle over, as well as an index of the people Jansson discusses.
The earlier letters home were the least engaging although still very readable: upbeat, gossipy, acutely-observed, creating an impression of someone endlessly curious about the world but there’s an air of distance, an anxiety to appear undemanding, reassuring. I imagine that’s partly down to self-censorship, common between parents and adult children, but Jansson’s also had money worries – she picked a commercial course as a speedy route to work that could help them. The wartime entries display a marked shift, freer, richer, more intense. These are for her best friend, photographer Eva Konikoff, a fellow Finn with Russian-Jewish roots, who’d fled to America in 1941. They’d been active in the same artistic circles and it’s to Eva that Jansson confides her ideas about art, her growing feminism, the experience of falling in love with theatre director Viveca Bandler (basis for ‘Thingumy’ and ‘Bob’) and then her decision to fully embrace her ‘ghost side’ - code for relationships with women. These, with the letters that come next, form a compelling memoir in miniature packed with details of Jansson’s daily life including the origins of the Moomins,
“When I was very young and always hungry I stayed with him (Uncle Einar) in Stockholm, I used to help myself to snacks from the larder at night. He did his best to convince me there were ‘moomintrolls’ who would come and blow down the back of my neck – they lived behind the stove in the kitchen. I got the idea for how Moomin looked from a tree stump in the forest that was covered in snow…Started writing the first Moomin story…when I was feeling depressed and scared of the bombing and wanted to get away from my gloomy thoughts…I crept into an unbelievable world where everything was natural and benign – and everything was possible.”
Included here too are extracts from Jansson’s writings to Bandler, they became close friends, starting with passionate, love letters that also highlight the repressive atmosphere surrounding lesbians in Finland, illegal until 1971, secrecy was built into Jansson’s relationships for many years. These are followed by a series of moving, intimate, and expansive pieces for artist Tuulikki Pietila (Tooti, or My Too-Tikki). Jansson met Pietila in 1955, and later wrote to tell her,
“I love you as if bewitched, yet at the same time with profound calm, and I’m not afraid of anything life has in store for us.”
They remained together for 45 years until Jansson’s death in 2001.
For anyone interested in Tove Jansson I highly recommend this excellent, absorbing collection. It’s well-edited and illustrated with a range of photographs, black-and-white drawings and sketches. The editors have inserted an admirable array of overviews, mini-biographies, and notes, providing context, background details or clarifying references readers might puzzle over, as well as an index of the people Jansson discusses.
February 10, 2020
„Винаги съм предпочитала варианта „и едното, и другото вместо „или – или!“
Това не са просто някакви си писъмца, това са дълги произведения, т.е. има значение, че ги е писала писателка. И тук ми е приказката – писателка. Не е ли парадокс – поне в наше време кой ли не иска да е писател, а и лесно се „дава“ тази дума: вече има книги, формирани от фейсбук статуси например – и авторът се нарича писател; книга с лични спомени – още един писател. А ето, Туве сама заслужено си спечелва думата с всички книги за деца и възрастни, но иска друго – учила е за това, там е страстта, вложила е много, почти цял живот мечтае да е художничка. И от биографията на Туве Янсон по-рано разбрах, че едва ли не драмата на живота ѝ е, че иска да бъде призната като художничка (не зная доколко е била призната в региона, все пак има доста изложби).
„Платната ми се по-живописни от преди – този път няма да могат да ме нарекат илюстраторка!!!“
Тя обаче се прославя като че ли повече като писателка с Муминтроловете, а дейността ѝ като илюстраторка наистина е огромна, богата, неуморна, до старини. Не зная в кой етап от живота си приема това и дали изобщо го приема, макар че по някое време казва:
„Не ме тревожи, че живописта буксува, тя почти не ме интересува в момента. Не искам друго освен спокойствие.“
Да, шумът покрай Муминтроловете е огромен. За Туве Янсон социалният живот не е особено привлекателен, но се налага, и то не само в Швеция и Финландия. Интересно, че брат ѝ Ларш ѝ е „колега“, но изглежда не търси признание; гледа си парите, гледа си работата като хоби.
„Разбрах, че всъщност не го движи жаждата за слава – иска пари, а те му трябват, за да може да се занимава с приятните за него дейности, и то когато му харесва. […] Аз го разбирам и оценявам този стремеж, който аз самата толкова се затруднявам да усвоя стремежа да бъдеш щастлив, а не да намериш признание.”
За писмата: с всички адресати е откровена, но с приятелката си Коникова на младини като че ли най-много. Може би защото е именно млада – все още има много търсения, колебания, разочарования. В даден момент дори се изгубва двустранната комуникация, един вид като невидим въображаем приятел си представях емигриралата в САЩ Ева.
Като цяло – открита и емоционална е с всички, на които пише; не е сдържана, дори ако трябва да пази тайните си – говори открито за любов; разказва обикновени и необикновени ежедневни случки, за общи познати, за мечти, планове и реално свършена работа, за природата и пътешествията си. За вътрешните си борби – с мъже или с жени ѝ е истински комфортно; желанието да се наложи като художничка, но и в друг момент – просто да е спокойна и уравновесена (май рядко).
А със семейството – забележителна атмосфера, дори и в годините, когато Дядката (баща ѝ) е крив, особено по време на войната. Споменах и за единия брат, с другия също се разбира, всички се събират непрекъснато. Но отношенията с Хам (майката)! Забележителни, въпреки че и там има колебания на моменти – докъде се простира дългът, има ли право да се изнесе от дома и на 17 години, и на над 40 години да заживее вече само с партньорката си. Все пак в тези по-късни години и със собствени усилия успява да постигне баланс и мир между майката си и приятелката си Тооти (45 години заедно!).
Туве Янсон пише до различни хора в едно и също време и е интересно да се сравни на кого как пише за едни и същи събития- във всеки случай винаги е подробно, живо, честно. И на годеника си Атос, и на първата жена, в която се влюбва (Вивика), и разбира се най-топли писма до семейството. Най-интересните описания във всички писма са за работата, за пътешествията, за любовите, но за мен най-вече за островите (все с тооолкова гости). Първо един, после друг. Не мога да не споделя този любим откъс.
„Разказвала ли съм ти някога как ненавиждам рождените дни и всички семейни празници, юбилеи и Официални празници като цяло?! […]
Може би бих могла да замина за Кловхарун сама, след като всичко приключи и гостите си заминат…? Но на никого няма да кажа, те само се тревожат, че няма да се справя сама. А кой се тревожи, че не се чувствам, в свои води на социални прояви?!
Откакто тук от известно време няма хора, островният живот придоби кротък, повтарящ се ритъм, който създава у мен спокойно, притъпено усещане за мирно съществуване, без отговорности и предчувствия за бедствия.
С Тооти се будим рано, винаги точно в един и същ момент, въпреки че спим в отделни легла. Аз се мушвам при нея и се гушваме силно за известно време, тя включва радиото.
После пускам навън котката, виждам какво е времето и слагам кафето. Мия си зъбите и с рев плюя водата върху Псипсина, това ни е ритуал. Проклетницата изхвърча като тапа.
[…] След това занасям кафе и препечен хляб на Хам в стаята за гости, сервирам за Тооти и мен и чета криминале, докато пия кафето. По-късно през деня идва времето за „по-изискани книги.“ След това котката влиза и зафучава, а ние слизаме на плажа, за да вземем риба от живарника. Много обичам тези сутрешни занимания. После мия съдовете и донасям вода и дърва. Рядко чистим и само от време на време се къпем сред голяма дандания и с тенджери с топла вода на хълма. После обядваме в тесен кръг, някъде по пладне, а обядът се сервира заедно с книга за всяка от нас. Работим.
След обяд Хам поспива. Вечер пием чай, след което четем, слагаме мрежи или играем на карти. Прибираме котката, а аз отивам да запаля лампата на Хам. Всеки ден едно и също. Ако имаме нещо за пиене, към четири пийваме по едно питие. Или по няколко, о, ужас. Не разговаряме много. Така минават дните сред блажен мир.“
„Тук кипи активен семеен живот, откакто семейството му дойде с платноходката си от Швеция, аз рисувам, без въобще да се съобразявам с тях, когато имам работа, а междувременно се включвам, както дойде, в домакинството, вакханалиите, грижите за децата и споровете. Донякъде ми е приятно, а когато ми дойде в повече, се разтоварвам с цепене на дърва.“
Това не са просто някакви си писъмца, това са дълги произведения, т.е. има значение, че ги е писала писателка. И тук ми е приказката – писателка. Не е ли парадокс – поне в наше време кой ли не иска да е писател, а и лесно се „дава“ тази дума: вече има книги, формирани от фейсбук статуси например – и авторът се нарича писател; книга с лични спомени – още един писател. А ето, Туве сама заслужено си спечелва думата с всички книги за деца и възрастни, но иска друго – учила е за това, там е страстта, вложила е много, почти цял живот мечтае да е художничка. И от биографията на Туве Янсон по-рано разбрах, че едва ли не драмата на живота ѝ е, че иска да бъде призната като художничка (не зная доколко е била призната в региона, все пак има доста изложби).
„Платната ми се по-живописни от преди – този път няма да могат да ме нарекат илюстраторка!!!“
Тя обаче се прославя като че ли повече като писателка с Муминтроловете, а дейността ѝ като илюстраторка наистина е огромна, богата, неуморна, до старини. Не зная в кой етап от живота си приема това и дали изобщо го приема, макар че по някое време казва:
„Не ме тревожи, че живописта буксува, тя почти не ме интересува в момента. Не искам друго освен спокойствие.“
Да, шумът покрай Муминтроловете е огромен. За Туве Янсон социалният живот не е особено привлекателен, но се налага, и то не само в Швеция и Финландия. Интересно, че брат ѝ Ларш ѝ е „колега“, но изглежда не търси признание; гледа си парите, гледа си работата като хоби.
„Разбрах, че всъщност не го движи жаждата за слава – иска пари, а те му трябват, за да може да се занимава с приятните за него дейности, и то когато му харесва. […] Аз го разбирам и оценявам този стремеж, който аз самата толкова се затруднявам да усвоя стремежа да бъдеш щастлив, а не да намериш признание.”
За писмата: с всички адресати е откровена, но с приятелката си Коникова на младини като че ли най-много. Може би защото е именно млада – все още има много търсения, колебания, разочарования. В даден момент дори се изгубва двустранната комуникация, един вид като невидим въображаем приятел си представях емигриралата в САЩ Ева.
