[Rhubarb]

In Finland, the series has its own theme park, and a Japanese company put out a (sadly untranslated) Gameboy Colour game based on it. Strangely, most English-speaking people I know of don't seem to have heard of this series, except for half-remembering the BBC series that was adapted from the books.

For those not in the know, it was (and still is, I suppose) a series of seven books (not counting all the novelettes and short stories) by the Finn/Swede Tove Jansson, who died in 2001. It followed the adventures of a family of Moomins and their friends, who meet weird creatures (ARE weird creatures) like the Hobgoblin, the Groke, and "The Island Ghost, called the Horriblest, The Terror of Horror Island" and do things like take over a floating theatre or visit a lighthouse.

None of which sounds very interesting, but the books are a great read, partially because of the characters, and partially just because of the style. It's quite funny and cute, but in a very stark sort of way... nothing like the sorts of children's series' you'd get in England or the US about small cute animal-things. The Fillyjonk is a tall, skinny, neurotic creature that lives on stress. Snufkin is an anti-authoritarian wanderer of indeterminate age who loves being alone. Little My is about three inches high, is bitingly sarcastic and practical-minded, and is probably the most intelligent and stable-minded character of all. The whole series is also illustrated by Jansson herself, who was a qualified illustrator and illustrated some editions of works by Lewis Carroll and J.R.R. Tolkien.

What makes the series probably the most interesting is the way the characters 'grow up'. Rowling didn't invent that concept, although you'd think she did to hear her interviews. The first book, Comet In Moominland, is rather babyish, almost like an Enid Blyton story. While the last two, Moominpappa at Sea and Moominvalley In November, which chronologically take place simultaneously, are positively disturbing... not because of the events, which are commonplace... to describe the plots would reveal pretty much nothing at all... but because of the very bleak and adult thoughts that go through the characters' heads. A small boy with no parents becomes obsessed with thoughts of Moominmamma, to the point where his loneliness and resentment manifest into an actual monster, which stalks him invisibly. The Groke, previously nothing more than the evil villain, takes to creepily following Moomintroll around at night in what we can only assume is an attempt to alleviate her deep isolation (everything she touches turns to ice). Moominpappa At Sea has been described as 'the ultimate mid-life crisis book'.

Can't think of a way to end this, so here are some illustrations. The third one is a self-portrait.

This post has been edited by Rhubarb: 14 May 2005 - 08:08 PM

[Rhubarb]

Here are some illustrations by Jansson. The first two are from The Hobbit, the second two from Alice In Wonderland. The first one has got to be the scariest (if not exactly accurate) depiction of Gollum I've ever seen.

This post has been edited by Rhubarb: 14 May 2005 - 08:05 PM

[jariten]

I do remember this from the BBC, and I also remember that I had a friend who liked it, and who mentioned similar things to you in praise of it.

Its still popular in Japan, if only in terms of the characters rather than the stories.

[Emu]

I remember reading a story called "The Invisible Child" that had the Moomins in it, it was about a girl who had turned invisible because her former caretaker frightened her so much. I haven't seen any more of the author's work since, though.

[Madam Corvax]

Moomin books practically carried me through the adolescence. I still own the collection of falling apart little books that I rooted in second-hand bookshops. Of course they were in translation (and I had to look up in Wikipedia the English equivalent of the names!)

When I got depressed, I would often read some of them, especially Moominpappa at sea and The Moominvalley in November - I like to think of the latter as in principle an existantialist book.

I still remember a passage from it, when poor Hemulen wonders what would happen if one day he would stop organising things and comes to a depressing conclusion that nothing would happen, because someone else will take care of them. The passage when Fillyjonk cleans the windows in her house is one of the best description of paranoia I have ever read. It is a great book about loneliness and coming to terms with it

Moominpappa at sea on the other hand is the ultimate book on family matters. How Mummimmama deals when her husband feels unwanted should be a compulsory reading for any tired out middle-age marriage "We will go far, far away, where Papa can take care of us..." (or something like that). The attempts of Moomin to befriend sea horses are heartbreaking.

