OBIT: Tove Janssson - Moominmama passes on

Subject: OBIT: Moominmama passes on - TOVE JANSSON
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 01 Jul 01 - 07:00 PM

Tove Jansson who created the children's classics about the Finn Family Moomintroll has died at the age of 86 - and here is an obituary on her from the Guardian (London).

If you haven't come across the Moomins you've been deprived - click here and make up for it. Click here anyway.

Subject: RE: BS: Moominmama passes on
From: Malcolm Douglas
Date: 01 Jul 01 - 09:54 PM

Oh dear; another one gone.  Tove Jansson was certainly a big influence on me, and one of the reasons I wound up drawing things for a living.  She will be remembered through her books -happy, funny, wistful and sad- for a long time.  She was one of the very few people I admire that I'd actually have liked to meet.

Malcolm

Subject: RE: BS: Moominmama passes on
From: sophocleese
Date: 01 Jul 01 - 10:56 PM

Oh dear. I love those books. I grew up reading them and have almost all of them now to share with my kids. I would dearly have loved o have met her. A lot of keen observation and kindness in her stories.

Subject: RE: BS: Moominmama passes on
From: sophocleese
Date: 01 Jul 01 - 11:00 PM

Unfortunately I cannot seem to link to the page in the Guardian you provided McGrath, any chance of a cut and paste?

Subject: RE: BS: Moominmama passes on
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 01 Jul 01 - 11:03 PM

There was an error in McGrath's link (odd one - he closed quotes he hadn't opened!). It is fine now.

Jon

Subject: RE: BS: Moominmama passes on
From: sophocleese
Date: 01 Jul 01 - 11:10 PM

Thank you Jon. I read it.

Subject: RE: BS: Moominmama passes on
From: Mrrzy
Date: 01 Jul 01 - 11:18 PM

Oh, no, I love these books! I mill wiss her sorely!

Subject: RE: BS: Moominmama passes on
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 02 Jul 01 - 01:46 AM

Ah well, there's the third one then. Strange, her books were loved over here, they were made into various cartoon shows but not a word of her demise has been heard on the radio.

LTS

Subject: RE: BS: Moominmama passes on
From: Steve Parkes
Date: 02 Jul 01 - 04:53 AM

For some reason I never got into the Moomins when I was a kid, but having kids of my own was a perfect excuse years later. And I think the UK tv version, narrated and voiced by the wonderful Dick Bentley (also no longer with us) was the definitive adaptation. I shall have to get down the library on Saturday.

Steve

Subject: RE: BS: Moominmama passes on
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 02 Jul 01 - 06:54 AM

You'll be lucky to find the books Steve, I suspect. Moomins are out of fashion, and libraries in experience are ruthless these days. They have a Top Ten attitude, especially towards children's books.

Still at least most of the Moomin books are still in print. Unlike the Uncle books by JP Martin which I'd recommend to anyone who likes Moomins (different in tone, more rumbustious, but there's a similarity as well) - though some of these are now back in print. (And here is a link to a page about Uncle.) And here is a page with a chapter from one of the Uncle books.

The essential thing about greatest children's books, I believe is that they are not condescending. There's never a sense "I'd better keep it simple for the kids. Or "I'll stick this to keep the little devils happy." Even with the Harry Potter books, which I think are pretty good, there sometimes seems to me to be an element of that latter attitude.

But never with Tove Jansson. (Or JP Martin.)

Subject: RE: BS: Moominmama passes on
From: A Wandering Minstrel
Date: 02 Jul 01 - 11:19 AM

I named my first guitar Snufkin after her wandering minstrel character. Come to think of it......?

How sad I used to love these, particularly the one with the summerhouse on the jetty. Even now the Groke sends a shiver down my spine.

Subject: RE: BS: Moominmama passes on
From: Mrrzy
Date: 02 Jul 01 - 11:26 AM

If we decide to re-up our collection (mine is sadly lacking), we could do it through here so we benefit the Mudcat, n'est-ce pas?

Subject: RE: BS: Moominmama passes on
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 02 Jul 01 - 12:11 PM

The Amazon UK site seesm to have a more comprehensive set of Moomin titles available.