Като цяло – открита и емоционална е с всички, на които пише; не е сдържана, дори ако трябва да пази тайните си – говори открито за любов; разказва обикновени и необикновени ежедневни случки, за общи познати, за мечти, планове и реално свършена работа, за природата и пътешествията си. За вътрешните си борби – с мъже или с жени ѝ е истински комфортно; желанието да се наложи като художничка, но и в друг момент – просто да е спокойна и уравновесена (май рядко).
А със семейството – забележителна атмосфера, дори и в годините, когато Дядката (баща ѝ) е крив, особено по време на войната. Споменах и за единия брат, с другия също се разбира, всички се събират непрекъснато. Но отношенията с Хам (майката)! Забележителни, въпреки че и там има колебания на моменти – докъде се простира дългът, има ли право да се изнесе от дома и на 17 години, и на над 40 години да заживее вече само с партньорката си. Все пак в тези по-късни години и със собствени усилия успява да постигне баланс и мир между майката си и приятелката си Тооти (45 години заедно!).
Туве Янсон пише до различни хора в едно и също време и е интересно да се сравни на кого как пише за едни и същи събития- във всеки случай винаги е подробно, живо, честно. И на годеника си Атос, и на първата жена, в която се влюбва (Вивика), и разбира се най-топли писма до семейството. Най-интересните описания във всички писма са за работата, за пътешествията, за любовите, но за мен най-вече за островите (все с тооолкова гости). Първо един, после друг. Не мога да не споделя този любим откъс.
„Разказвала ли съм ти някога как ненавиждам рождените дни и всички семейни празници, юбилеи и Официални празници като цяло?! […]
Може би бих могла да замина за Кловхарун сама, след като всичко приключи и гостите си заминат…? Но на никого няма да кажа, те само се тревожат, че няма да се справя сама. А кой се тревожи, че не се чувствам, в свои води на социални прояви?!
Откакто тук от известно време няма хора, островният живот придоби кротък, повтарящ се ритъм, който създава у мен спокойно, притъпено усещане за мирно съществуване, без отговорности и предчувствия за бедствия.
С Тооти се будим рано, винаги точно в един и същ момент, въпреки че спим в отделни легла. Аз се мушвам при нея и се гушваме силно за известно време, тя включва радиото.
После пускам навън котката, виждам какво е времето и слагам кафето. Мия си зъбите и с рев плюя водата върху Псипсина, това ни е ритуал. Проклетницата изхвърча като тапа.
[…] След това занасям кафе и препечен хляб на Хам в стаята за гости, сервирам за Тооти и мен и чета криминале, докато пия кафето. По-късно през деня идва времето за „по-изискани книги.“ След това котката влиза и зафучава, а ние слизаме на плажа, за да вземем риба от живарника. Много обичам тези сутрешни занимания. После мия съдовете и донасям вода и дърва. Рядко чистим и само от време на време се къпем сред голяма дандания и с тенджери с топла вода на хълма. После обядваме в тесен кръг, някъде по пладне, а обядът се сервира заедно с книга за всяка от нас. Работим.
След обяд Хам поспива. Вечер пием чай, след което четем, слагаме мрежи или играем на карти. Прибираме котката, а аз отивам да запаля лампата на Хам. Всеки ден едно и също. Ако имаме нещо за пиене, към четири пийваме по едно питие. Или по няколко, о, ужас. Не разговаряме много. Така минават дните сред блажен мир.“
„Тук кипи активен семеен живот, откакто семейството му дойде с платноходката си от Швеция, аз рисувам, без въобще да се съобразявам с тях, когато имам работа, а междувременно се включвам, както дойде, в домакинството, вакханалиите, грижите за децата и споровете. Донякъде ми е приятно, а когато ми дойде в повече, се разтоварвам с цепене на дърва.“
Read
December 11, 2019(на български по-долу)
Den här brevsamlingen är för alla som är intresserade av konst, Europas historia, feminism, (själv)biografier, den epistolära genren i allmänhet och Tove Jansson och hennes liv och verk i synnerhet. Breven är riktade till flera adressater (familjemedlemmar och vänner) och i dem berättar Tove Jansson om allt som var viktigt för henne, allt som imponerade på henne under hennes resor, allt hon funderade på, allt hon oroade sig för, allt och alla hon älskade. Och inte minst om sina upplevelser under kriget och som många vet var det just då iden om Mumintrollen föddes. Breven skrevs självklart inte för att publiceras, men de är litteratur i sig och är bland det bästa hon har skrivit. Dessutom är boken rikligt illustrerad med fotografier, ritningar och målningar. En fantastisk lektyr för var och en, missa inte "Brev från Tove Jansson".
***
Този сборник с писма е за всички, които се интересуват от изкуство, от историята на Европа, от феминизма, от (авто)биографии, епистоларния жанр като цяло и по-конкретно Туве Янсон и нейните живот и творчество. Писмата са адресирани до различни хора от нейното обкръжение (роднини и приятели) и в тях Туве Янсон разказва за всичко, което е било важно за нея, всичко, което й е правило впечатление по време на пътуванията й, всичко, за което е размишлявала, за което се е тревожила, всичко и всички, които е обичала. И не на последно място за преживяванията си по време на войната, а както мнозина знаят, именно тогава се ражда идеята за муминтроловете. Естествено, писмата не са написани, за да бъдат публикувани, но сами по себе си са литература и са сред най-красивите текстове, които е писала. Освен това книгата е богато илюстрирана с фотографии, рисунки и репродукции на картини. Прекрасно четиво за всеки, не пропускайте "Писма от Туве".
Den här brevsamlingen är för alla som är intresserade av konst, Europas historia, feminism, (själv)biografier, den epistolära genren i allmänhet och Tove Jansson och hennes liv och verk i synnerhet. Breven är riktade till flera adressater (familjemedlemmar och vänner) och i dem berättar Tove Jansson om allt som var viktigt för henne, allt som imponerade på henne under hennes resor, allt hon funderade på, allt hon oroade sig för, allt och alla hon älskade. Och inte minst om sina upplevelser under kriget och som många vet var det just då iden om Mumintrollen föddes. Breven skrevs självklart inte för att publiceras, men de är litteratur i sig och är bland det bästa hon har skrivit. Dessutom är boken rikligt illustrerad med fotografier, ritningar och målningar. En fantastisk lektyr för var och en, missa inte "Brev från Tove Jansson".
***
Този сборник с писма е за всички, които се интересуват от изкуство, от историята на Европа, от феминизма, от (авто)биографии, епистоларния жанр като цяло и по-конкретно Туве Янсон и нейните живот и творчество. Писмата са адресирани до различни хора от нейното обкръжение (роднини и приятели) и в тях Туве Янсон разказва за всичко, което е било важно за нея, всичко, което й е правило впечатление по време на пътуванията й, всичко, за което е размишлявала, за което се е тревожила, всичко и всички, които е обичала. И не на последно място за преживяванията си по време на войната, а както мнозина знаят, именно тогава се ражда идеята за муминтроловете. Естествено, писмата не са написани, за да бъдат публикувани, но сами по себе си са литература и са сред най-красивите текстове, които е писала. Освен това книгата е богато илюстрирана с фотографии, рисунки и репродукции на картини. Прекрасно четиво за всеки, не пропускайте "Писма от Туве".
February 17, 2021
Tove Jansson is one of my all-time favourite authors, from her charming Moomin stories which I have adored from my earliest childhood, to her beautiful and assertive short stories. I had so looked forward to reading the edited collection, Letters from Tove, and although I did not receive a copy for Christmas (despite it being right at the top of my list!), I managed to reserve a copy from my local library.
Letters from Tove has been edited by Boel Westin - the author of a fantastic Jansson biography - and Helen Svensson, and is translated from the original Swedish by Sarah Death. This is the first time that the selected letters have been published in a single edition, along with commentary.
I wholeheartedly agree with Ali Smith - another of my absolute favourite authors - who writes: 'It's hard to describe the astonishing achievement of Jansson's artistry'. I have loved every single piece of work of Jansson's which I have read, and reading her letters, addressed to a number of varied recipients, proved a real privilege. In the introduction, Westin and Svensson write that Jansson 'was a great correspondent, writing frequently and at length...'. They also comment about how important the letter is in Jansson's fiction, from messages found in bottles in the Moomin books, to the epistolatory form which she sometimes used in her short stories.
Letters from Tove has been arranged chronologically by recipient. There are letters here to her friends, family, and lovers of both genders, spanning a vast period between 1933 and 1988. The collection includes letters written to her parents and brothers; the photographer Eva Konikoff, who was one of Jansson's best friends; the director Vivica Bandler; the graphic artist Tuulikki Pietilä, with whom Jansson lived for many years; the translator Maya Vanni; and Jansson's publisher, Åke Runnquist. Although every single year during this period has not been included, an exceptional portrait of a remarkable life is shown to us.
Given that this volume provides just an edited selection of Jansson's letters, one can conclude that she was both prolific and patient - particularly given that every single letter she sent was written by hand! Added to this is the way in which Jansson responded to almost every single fan letter or question which she received, which amounted to almost 2,000 each year. Westin and Svensson estimate that Jansson would have answered around 92,000 such letters between 1954 - when the Moomins became a global success- and 2001, the year in which she died.
'Jansson's letters 'tell us all about herself,' write Westin and Svensson in their introduction. 'They deal with love and friendship, loneliness and solidarity, and also with politics, art, literature and society. But a letter also documents a juncture in time, stops the clock an tells us about things that otherwise get forgotten or sink into the depths of memory.' Whatever she writes about, or however the mood in these letters sits, Westin and Svensson say that 'they rarely leave us unmoved'. The editors have included relatively thorough biographical and contextual information throughout.
The familial scenes which Jansson describes are lively, as are depictions of her extensive travels, and her studies before the Second World War. In one of the earliest letters, written to her 'Beloved Ham' - the affectionate name which she gave her mother - when she was an art student in Stockholm in 1933, Jansson says: 'I am a part of you. More so than the boys... how can I care one jot about Sweden when you're not here?... I'm coming home, and soon. I'm coming home, just the way I was when I left... it may well be that I can now understand you better, help you better, and painstakingly start to appreciate how lucky I am to have you and the rest.' Even in these earliest letters, an alluring philosophical wisdom shines through.
