Tove Jansson by Paul Gravett

This book provides fresh insight into and a deep appreciation for the life and art of Tove Jansson, one of the most original and influential, and perennially enjoyed illustrators of the twentieth century. In this volume Paul Gravett examines Jansson's highly successful Moomin books, as well as her interpretation of classics such as Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderlandand The Hunting Of The Snark,and J.R.R Tolkien's The Hobbit.

Born in Helsinki among Finland's Swedish speaking minority, Jansson was brought up with a love for making art and stories in a supportive, artistic family. Her first illustrated tales was published when she was fourteen years old and she went on to draw humorous and political cartoons as well as striking front covers for the satirical magazine Garm,in response to events in Worlsd War II. As she developed from art student to painter and muralist, she created her Moomin world, which appeared in her first book 1945 and later on in newspaper strips. Beyond this imaginative achievement, Jansson also wrote many novels, documented here along with personal commentaries from her own writing.