Through reading her letters, I was swept into Jansson's world. I was helped to understand, so acutely, what mattered to her, and the efforts she would go to for those she loved. As in her fiction, the writing in her letters is unsurprisingly rich, nuanced, and astonishingly beautiful. Jansson is searingly honest throughout, and we are given the ability to really see her grow as time goes on. Her letters are open and revealing, and are sometimes startlingly modern. There is much seriousness here, but a great deal of light and hope, too. Letters from Tove provided me with a great deal of joy; it felt like I was reading the words of a dear friend. I really love to read one-sided correspondence like this, and it is certainly a volume which I hope to come back to many more times in future.
I shall close this review with a quote from the volume, which really spoke to me. In 1941, in the midst of a discussion about the Second World War and the tumult which it created in her home of Finland, she writes to Eva Konikoff: 'Strange that it will all just go on, we will paint, travel, love, grieve, collect money, buy things, grow old... whether we want to or not.'
Letters from Tove has been edited by Boel Westin - the author of a fantastic Jansson biography - and Helen Svensson, and is translated from the original Swedish by Sarah Death. This is the first time that the selected letters have been published in a single edition, along with commentary.
I wholeheartedly agree with Ali Smith - another of my absolute favourite authors - who writes: 'It's hard to describe the astonishing achievement of Jansson's artistry'. I have loved every single piece of work of Jansson's which I have read, and reading her letters, addressed to a number of varied recipients, proved a real privilege. In the introduction, Westin and Svensson write that Jansson 'was a great correspondent, writing frequently and at length...'. They also comment about how important the letter is in Jansson's fiction, from messages found in bottles in the Moomin books, to the epistolatory form which she sometimes used in her short stories.
Letters from Tove has been arranged chronologically by recipient. There are letters here to her friends, family, and lovers of both genders, spanning a vast period between 1933 and 1988. The collection includes letters written to her parents and brothers; the photographer Eva Konikoff, who was one of Jansson's best friends; the director Vivica Bandler; the graphic artist Tuulikki Pietilä, with whom Jansson lived for many years; the translator Maya Vanni; and Jansson's publisher, Åke Runnquist. Although every single year during this period has not been included, an exceptional portrait of a remarkable life is shown to us.
Given that this volume provides just an edited selection of Jansson's letters, one can conclude that she was both prolific and patient - particularly given that every single letter she sent was written by hand! Added to this is the way in which Jansson responded to almost every single fan letter or question which she received, which amounted to almost 2,000 each year. Westin and Svensson estimate that Jansson would have answered around 92,000 such letters between 1954 - when the Moomins became a global success- and 2001, the year in which she died.
'Jansson's letters 'tell us all about herself,' write Westin and Svensson in their introduction. 'They deal with love and friendship, loneliness and solidarity, and also with politics, art, literature and society. But a letter also documents a juncture in time, stops the clock an tells us about things that otherwise get forgotten or sink into the depths of memory.' Whatever she writes about, or however the mood in these letters sits, Westin and Svensson say that 'they rarely leave us unmoved'. The editors have included relatively thorough biographical and contextual information throughout.
The familial scenes which Jansson describes are lively, as are depictions of her extensive travels, and her studies before the Second World War. In one of the earliest letters, written to her 'Beloved Ham' - the affectionate name which she gave her mother - when she was an art student in Stockholm in 1933, Jansson says: 'I am a part of you. More so than the boys... how can I care one jot about Sweden when you're not here?... I'm coming home, and soon. I'm coming home, just the way I was when I left... it may well be that I can now understand you better, help you better, and painstakingly start to appreciate how lucky I am to have you and the rest.' Even in these earliest letters, an alluring philosophical wisdom shines through.
Through reading her letters, I was swept into Jansson's world. I was helped to understand, so acutely, what mattered to her, and the efforts she would go to for those she loved. As in her fiction, the writing in her letters is unsurprisingly rich, nuanced, and astonishingly beautiful. Jansson is searingly honest throughout, and we are given the ability to really see her grow as time goes on. Her letters are open and revealing, and are sometimes startlingly modern. There is much seriousness here, but a great deal of light and hope, too. Letters from Tove provided me with a great deal of joy; it felt like I was reading the words of a dear friend. I really love to read one-sided correspondence like this, and it is certainly a volume which I hope to come back to many more times in future.
I shall close this review with a quote from the volume, which really spoke to me. In 1941, in the midst of a discussion about the Second World War and the tumult which it created in her home of Finland, she writes to Eva Konikoff: 'Strange that it will all just go on, we will paint, travel, love, grieve, collect money, buy things, grow old... whether we want to or not.'
May 31, 2021
This collection of letters from Tove Jansson covers the years when she studied in Sweden to the late 1980s. It includes letters to her family, friends, and lovers. If you like the Moomins there are some wonderful tidbits about the books in here, in particular when she is writing about crafting them. (Also Little My was put on feminine sanitary items).
What is perhaps more heartening is reading how a person becomes a person, and Janson's discovery of what her sexuality is. Feminists will also find the letter where Janson struggles to think over her relationship with a fellow artist during the Second World War - in particular why he thinks he is allowed the excuse of urges and women are not, to be particularly insightful.
The collection is sectioned off by correspondent, which makes sense in part, but also, if one reads it straight though, leave a very disjointed feeling. For instance, early in the collection, one reads about Jansson's brother Lars' getting a divorced and he and Sophia moving in with Ham (Janson's mother). At that point, it was unclear that Lars was married and who exactly Sophia was. It is only over 100 pages letter that there is a note about Lars' wife Nita and daughter Sophia. This note should have come earlier, and it was distracting to line that letter up in the time sequence with the letter about the divorce. Quite frankly, while a good amount of information is given on the correspondents and Jansson's parents, there is little about her brothers in the notes and introductory sections. Including more information about the brothers would have helped.
What is perhaps more heartening is reading how a person becomes a person, and Janson's discovery of what her sexuality is. Feminists will also find the letter where Janson struggles to think over her relationship with a fellow artist during the Second World War - in particular why he thinks he is allowed the excuse of urges and women are not, to be particularly insightful.
The collection is sectioned off by correspondent, which makes sense in part, but also, if one reads it straight though, leave a very disjointed feeling. For instance, early in the collection, one reads about Jansson's brother Lars' getting a divorced and he and Sophia moving in with Ham (Janson's mother). At that point, it was unclear that Lars was married and who exactly Sophia was. It is only over 100 pages letter that there is a note about Lars' wife Nita and daughter Sophia. This note should have come earlier, and it was distracting to line that letter up in the time sequence with the letter about the divorce. Quite frankly, while a good amount of information is given on the correspondents and Jansson's parents, there is little about her brothers in the notes and introductory sections. Including more information about the brothers would have helped.
December 31, 2014
Pienestä alun ristiriidasta huolimatta täytyy sanoa, että voi kyllä. Voiko tämän lähemmäksi enää nykyihminen Tove Janssonia päästä? Tuskin. Janssonin kirjeet ovat niin taitavasti kirjoitettu, että ne ovat kaikki pieniä tarinoita ja novelleja, mutta tällä kertaa Janssonista itsestään ja hänen elämästään.
October 3, 2019
‘All my great joys, all my agonies, all my thoughts’
Tove Jansson, best known as the creator of the Moomin characters, was a multi-disciplinary artist: writer, cartoonist, painter, sculptor – and a letter-writer, now very much a lost art. She almost always took time, even at the height of her fame, to reply to thousands of letters from her fans (including me as a child in Uganda in the 60s). This fresh collection with new commentaries covers 50 years of her correspondence with family, loved ones and colleagues, offering a unique insight into her extraordinary creativity and quicksilver mind and heart. The correspondence portrays not only a vivid diary of Tove herself and her thoughts and emotions, but also her world and culture: 20th century Finnish and Swedish bohemian society, politics, art and literature. As editor Boel Westin points out, letters feature frequently as a motif in Tove’s work; like herself, her characters are always communicating.
Almost 500 pages, the volume is liberally illustrated with black and white images, both photographs and Tove’s own drawings. Appropriately, Tove often illustrated her letters herself, offering an extra dimension to her thoughts, her art telling its own stories.
Tove’s letters to her family are presented in two overall sections, divided by the death of her father in 1958. The former, often addressed to ‘beloved everyone’, reveal her sense of responsibility to earn money for the family, while the latter are more focused on her bereaved mother.
She refers to her own writing as ‘just the most unliterary scribble of memories and thoughts as they flutter by, repetitions and childish drivel. All I’m doing is “talking”.’ This self-deprecation belies the engaging charm and vivid imagery of her style. Her enthusiasm for painting is described as ‘really splashing the paint about.’ Writing to her mother, she admits to her candour: ‘When I talk to you, at any rate, I find everything just comes spilling out of me!’
The chapter covering 25 years of letters to Tove’s friend Eva Konikoff finds her confessing the great intimacy she experiences in their exchanges: ‘I seem able to talk to you about all my great joys, all my agonies, everything going on in my head…’ Boel Westin describes these aptly as ‘living conversations’, even though one-sided. Tove’s life-changing decisions are shared, such as the self-awareness about her creativity that coincides with when she first moves out from home: ‘I’ve no access to that blossoming world of dreams any longer – I’m trying to establish myself in the real world.’ Touchingly, she often pleads with wartime censors to let her letters get through to Eva, with reassurances that there is no political content.
Her first ‘captivated’ impressions of the ‘indifferent metropolis’ London, from two ‘working weeks’ at Fleet Street in 1954, are vividly captured: ‘…it feels like drowning in a whirlpool of speed and a few million people’s unconcern.’ In 1971, she described the city centre as ‘one big fancy-dress ball.’ Paris, a favourite destination and ‘miracle’, by 1975 becomes ‘more of a concept than a place.’
Tove’s independence, especially as a young solo female traveller, is striking for the period; she describes her ‘wanderlust, my longing to see as many things of beauty as possible’, during insatiable travels. The chapter of letters to her later long-term life partner Tuulikki Pietilä reveal more of Tove’s major life changes as she discovers a companion with whom she can live, work and travel spontaneously; with ‘Tooti’ she discovers freedom in many new ways, and effectively collaborates and is inspired artistically like never before. She feels ‘like a garden that’s finally been watered, so her flowers can bloom.’
Not just a single voice expressing only her own thoughts and feelings, Tove’s missives regularly reflect her thoughtful concerns about her correspondents’ unseen comments, complementing the picture by such caring and considerate; tactfully minimal annotations by the editors help fill in obscure or missing details.
Writing to her friend Maya Vanni, who served as a trusted touchstone for Tove’s three-way relationship (‘the old triangle’) with her mother Ham and partner Tuulikki, she says: ‘a letter that you burn - please! - is better than talking.’ Thankfully, these treasures escaped burning, and through them we have the privilege of hearing Tove’s voice speaking to us.
As a fan who can trace my love for Tove’s work back to early childhood (indeed, much of my learning to read was thanks to the Moomin cartoon strips), ‘Letters from Tove’ is both a delight and a revelation. At the end of ‘The Memoirs of Moominpappa’ she writes about: ‘A new door to the Unbelievable, to the Possible. A new day when everything may happen if you have no objection to it.’ Whether you are a Tove Jansson fan who feels you already know her from her other works - as I thought I did - or are discovering her for the first time, this lovingly curated book has much wonder to offer – truly a ‘new door’, a new window into her soul and art.
Tove Jansson, best known as the creator of the Moomin characters, was a multi-disciplinary artist: writer, cartoonist, painter, sculptor – and a letter-writer, now very much a lost art. She almost always took time, even at the height of her fame, to reply to thousands of letters from her fans (including me as a child in Uganda in the 60s). This fresh collection with new commentaries covers 50 years of her correspondence with family, loved ones and colleagues, offering a unique insight into her extraordinary creativity and quicksilver mind and heart. The correspondence portrays not only a vivid diary of Tove herself and her thoughts and emotions, but also her world and culture: 20th century Finnish and Swedish bohemian society, politics, art and literature. As editor Boel Westin points out, letters feature frequently as a motif in Tove’s work; like herself, her characters are always communicating.
Almost 500 pages, the volume is liberally illustrated with black and white images, both photographs and Tove’s own drawings. Appropriately, Tove often illustrated her letters herself, offering an extra dimension to her thoughts, her art telling its own stories.
Tove’s letters to her family are presented in two overall sections, divided by the death of her father in 1958. The former, often addressed to ‘beloved everyone’, reveal her sense of responsibility to earn money for the family, while the latter are more focused on her bereaved mother.
She refers to her own writing as ‘just the most unliterary scribble of memories and thoughts as they flutter by, repetitions and childish drivel. All I’m doing is “talking”.’ This self-deprecation belies the engaging charm and vivid imagery of her style. Her enthusiasm for painting is described as ‘really splashing the paint about.’ Writing to her mother, she admits to her candour: ‘When I talk to you, at any rate, I find everything just comes spilling out of me!’
The chapter covering 25 years of letters to Tove’s friend Eva Konikoff finds her confessing the great intimacy she experiences in their exchanges: ‘I seem able to talk to you about all my great joys, all my agonies, everything going on in my head…’ Boel Westin describes these aptly as ‘living conversations’, even though one-sided. Tove’s life-changing decisions are shared, such as the self-awareness about her creativity that coincides with when she first moves out from home: ‘I’ve no access to that blossoming world of dreams any longer – I’m trying to establish myself in the real world.’ Touchingly, she often pleads with wartime censors to let her letters get through to Eva, with reassurances that there is no political content.
Her first ‘captivated’ impressions of the ‘indifferent metropolis’ London, from two ‘working weeks’ at Fleet Street in 1954, are vividly captured: ‘…it feels like drowning in a whirlpool of speed and a few million people’s unconcern.’ In 1971, she described the city centre as ‘one big fancy-dress ball.’ Paris, a favourite destination and ‘miracle’, by 1975 becomes ‘more of a concept than a place.’
Tove’s independence, especially as a young solo female traveller, is striking for the period; she describes her ‘wanderlust, my longing to see as many things of beauty as possible’, during insatiable travels. The chapter of letters to her later long-term life partner Tuulikki Pietilä reveal more of Tove’s major life changes as she discovers a companion with whom she can live, work and travel spontaneously; with ‘Tooti’ she discovers freedom in many new ways, and effectively collaborates and is inspired artistically like never before. She feels ‘like a garden that’s finally been watered, so her flowers can bloom.’
Not just a single voice expressing only her own thoughts and feelings, Tove’s missives regularly reflect her thoughtful concerns about her correspondents’ unseen comments, complementing the picture by such caring and considerate; tactfully minimal annotations by the editors help fill in obscure or missing details.
Writing to her friend Maya Vanni, who served as a trusted touchstone for Tove’s three-way relationship (‘the old triangle’) with her mother Ham and partner Tuulikki, she says: ‘a letter that you burn - please! - is better than talking.’ Thankfully, these treasures escaped burning, and through them we have the privilege of hearing Tove’s voice speaking to us.
As a fan who can trace my love for Tove’s work back to early childhood (indeed, much of my learning to read was thanks to the Moomin cartoon strips), ‘Letters from Tove’ is both a delight and a revelation. At the end of ‘The Memoirs of Moominpappa’ she writes about: ‘A new door to the Unbelievable, to the Possible. A new day when everything may happen if you have no objection to it.’ Whether you are a Tove Jansson fan who feels you already know her from her other works - as I thought I did - or are discovering her for the first time, this lovingly curated book has much wonder to offer – truly a ‘new door’, a new window into her soul and art.
March 1, 2020
Увлекателен поглед отвътре към живота на Туве Янсон - по-скоро семейния, отколкото професионалния - родителите, приятелите, партньорите..
Чувствителна, спонтанна и неприкрита млада дама, за мен по-интересна беше първата част на книгата с писма на младата Туве. Към края, признавам си, започнах да се отегчавам, влизат много нови участници, които се следят трудно и т.н.
Като цяло - интересно, кара ме да искам да прочета повече от нея и особено романи и разкази извън мумините.
Чувствителна, спонтанна и неприкрита млада дама, за мен по-интересна беше първата част на книгата с писма на младата Туве. Към края, признавам си, започнах да се отегчавам, влизат много нови участници, които се следят трудно и т.н.
Като цяло - интересно, кара ме да искам да прочета повече от нея и особено романи и разкази извън мумините.
January 2, 2019
[PL] Znając poglądy Tove Jansson na prywatność, miałam dużo wątpliwości, czy powinnam te listy czytać - ale nie mogłam się oprzeć szansie bliższego poznania jednej z najważniejszych dla mnie artystek. Listy Jansson są takie, jaką sobie ją samą wyobrażałam: trochę chaotyczne, przenikliwe, pełne uczuć i cierpkiego humoru. Wyjątkowy, świetnie opisany i przygotowany zbiór.
July 9, 2021
Being Swedish, Tove Jansson’s Moomin stories were a great part of my childhood and her books, poems, illustrations and prose (especially Höstvisa) are still a huge part of my life and something I come back to every now and then. That being said, I realised, reading this collection of letters sent to people in her life that I knew next to nothing about Jansson as a person. I’d been so engaged in her works (primarily Moomin) that I’d never really thought about who she was. And that’s why I enjoyed this book so much as it gave me that part of Jansson that I hadn’t really thought about before. She lived an interesting life and you could really feel the love, the compassion, the creative spirit that she possessed through these letters to the people nearest and dearest to her.
Tove Jansson seems, by reading her letters, to be a most pleasant person. Full of heart, writing beautifully long letters about her everyday life and being interested in what the other person’s doing and how they are. This book is full of heart. It was interesting to read about Finland during WW2 in this way, something I’ve never done before (although I’ve read loads about Norway during the same time period), and reading about her joy of being sent coffee and chocolates from her friend Eva Konikoff just after the War ended.
I did enjoy the short descriptions made after each chapters explaining some of Jansson’s abbreviations and to get some more information on the people mentioned as well as translations of untranslatable Finnish and Swedish words. As someone who has lived in Stockholm their whole life her descriptions of Stockholm were interesting to me as an individual, especially the observations about the Klarakvarteren!
This is a most beautiful book about an author who produced so many stories and texts in different mediums. I felt like I got to know her personally, which I guess I did, considering these are – mostly – all personal letters being sent off (perhaps not with the intent of being published in this way?) but I’m happy that I got to read this and learn more about this fascinating person and author.
Tove Jansson seems, by reading her letters, to be a most pleasant person. Full of heart, writing beautifully long letters about her everyday life and being interested in what the other person’s doing and how they are. This book is full of heart. It was interesting to read about Finland during WW2 in this way, something I’ve never done before (although I’ve read loads about Norway during the same time period), and reading about her joy of being sent coffee and chocolates from her friend Eva Konikoff just after the War ended.
I did enjoy the short descriptions made after each chapters explaining some of Jansson’s abbreviations and to get some more information on the people mentioned as well as translations of untranslatable Finnish and Swedish words. As someone who has lived in Stockholm their whole life her descriptions of Stockholm were interesting to me as an individual, especially the observations about the Klarakvarteren!
This is a most beautiful book about an author who produced so many stories and texts in different mediums. I felt like I got to know her personally, which I guess I did, considering these are – mostly – all personal letters being sent off (perhaps not with the intent of being published in this way?) but I’m happy that I got to read this and learn more about this fascinating person and author.
November 24, 2019
This is a giant warm cuddle of a book. It took me a while to read as the letters are many and to some extent a little repetitive, but I loved effectively being able to hear Tove Jansson speak honestly to the people she was close to. The book only includes Tove’s letters, not the other half, so there is always part of the conversation missing, which also makes it a little bit of a mystery puzzle.
The correspondence is organised by addressee, beginning with letters that Tove sent to her family when she went to art school in Stockholm, and then two long trips to France and Italy to further her art education. Young Tove was very adventurous, sociable and passionate – about art and about people. I laughed out loud at her descriptions of the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris, where she was treated awfully and quickly left for a smaller school where she felt she was actually learning.
Her parents were both artists themselves and lived for part of every year in an artists’ colony – a lifestyle that Tove carried into her own adulthood, but it often clashed with her desire for solitude and peace, and this clash is something that is increasingly the focus of her letters. But her biggest fight is always with her own art.
You can read my full review here: http://www.noseinabook.co.uk/2019/11/...
The correspondence is organised by addressee, beginning with letters that Tove sent to her family when she went to art school in Stockholm, and then two long trips to France and Italy to further her art education. Young Tove was very adventurous, sociable and passionate – about art and about people. I laughed out loud at her descriptions of the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris, where she was treated awfully and quickly left for a smaller school where she felt she was actually learning.
Her parents were both artists themselves and lived for part of every year in an artists’ colony – a lifestyle that Tove carried into her own adulthood, but it often clashed with her desire for solitude and peace, and this clash is something that is increasingly the focus of her letters. But her biggest fight is always with her own art.
You can read my full review here: http://www.noseinabook.co.uk/2019/11/...
March 3, 2017
Tämä on taas yksi niistä, jotka vaan on hankittava omaan hyllyyn, jotta näiden kirjeiden pariin voi palata aina kun siltä sattuu tuntumaan. Voi kunpa mulla olisi tällaisia kirjeitä kirjoittava ystävä!
May 6, 2023
“𝐼 𝒽𝑜𝓅𝑒 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝓌𝒾𝓁𝓁 𝒸𝑜𝓃𝓉𝒾𝓃𝓊𝑒 𝓉𝒽𝒾𝓈 𝓈𝓉𝑜𝓇𝓎 𝑜𝒻 𝓎𝑜𝓊𝓇 𝓁𝒾𝒻𝑒. 𝒴𝑜𝓊 𝓌𝓇𝒾𝓉𝑒 𝒻𝑜𝓇 𝒶𝓁𝓁 𝒶𝑔𝑒𝓈. 𝒴𝑜𝓊 𝓎𝑜𝓊𝓇𝓈𝑒𝓁𝒻 𝒶𝓇𝑒 𝒶𝓁𝓁 𝒶𝑔𝑒𝓈, 𝒻𝓇𝑜𝓂 𝓎𝑜𝓊𝓃𝑔𝑒𝓈𝓉 𝓉𝑜 𝑒𝓁𝒹𝑒𝓈𝓉 , 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝓅𝑒𝓇𝓅𝑒𝓉𝓊𝒶𝓁𝓁𝓎 𝒶𝓉 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓈𝓉𝒶𝓇𝓉 𝑜𝒻 𝓎𝑜𝓊𝓇 𝓁𝒾𝒻𝑒 𝓌𝒽𝒾𝒸𝒽 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝒽𝒶𝓋𝑒 𝒶𝓁𝓇𝑒𝒶𝒹𝓎 𝓁𝒾𝓋𝑒𝒹 𝓂𝒶𝓃𝓎 𝓉𝒾𝓂𝑒𝓈 𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓇. 𝒯𝒽𝑒𝓇𝑒 𝒾𝓈 𝒶 𝓈𝒽𝑜𝓇𝓉 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝓅𝓇𝑒𝒸𝒾𝓈𝑒 𝓌𝑜𝓇𝒹 𝒻𝑜𝓇 𝓉𝒽𝒶𝓉: 𝓰𝓮𝓷𝓲𝓾𝓼.”
- Atos Wirtanen to Tove Jansson
A beautifully warm read for any lovers of Tove - this is definitely one for superfans. The book covers Tove’s letters to friends, family and lovers over 50 years and visits historical events, travel, art, literature, and of course, moonins.
500 pages of letters makes it quite an intensive read, but oh god it’s so beautiful, rendering and timeless - like reading a hug. It offers a window for us to see Tove’s thoughts, feelings, relationships and inspirations during the time she wrote and illustrated the books we all love.
For a long time she has been probably my only constant creative and moral inspiration but if these letters show me anything it’s what a privilege it would have been to be her friend. I felt a real sadness finishing this book. I think a re-read of The Summer Book is due sometime soon.
- Atos Wirtanen to Tove Jansson
A beautifully warm read for any lovers of Tove - this is definitely one for superfans. The book covers Tove’s letters to friends, family and lovers over 50 years and visits historical events, travel, art, literature, and of course, moonins.
500 pages of letters makes it quite an intensive read, but oh god it’s so beautiful, rendering and timeless - like reading a hug. It offers a window for us to see Tove’s thoughts, feelings, relationships and inspirations during the time she wrote and illustrated the books we all love.
For a long time she has been probably my only constant creative and moral inspiration but if these letters show me anything it’s what a privilege it would have been to be her friend. I felt a real sadness finishing this book. I think a re-read of The Summer Book is due sometime soon.
July 3, 2020
Det var en spännande, lite märklig läsning som gav mig en helt ny syn på Tove.. möjligtvis för att det är en bok som erbjuder en helt ny insyn till att börja med.
March 16, 2022
lähti tosi hitaasti, nuoren toven kirjeet luonnollisesti etsi vielä tyyliään eikä siksi hetkauttaneet kovinkaan. mutta loppua kohden parani ja olikin sitä mitä odotin❣️
December 22, 2022
I think this is a book for the Jansson superfan to be honest.
Although some of the letters are very sweet and poignant, reading such a great volume of them does become repetitive after a while.
This was a library loan so not a book I could dip in and out of, but I'm thinking that would be the best way to approach this one, little and often instead of all in at once.
Although some of the letters are very sweet and poignant, reading such a great volume of them does become repetitive after a while.
This was a library loan so not a book I could dip in and out of, but I'm thinking that would be the best way to approach this one, little and often instead of all in at once.
Read
March 9, 2020I never really had the opportunity to get into the Moominverse, but I have friends who are, so that curiosity led me to this book. Jansson's maturity progresses visibly as things progress from her art student days in Paris to making a living as an artist during wartime. The amount of terms left untranslated but defined after some letters is helpful but also got annoying as it all added up. Still, for what is basically an epistolary biography, this is good, but also perhaps too much detail that one may ever want to know about Jansson. (I got a free copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley.)
August 18, 2020
Tak naprawdę podobało mi się na 3, bo czytanie cudzej korespondencji budzi we mnie niejasne poczucie winy, a nawet nieco obrzydzenia, ale w kategorii „cudza korespondencja” zapewne zasługuje na 5. No i są ilustracje!
January 15, 2020
What a treasure, to have these letters from one of the great creators! Jansson’s portrayals of life and love offer an intimate look at the hopes and obstacles she faced in her education, career, friendships, and love life.
August 21, 2015
Tove Jansson's private letters are literature, like beautiful short stories.
September 13, 2016
Tunnelmallinen, hauska ja terävä kurkistus 1900-luvun alkupuoliskon Helsinkiin ja taiteilijan arkeen. Saaristoelämää, ihmissuhteita, bisnestä sulassa sovussa.
Read
November 6, 2018Ihana kirja, onneks vahingossa poimin ogelin kirjastosta tän. Oispa kirjekavereita! ✉️✉️✉️
December 5, 2025
”Rankkojen äkillisten sadekuurojen jälkeen, kun bulevardit ovat yllättäen märkiä, kellanvaaleassa tai kirkkaan violetissa valossa, silloin kukat ovat kauneimmillaan!”
Paksu kokoelma Tove Janssonin perheelleen, ystävilleen ja rakastetuilleen lähettämiä kirjeitä. Ennen sähköisiä viestimiä kirjeet dokumentoivat kanssakäymistä - mitä meidän omasta ajastamme jää jälkeen?
”Ympärillä kamala villinä, ihmisiä, kontakteja, suhteita – syvällä sisimmässä kuitenkin julma äänetön yksinäisyys.”
Kirjeet kertovat matkoista sekä yksinkertaisesta elämästä mökillä saaristossa - ihanaa!
”Näistä aamupuuhista pidän paljon. Sitten hoidetaan tiskit ja haetaan vettä ja puita. Me siivoamme harvoin ja peseydymme vain silloin tällöin hirveällä elämällä ja lämminvesipaljut pihalla. Sitten olemme primitiivisiä päivälliseen asti ja joka syödään johonkin aikaan keskellä päivää ja tarjoillaan molemmille kirjan kera.”
Toven kirjeitä on ihmeellisen hyvin säilynyt, eikä hän varmaan ollut ihan tavallinen kirjeiden kirjoittaja. Teksteistä tunnistaa mm. muumikirjoista tutun kielen. Nuoruuden kirjeiden lapsekkaasta innokkuudesta tuli välillä mieleen Vihervaaran Anna. Kumpikin näki luonnon ihanana, ja osasi sanoittaa ihastuksensa romanttisen kauniisti.
”Makaan sängyssä ja katselen koivua ikkunani takana, se kahisee kuin tuhat silkkialushametta, meri velloo tummanvihreänä ja ensimmäiset sateet ovat tulleet.”
Tove myös kuvitti kirjeitä upeilla piirustuksilla. Miten viitseliästä! On ollut kulttuuriteko kerätä kirjeet kirjaksi ja kaikkien luettavaksi. Vaikka hivenen tirkistelijöksi itseni tunsin kun luin yksityisiä kirjeitä. Tuskin Tove niitä kirjoittaessaan mietti että minä ja muu yleisö niitä luemme joskus 90 vuotta myöhemmin… Yhdessäkin lesbolaisuudesta ja tilapäisistä suhteista kertovassa kirjeessään Tove pyytää vastaanottajaa polttamaan kirjeen. Mitä tämä selvästikään ei ole tehnyt.
”Minun käsitykseni on että maailma on täynnä naisia joiden miehet eivät tyydytä heidän hellyyden, erotiikan, ymmärryksen jne. tarpeitaan.”
Toven kirjeiden kautta lukijalle avautuu millaista nuoren naisen oli matkustella yksikseen Euroopassa 1930-luvulla, miten ihanaa elämä voi olla mökillä saaristossa ja minkälaista sota-aika oli Suomessa tavallisen kotirintamalsisen näkökulmasta. Erittäin mielenkiintoista! Kiehtovaa ajankuvaa arkisten asioiden kautta, ja kuitenkin niin ettei kirjeiden kirjoittaja ihan tavallinen tallaaja ole.
”Rakas Eeva! Kerrankin sinulle kirjoittaa onnellinen Tove. Olen yksin Pellinginissä ja viihdyn mainiosti absoluuttisessa hiljaisuudessa, kun saan kuljeskella karmeimmissa, mukavimmissa vanhoissa rääsyissäni ja rytmittää päiväni ihan oman pääni mukaan.”
Lisäksi Tove kirjoittaa paljon maalaamisesta ja taiteesta. Mielenkiintoista päästö sisälle myös taiteen maailmaan tällä tavalla, se on kaikki itselleni niin vierasta, mutta Tovelle koko elämä.
”Ensinnäkin osuin keskelle miesmallien viikkoa enkä tiedä pahempaa kuin viiksekkäiden lihaskimppujen maalaaminen (varmaan siksi että se on vaikeinta) ja ne vielä vaihtavat jatkuvasti jalkaa.”
Saaristo ja meri on aina ollut Tovelle tärkeää. Se näkyy Muumikirjoissa ja myös näissä kirjeissä, joissa hän usein kertoo viettävänsä aikaa Pellingissä ja Bredskärillä.
”Tullessamme olin valmis itkemään uupumuksen ja hermojen takia, nyt ovat rauhaisat taivaat, horisontit, hiljaisuus ja päivien ystävällinen yksitoikkoisuus pyyhkineet kaiken pois. On merkillistä ajatella että on ollut aika jolla minä en ’pitänyt luonnosta’. Onpa hölmöä.”
Vaikka Tove Jansson kertoo kirjeissään paljon perheestään, ystävistään ja tuttavuuksistaan, tapaamisista ja juhlimisesta, hän selkeästi kaipaa saaristoon omaan rauhaan. Tämä teema toistuu kirjeissä, ja voin kyllä samaistua. Missä ihminen olisi onnellisimmillaan kuin luonnon keskellä, meren äärellä.
”Minua juhlitaan kovasti mikä on hauskaa, muttei kovin tärkeää. Ajattelen usein Bredskäriin pakkaamista ja mietin minkä mittaista salaatti jo on. Kaipaan päästä hakkaamaan halkoja.”
Kirjeissä kuullaan ainoastaan Janssonin puoli tarinasta. Olisi ollut hauska lukea myös miten vastapuolet kirjeisiin vastasivat! Etenkin rakastajat. Mutta silloin kirjasta olisi tullut aivan liian pitkä, se oli nyt jo siinä rajoilla, sillä teos sisälsi todella paljon kirjeitä.
”Olen lujasti päättänyt tavata vain niin vähän ihmisiä kuin mahdollista, ja sanoa ei suunnilleen kaikelle, jotta ehtisin tuntea eläväni, en halua olla mikään aikataulutettu tehokone.”
Paksu kokoelma Tove Janssonin perheelleen, ystävilleen ja rakastetuilleen lähettämiä kirjeitä. Ennen sähköisiä viestimiä kirjeet dokumentoivat kanssakäymistä - mitä meidän omasta ajastamme jää jälkeen?
”Ympärillä kamala villinä, ihmisiä, kontakteja, suhteita – syvällä sisimmässä kuitenkin julma äänetön yksinäisyys.”
Kirjeet kertovat matkoista sekä yksinkertaisesta elämästä mökillä saaristossa - ihanaa!
”Näistä aamupuuhista pidän paljon. Sitten hoidetaan tiskit ja haetaan vettä ja puita. Me siivoamme harvoin ja peseydymme vain silloin tällöin hirveällä elämällä ja lämminvesipaljut pihalla. Sitten olemme primitiivisiä päivälliseen asti ja joka syödään johonkin aikaan keskellä päivää ja tarjoillaan molemmille kirjan kera.”
Toven kirjeitä on ihmeellisen hyvin säilynyt, eikä hän varmaan ollut ihan tavallinen kirjeiden kirjoittaja. Teksteistä tunnistaa mm. muumikirjoista tutun kielen. Nuoruuden kirjeiden lapsekkaasta innokkuudesta tuli välillä mieleen Vihervaaran Anna. Kumpikin näki luonnon ihanana, ja osasi sanoittaa ihastuksensa romanttisen kauniisti.
”Makaan sängyssä ja katselen koivua ikkunani takana, se kahisee kuin tuhat silkkialushametta, meri velloo tummanvihreänä ja ensimmäiset sateet ovat tulleet.”
Tove myös kuvitti kirjeitä upeilla piirustuksilla. Miten viitseliästä! On ollut kulttuuriteko kerätä kirjeet kirjaksi ja kaikkien luettavaksi. Vaikka hivenen tirkistelijöksi itseni tunsin kun luin yksityisiä kirjeitä. Tuskin Tove niitä kirjoittaessaan mietti että minä ja muu yleisö niitä luemme joskus 90 vuotta myöhemmin… Yhdessäkin lesbolaisuudesta ja tilapäisistä suhteista kertovassa kirjeessään Tove pyytää vastaanottajaa polttamaan kirjeen. Mitä tämä selvästikään ei ole tehnyt.
”Minun käsitykseni on että maailma on täynnä naisia joiden miehet eivät tyydytä heidän hellyyden, erotiikan, ymmärryksen jne. tarpeitaan.”
Toven kirjeiden kautta lukijalle avautuu millaista nuoren naisen oli matkustella yksikseen Euroopassa 1930-luvulla, miten ihanaa elämä voi olla mökillä saaristossa ja minkälaista sota-aika oli Suomessa tavallisen kotirintamalsisen näkökulmasta. Erittäin mielenkiintoista! Kiehtovaa ajankuvaa arkisten asioiden kautta, ja kuitenkin niin ettei kirjeiden kirjoittaja ihan tavallinen tallaaja ole.
”Rakas Eeva! Kerrankin sinulle kirjoittaa onnellinen Tove. Olen yksin Pellinginissä ja viihdyn mainiosti absoluuttisessa hiljaisuudessa, kun saan kuljeskella karmeimmissa, mukavimmissa vanhoissa rääsyissäni ja rytmittää päiväni ihan oman pääni mukaan.”
Lisäksi Tove kirjoittaa paljon maalaamisesta ja taiteesta. Mielenkiintoista päästö sisälle myös taiteen maailmaan tällä tavalla, se on kaikki itselleni niin vierasta, mutta Tovelle koko elämä.
”Ensinnäkin osuin keskelle miesmallien viikkoa enkä tiedä pahempaa kuin viiksekkäiden lihaskimppujen maalaaminen (varmaan siksi että se on vaikeinta) ja ne vielä vaihtavat jatkuvasti jalkaa.”
Saaristo ja meri on aina ollut Tovelle tärkeää. Se näkyy Muumikirjoissa ja myös näissä kirjeissä, joissa hän usein kertoo viettävänsä aikaa Pellingissä ja Bredskärillä.
”Tullessamme olin valmis itkemään uupumuksen ja hermojen takia, nyt ovat rauhaisat taivaat, horisontit, hiljaisuus ja päivien ystävällinen yksitoikkoisuus pyyhkineet kaiken pois. On merkillistä ajatella että on ollut aika jolla minä en ’pitänyt luonnosta’. Onpa hölmöä.”
Vaikka Tove Jansson kertoo kirjeissään paljon perheestään, ystävistään ja tuttavuuksistaan, tapaamisista ja juhlimisesta, hän selkeästi kaipaa saaristoon omaan rauhaan. Tämä teema toistuu kirjeissä, ja voin kyllä samaistua. Missä ihminen olisi onnellisimmillaan kuin luonnon keskellä, meren äärellä.
”Minua juhlitaan kovasti mikä on hauskaa, muttei kovin tärkeää. Ajattelen usein Bredskäriin pakkaamista ja mietin minkä mittaista salaatti jo on. Kaipaan päästä hakkaamaan halkoja.”
Kirjeissä kuullaan ainoastaan Janssonin puoli tarinasta. Olisi ollut hauska lukea myös miten vastapuolet kirjeisiin vastasivat! Etenkin rakastajat. Mutta silloin kirjasta olisi tullut aivan liian pitkä, se oli nyt jo siinä rajoilla, sillä teos sisälsi todella paljon kirjeitä.
”Olen lujasti päättänyt tavata vain niin vähän ihmisiä kuin mahdollista, ja sanoa ei suunnilleen kaikelle, jotta ehtisin tuntea eläväni, en halua olla mikään aikataulutettu tehokone.”
April 15, 2020
Tove Jansson oli innokas kirjeiden kirjoittaja. Hän kirjoitti usein perheelleen, ystävilleen ja rakastetuilleen. Muumien luoman kuuluisuuden myötä hänen suhteensa kirjeiden kirjoittamiseen muuttui. Tove Jansson sai keskimäärin 2 000 ihailijakirjeittä vuodessa. Hän vastasi itse lähes kaikkiin. Kirjeiden kirjoittamisesta tuli velvollisuus. Silti Tove nautti yhä kirjeiden kirjoittamisesta läheisilleen, kun aika tuntui oikealta ja kirjoittaminen kävi pakottomasti. Maya Vannille elokuussa 1963 kirjoitetussa kirjeessä Tove kirjoittaa: ”minua ei ole huvittanut kirjoittaa kirjeitä pitkään aikaan (vaikka on ollut pakko kirjoittaa monia) mutta nyt yöllä kun olen yhtäkkiä yksin, minun teki mieleni jutella kanssasi. (ja pidän sinusta niin paljon, etten kirjoittaisi, jos en tahtoisi).”
Boel Westinin ja Helen Swenssonin toimittamassa kommentoidussa kirjekokoelmassa on mukana yli 600 kirjettä. Joidenkin kirjeiden alussa on teksti, joka selventää kirjettä. Kirjeiden lopussa on välillä lyhyitä lisäselvityksiä. Ensimmäiset kirjeet ovat vuodelta 1932 ja viimeisimmät 1980-luvun lopulta. Westin ja Svensson ovat koonneet kirjeistä hyvän kokonaisuuden, joka etenee kronologisesti eteenpäin.
Kokoelma alkaa kirjeillä, jotka on kirjoitettu Ruotsista, missä Tove oli opiskelemassa kuvataidetta. Kirjeet on kirjoitettu koko perheelle, vanhemmille ja veljille. Tove asui enonsa luona ja kirjoitti sukulaisistaan ja opiskelustaan. Kirjeistä näkyy myös huoli perheestä ja tarve auttaa Signe Hammarsten-Janssonia perheen toimeentulon hankkimisessa. Tove Jansson matkusti opiskelemaan Ranskaan 1930-luvun lopulla. Puolivuotta kestäneen matkansa aikana Tove kirjoitti usein kotiin. Hänen kirjeesä olivat eloisia kuvauksia taideopinnoista Pariisissa ja matkoilta, jotka hän teki ympäri Ranskaa ja Italiaa. 1930-luvulla on kirjoitettu myös kireet Elisabeth Wolffille, joka kuului Janssonien perheystäviin. Erityisen läheisiä eivät Tove ja Elisabeth olleet, mutta Elisabethille kirjoitetut kirjeet kuitenkin antavat kivan lisän kuvauksiin Toven opiskeluvuosista Tukholmassa.
Lisäksi perheelle kirjoitettuihin kirjeisiin kuuluvat Victor Janssonin kuoleman jälkeen Hamille kirjoitetut kirjeet. Tove kirjoitti äidilleen aina matkoilla ollessaan ja asuessaan eri taloudessa tämän kanssa.
Mukana on myös kirjeitä rakastetuille Atos Wirtaselle, Vivica Bandlerille ja Tuulikki Pietilälle. Vivica Bandlerille Tove kirjoittaa intohimoisia rakkauskirjeitä, kun taas Tuulikki Pietilälle kirjoitetuissa kirjeissä Tove on rauhallisempi ja varmempi. Tuulikille kirjoitetuissa kirjeissä näkyy myös arkinen elämä järjestelyineen.
Ystäviensä Eva Konikoffin ja Maya Vannin kanssa Tove kirjoitti vuosien ajan kirjeitä, joissa pohti syvällisesti työtään ja elämäänsä. Etenkin Evalle lähetetyissä kirjeissä on päiväkirjamainen sävy. Niissä myös kerrotaan elävimmin ja tarkimmin elämästä sotavuosien aikana. Hän myös kirjoittaa seksuualisen identiteettinsä löytämisestä ja ristiriidoista Victor Janssonin kanssa. Maya Vannille hän kirjoittaa vaikeuksista Hamin ja Tuulikin kanssa.
Kirjan päättää kokoelma Åke Runnquistille kirjoitettuja kirjeitä. Runnquist oli Tove Janssonin ystävä ja aikuisille kirjoitettujen kirjojen ruotsalainen kustantaja. Kirjeissä Tove käy läpi paljon romaaneihinsa ja novelleihinsa liittyvää työprosessia.
Olen aiemmin lukenutBoel Westinin kirjan Tove Jansson: sanat, kuvat, elämä, joten kirjassa ei varsinaisesti ollut paljon uutta tietoa. Suosittelenkin lukemaan sen ennen Kirjeitä Tove Janssonilta kirjaa, mutta kokoelmasta nauttii kyllä ilman elämänkerran lukemistakin. Oli kuitenkin todella kiva päästä lukemaan kirjeet kokonaisuudessaan. On kiinnostavaa lukea Toven elämästä, kehittymisestä taiteilijana ja kaikista pienistä arkisista tapahtumista. Kirjeitä lukiessa tuntuu pääsevän todella lähelle Tove Janssonia ja näkee tämän kasvavan ja elävän monessa eri roolissa.
Boel Westinin ja Helen Swenssonin toimittamassa kommentoidussa kirjekokoelmassa on mukana yli 600 kirjettä. Joidenkin kirjeiden alussa on teksti, joka selventää kirjettä. Kirjeiden lopussa on välillä lyhyitä lisäselvityksiä. Ensimmäiset kirjeet ovat vuodelta 1932 ja viimeisimmät 1980-luvun lopulta. Westin ja Svensson ovat koonneet kirjeistä hyvän kokonaisuuden, joka etenee kronologisesti eteenpäin.
Kokoelma alkaa kirjeillä, jotka on kirjoitettu Ruotsista, missä Tove oli opiskelemassa kuvataidetta. Kirjeet on kirjoitettu koko perheelle, vanhemmille ja veljille. Tove asui enonsa luona ja kirjoitti sukulaisistaan ja opiskelustaan. Kirjeistä näkyy myös huoli perheestä ja tarve auttaa Signe Hammarsten-Janssonia perheen toimeentulon hankkimisessa. Tove Jansson matkusti opiskelemaan Ranskaan 1930-luvun lopulla. Puolivuotta kestäneen matkansa aikana Tove kirjoitti usein kotiin. Hänen kirjeesä olivat eloisia kuvauksia taideopinnoista Pariisissa ja matkoilta, jotka hän teki ympäri Ranskaa ja Italiaa. 1930-luvulla on kirjoitettu myös kireet Elisabeth Wolffille, joka kuului Janssonien perheystäviin. Erityisen läheisiä eivät Tove ja Elisabeth olleet, mutta Elisabethille kirjoitetut kirjeet kuitenkin antavat kivan lisän kuvauksiin Toven opiskeluvuosista Tukholmassa.
Lisäksi perheelle kirjoitettuihin kirjeisiin kuuluvat Victor Janssonin kuoleman jälkeen Hamille kirjoitetut kirjeet. Tove kirjoitti äidilleen aina matkoilla ollessaan ja asuessaan eri taloudessa tämän kanssa.
Mukana on myös kirjeitä rakastetuille Atos Wirtaselle, Vivica Bandlerille ja Tuulikki Pietilälle. Vivica Bandlerille Tove kirjoittaa intohimoisia rakkauskirjeitä, kun taas Tuulikki Pietilälle kirjoitetuissa kirjeissä Tove on rauhallisempi ja varmempi. Tuulikille kirjoitetuissa kirjeissä näkyy myös arkinen elämä järjestelyineen.
Ystäviensä Eva Konikoffin ja Maya Vannin kanssa Tove kirjoitti vuosien ajan kirjeitä, joissa pohti syvällisesti työtään ja elämäänsä. Etenkin Evalle lähetetyissä kirjeissä on päiväkirjamainen sävy. Niissä myös kerrotaan elävimmin ja tarkimmin elämästä sotavuosien aikana. Hän myös kirjoittaa seksuualisen identiteettinsä löytämisestä ja ristiriidoista Victor Janssonin kanssa. Maya Vannille hän kirjoittaa vaikeuksista Hamin ja Tuulikin kanssa.
Kirjan päättää kokoelma Åke Runnquistille kirjoitettuja kirjeitä. Runnquist oli Tove Janssonin ystävä ja aikuisille kirjoitettujen kirjojen ruotsalainen kustantaja. Kirjeissä Tove käy läpi paljon romaaneihinsa ja novelleihinsa liittyvää työprosessia.
Olen aiemmin lukenutBoel Westinin kirjan Tove Jansson: sanat, kuvat, elämä, joten kirjassa ei varsinaisesti ollut paljon uutta tietoa. Suosittelenkin lukemaan sen ennen Kirjeitä Tove Janssonilta kirjaa, mutta kokoelmasta nauttii kyllä ilman elämänkerran lukemistakin. Oli kuitenkin todella kiva päästä lukemaan kirjeet kokonaisuudessaan. On kiinnostavaa lukea Toven elämästä, kehittymisestä taiteilijana ja kaikista pienistä arkisista tapahtumista. Kirjeitä lukiessa tuntuu pääsevän todella lähelle Tove Janssonia ja näkee tämän kasvavan ja elävän monessa eri roolissa.
November 28, 2022
Mycket har jag läst av och om Tove Jansson. Den här samlingen brev Tove skrivit till olika henne närstående personer är som pricken på i-et. Hon ger i sin kännspaka stil otroligt mycket av sig själv i breven till sina kära vänner och nu genom den här boken även till sina trogna läsare. Ett stort tack till rättsinnehavarna (och kanske Tove själv) för att vi nu får ta del av korrespondensen. Ofta refererar Tove så bra till tidigare brev från adressaten att läsaren får känslan av att följa med hela korrespondensen. Av förståeliga skäl innehåller boken ändå inte några brev Tove skulle ha fått av dem hon skriver till här.
Tack skall även redaktörerna Boel Westin och Helen Svensson ha för det fina urvalsarbetet. Materialet har uppenbarligen varit digert, men allt det väsentliga verkar förmedlas genom det som publicerats i boken. Redaktörernas kommentarer till de enskilda breven är också mycket informativa. Rikssvenska läsare har säkert stor nytta av att alla sköna finlandismer har översatts till rikssvenska (t.ex. hur Nita ”korjade undan de värsta kakka-byxorna”) - utan att kanske ändå inte alltid förstå det fina i kråksången. Tove raljerar också annars med rikssvenskarna ibland. Som exempel må nämnas vad hon skriver om sina illustrationer till en rikssvensk utgåva av Alice in Wonderland. Förlaget ville ha dem idylliserade för att passa folkhemmet, men hon själv är övertygad om att ”den enda rätta illustratören för denna patologiska mardröm borde ha varit Hieronymus Bosch”.
Tove är så ledig i sitt skrivande, det är nästan så att läsaren kan höra henne tala. Vi får en djup inblick i hennes tänkande, skrivande, målande, relationer, vardagsliv mm. Reseskildringarna är ypperliga i sin levande skildring av inte bara resmålen i sig, utan även kulturlivet, konstnärskollegor och lokalbefolkningen mm. Mången trevlig anekdot har kommit med i breven. Det är äkta kosmopoliter som har varit ute och rest.
Av förståeliga skäl upprepas delvis samma händelser i breven till de olika adressaterna, men detta snarare tillför till det goda än att det skulle vara en börda för läsaren. Allt det varma, hängivna och kärleksfulla hon skriver om familjen känns så fint och äkta, även i de lite mörkare stunderna som också berörs i breven. Jag kände att Tove lite överraskande gick mest på djupet i sina brev till Maya Vanni, men även i de övriga fanns det mycket djup i det som vid första ögonkastet kanske känns lätt. I sina brev till Vivica i sin tur verkade Tove mycket öppnare än i breven till sin tidigare älskade Eva Konikoff. Familjen berättar Tove varmt om, även då det av ett antal orsaker har varit stökigt. Över lag är breven fyllda av varm humor och tonen i övrigt är livsbejakande.
Det hur krigscensurens inverkat på breven under andra världskriget var intressant att notera. Det är kanske också en bidragande orsak till att breven till Koni i USA var mer återhållsamma än senare brev till Vivica. Ofta är de signerade bara ”vän” eller ”Tove”. En närmast komisk detalj var att rentav namn på somliga kobbar i Finska viken Tove besökt hade strukits av krigscensuren.
Allt som all är denna bok även ett memento över det fina och viktiga i att skriva riktiga brev. Vad lämnar vår tids kommunicerande till eftervärlden? I värsta fall ingenting.
Jag vill avsluta med ett citat ur ett brev till Tove. Enstaka sådana plock finns ändå med i boken. I ett brev till Tove efter att hon gett ut Bildhuggarens dotter skriver Atos Wirtanen så här: ”Du skriver för alla åldrar. Jag är nu på god väg mot 100 och kände mig som 10 när jag läste Dig. Du är själv alla åldrar, yngst och äldst och beständigt i början av Ditt liv, som Du redan levt många gånger om. Det finns ett kort och precist ord för sådant: geni.”
Tack skall även redaktörerna Boel Westin och Helen Svensson ha för det fina urvalsarbetet. Materialet har uppenbarligen varit digert, men allt det väsentliga verkar förmedlas genom det som publicerats i boken. Redaktörernas kommentarer till de enskilda breven är också mycket informativa. Rikssvenska läsare har säkert stor nytta av att alla sköna finlandismer har översatts till rikssvenska (t.ex. hur Nita ”korjade undan de värsta kakka-byxorna”) - utan att kanske ändå inte alltid förstå det fina i kråksången. Tove raljerar också annars med rikssvenskarna ibland. Som exempel må nämnas vad hon skriver om sina illustrationer till en rikssvensk utgåva av Alice in Wonderland. Förlaget ville ha dem idylliserade för att passa folkhemmet, men hon själv är övertygad om att ”den enda rätta illustratören för denna patologiska mardröm borde ha varit Hieronymus Bosch”.
Tove är så ledig i sitt skrivande, det är nästan så att läsaren kan höra henne tala. Vi får en djup inblick i hennes tänkande, skrivande, målande, relationer, vardagsliv mm. Reseskildringarna är ypperliga i sin levande skildring av inte bara resmålen i sig, utan även kulturlivet, konstnärskollegor och lokalbefolkningen mm. Mången trevlig anekdot har kommit med i breven. Det är äkta kosmopoliter som har varit ute och rest.
Av förståeliga skäl upprepas delvis samma händelser i breven till de olika adressaterna, men detta snarare tillför till det goda än att det skulle vara en börda för läsaren. Allt det varma, hängivna och kärleksfulla hon skriver om familjen känns så fint och äkta, även i de lite mörkare stunderna som också berörs i breven. Jag kände att Tove lite överraskande gick mest på djupet i sina brev till Maya Vanni, men även i de övriga fanns det mycket djup i det som vid första ögonkastet kanske känns lätt. I sina brev till Vivica i sin tur verkade Tove mycket öppnare än i breven till sin tidigare älskade Eva Konikoff. Familjen berättar Tove varmt om, även då det av ett antal orsaker har varit stökigt. Över lag är breven fyllda av varm humor och tonen i övrigt är livsbejakande.
Det hur krigscensurens inverkat på breven under andra världskriget var intressant att notera. Det är kanske också en bidragande orsak till att breven till Koni i USA var mer återhållsamma än senare brev till Vivica. Ofta är de signerade bara ”vän” eller ”Tove”. En närmast komisk detalj var att rentav namn på somliga kobbar i Finska viken Tove besökt hade strukits av krigscensuren.
Allt som all är denna bok även ett memento över det fina och viktiga i att skriva riktiga brev. Vad lämnar vår tids kommunicerande till eftervärlden? I värsta fall ingenting.
Jag vill avsluta med ett citat ur ett brev till Tove. Enstaka sådana plock finns ändå med i boken. I ett brev till Tove efter att hon gett ut Bildhuggarens dotter skriver Atos Wirtanen så här: ”Du skriver för alla åldrar. Jag är nu på god väg mot 100 och kände mig som 10 när jag läste Dig. Du är själv alla åldrar, yngst och äldst och beständigt i början av Ditt liv, som Du redan levt många gånger om. Det finns ett kort och precist ord för sådant: geni.”
May 24, 2024
A cosy and picaresque epistolary memoir. Precious to me, as an avid moomin enthusiast. Particularly engrossing on account of Tove’s charisma, creativity, and unique stylistic flair. Akin to peering into the mind of a beloved lifelong companion, or curling up like a pampered housecat in the sunlight, atop a comfortable blanket: by the end of this book, Tove had joined the extensive cast of imaginary-writer-companions with whom I engage in the most intimate internal dialogues whenever I feel lonely. Quite possibly some of the most humble and unassuming, yet unfathomably beautiful love letters and confessions of adoration I’ve ever encountered in my life. A lovely volume, a comprehensive collection of an individual’s thoughts, spanning several decades: readers are granted an ‘access all areas’ pass to Tove’s fascinating cogitations, the content of each letter oscillating between artistic musings and creative wonder, richly detailed travel accounts, the documentation of specific core memories, and the gentle simplicity of a modest grocery list. Everyday rhetoric merges with elevated poetic contemplations, replete with the most striking of imagery, painting the portrait of a woman in possession of not only sharpness of mind (even the least eventful entries were lovely to read, each sentence manifesting as another treasured moment spent in the warm glow of Tove’s company), but also strength of spirit (what a remarkable woman, writer, and activist), and purity of heart. A warm hug in literary form: if this book was a meal, it would be soft white sourdough bread, warm from the oven, lovingly lathered with salted butter and homemade blackcurrant jam, delivered along with a strong but milky cup of tea, and a little ceramic bowl of cut-up strawberries, to the door of my childhood bedroom by my mother. Sweet, homely, poignant: this is certainly a book for the moomin superfan—someone not so well-aquatinted with Tove and her little vertical-hippo creatures might find the letters repetitive as opposed to soothing, on account of their quotidian nature (despite being flecked throughout with undoubtedly poignant moments). What can I say, homely cottagecore domesticity and the careful curation of a slow, intentional existence is the way to my heart. Throw in the odd reference to scandinavia, art, travel, women’s/gay rights, and my sweet little moomintrolls, and I’m utterly transfixed for upwards of 450 pages.
December 8, 2025
„Писма от Туве“ (изд. „Жанет 45“) е от онези редки книги, които не просто разширяват представите ни за един обичан автор, а направо променят начина, по който го усещаме. Подборът на Буел Вестин и Хелен Свенсон, преведен на български от Анелия Петрунова, събира над шест десетилетия кореспонденция – интимна, работна, артистична – и ги превръща в неочаквано цялостен портрет на Туве Янсон. Макар светът да я познава най-вече като създателката на муминтроловете, тук тя излиза от ролята на митична фигура и се явява като човек в движение – младо момиче, което учи изкуство в Париж и Стокхолм, автор, който търси собствения си глас, жена, която обича, страда, радва се, тревожи се, работи до изтощение и се бори за своите убеждения. В годината, в която отбелязваме 80-годишнината на мумините, „Писма от Туве“ ни напомня колко многообразен и дълбок е светът ��а тяхната създателка – далеч отвъд най-обичаното ѝ творение. Прочетете ревюто на "Книжни Криле": https://knijnikrile.wordpress.com/202...
February 4, 2025
Tuntuu vähän epäreilulta antaa tähtiä oikean ihmisen kirjeille, siitä voi syntyä mielikuva, että jollain lailla arvioisi kyseisen ihmisen elämää, enkä siis sitä halua tehdä. Nämä kirjeet, joita Tove Jansson elämänsä aikana kirjoitti eri ihmisille, antavat verrattoman kurkistusikkunan lämminsieluisen ja optimistisesti maailmaa katsovan taiteilijan, mutta myös vahvan, itsenäisen ja omaan polkuunsa luottavan naisen elämään useiden vuosikymmenten ajalta. Sota-ajan arki, perhe, rakkaudet, kuvataiteilijan ja kirjailijan työ kulkevat mukana erilaisin painotuksin kirjeiden kohteesta riippuen.
En kuitenkaan usko, että olisin jaksanut niin kiinnostuneena lukea näitä kirjeitä, ellei kyseessä olisi ollut tunnettu kirjailija ja rakastettujen muumihahmojen luoja. Oli valtavan hauskaa päästää kurkistamaan muumitarinoiden "kulissien taakse". Mutta osittain, koska kirjeet ovat yksipuolisia, niissä on paljon myös sellaista tekstiä, johon oli välillä vaikea löytää tarttumapintaa. Osa tekstistä meni vähän selailuksi, siitäkin huolimatta, että Jansson on kirjeiden kirjoittajanakin taitava sanankäyttäjä.
En kuitenkaan usko, että olisin jaksanut niin kiinnostuneena lukea näitä kirjeitä, ellei kyseessä olisi ollut tunnettu kirjailija ja rakastettujen muumihahmojen luoja. Oli valtavan hauskaa päästää kurkistamaan muumitarinoiden "kulissien taakse". Mutta osittain, koska kirjeet ovat yksipuolisia, niissä on paljon myös sellaista tekstiä, johon oli välillä vaikea löytää tarttumapintaa. Osa tekstistä meni vähän selailuksi, siitäkin huolimatta, että Jansson on kirjeiden kirjoittajanakin taitava sanankäyttäjä.
April 18, 2025
This book is a wonderful read where I learned to admire Toves ability for introspection. In a world that's built for distraction, stepping into the time machine that is this accidental memoir is a wonderful time of going through Toves everyday life while she goes through all of the wonders and heartache that life has to offer.
A true artist of her time, Toves life was lined with what seems like different objectives depending of which era we are speaking of.
The want to explore of the young, to experience and to see and learn more about her surroundings.
The struggles of an artist trying to find solid ground, wanting to focus on her craft while trying to find stability in love which turns out to be easier said than done.
The longing for peace among celebrity and success of an established artist.
Toves ability to process her experiences through her letters is lovely, and inspires me to make an attempt at changinv some habits. Truly, I feel like "Letters from Tove" has inspired me to try to push away distractions and make an attempt to just check in with myself more often.
A true artist of her time, Toves life was lined with what seems like different objectives depending of which era we are speaking of.
The want to explore of the young, to experience and to see and learn more about her surroundings.
The struggles of an artist trying to find solid ground, wanting to focus on her craft while trying to find stability in love which turns out to be easier said than done.
The longing for peace among celebrity and success of an established artist.
Toves ability to process her experiences through her letters is lovely, and inspires me to make an attempt at changinv some habits. Truly, I feel like "Letters from Tove" has inspired me to try to push away distractions and make an attempt to just check in with myself more often.
February 12, 2021
I expected to like this, find it mildly interesting and probably read it in small sections. But I ended up reading it in large chunks and was totally sucked in to the domestic, artistic and personal details of TJ's life. I had read a biography of her before so had that background knowledge which probably made a difference. What a huge job it must have been for the editors to make their selection from all those letters. I liked the way that they had chosen to organise them by recipient rather than in completely strict chronological order. By the end of the book I was there on the island with her and Tooti and did not want to leave. I am mentally still there, although I think that in reality it sounds quite uncomfortable and probably not my sort of thing at all :-) It is very rare that a non-fiction book leaves me with a book hangover but I definitely have one now, off to buy one of her adult books now.
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