I have always wanted to be rather like little My than Moomin. Little My says at one point "I can't be sad.. I can only be angry or merry".

On the lighter note, some of the passages are rather politically incorrect for these days. Moomin mamma actually defends smoking of pipe, because she says that everything that is good for stomach is good, on Moomin papa beign warned that smoking would give him a yellow tail... And I also love it.

[Rhubarb]

Hooray!

I grew up with the Moomins probably as much as a Finnish child, since my father has a big thing for them. I was making a Moomin characters mural to put in the window on the front door, except I lost track of all the characters, trying to fit them in. They're all just so great in every way, even the Hattifattners. Or whatever you call them.

I totally agree with everything you said, especially the stuff about Moominvalley in November. I loved everything in it, all the weird psychological stuff (I'm not sure what to call it really), especially Toft's obsessive fantasies of Moominmamma taking him over to the point where he can no longer remember what she looks like, and his own sense of inept lonliness turning into the monster he read about in the book and slinking around the house, and how he eventually makes friends with it. Fillyjonk in particular was mental... just this thin, nervous, highly-strung creature that needed everything neat and ordered and quiet or she'd have panic attacks. And the way she went so mental over the spiders and stuff, and was perfectly happy to do the dishes until the Hemulan told her to do them, and then she didn't want to, and hated him for spoiling everything. I rather sympathised with Snufkin, who just picked up funky vibes from them all and hid away in his tent and got all embarrassed for them when they tried to befriend him.

And yeah, Little My was awesome. I love her sarcastic little asides, and the way she always knows what to do. She was great in Moominpappa At Sea, with the way she 'negotiated' with the ants and stuff, and ruined poor Moomintroll's hideaway. Although I always wanted to be Snufkin, personally. I've been thinking of getting a Snufkin tattoo for some years now. Snufkin on one arm, My on the other.

[Madam Corvax]

Snufkin tatoo, you say...Not a bad idea

I can't remember how I come across the books, it was not on TV then, and nobody read them in my family, I suppose it was because they were around, one of the very few quality books for children at that time, along Astrid Lindgren. The first got translated as early as in the 60s and others followed. They have always been very much liked in Poland.

As I got older I admit I forgot a little about them...Once or twice I sumbled across other books by Tove Jansson, collections of short stories mostly, very very thoughtfull and ... well, I cant find other exp​ressions for them but bordering on existentialism. I think I will re-read them, now that you've reminded me...

I also once came across a story that preceded the whole series, which was, I suppose an early sketch of the whole saga.... I can't remember it now, I have to check. There were also pictures there, I think...

Anyway, before I post anything elseI have to cross-check the names and characters once again. Some names are the same in Swedish and English and Polish, like Fillyjonk, but Snufkin is different... I have to check the others.

[Rhubarb]

Snufkin is Nuuskamuikkunen I think. Means something like Tobacco Creature.

[Marky]

Paranoia, panic attacks, and more "weird psychological stuff " as you put it... Is this really a childrens book?

You got me intrested though...

Edit: can you provide me with a list of all the English titles?

This post has been edited by Marky: 17 May 2005 - 04:02 AM

[Madam Corvax]

Super, we have someone who is willing to share the read with us!
Here you are, Marky:

The books in the series, in order, are:
Småtrollen och den stora översvämningen - 1945 (not yet translated into English)
Kometjakten / Kometen kommer (Comet in Moominland) - 1946
Trollkarlens hatt (Finn Family Moomintroll') - 1948
Muminpappans bravader / Muminpappans memoarer (Moominpappa's Memoirs/The Exploits of Moominpappa) - 1950
Farlig midsommar (Moominsummer Madness) - 1954
Trollvinter (Moominland Midwinter) - 1957
Det osynliga barnet (Tales from Moominvalley) - 1969 (short stories)
Pappan och havet (Moominpappa at Sea) - 1965
Sent i november (Moominvalley in November) - 1970 (in which the Moomin family is absent)

As Rhubarb mentioned, the series progresses from simple story into really dark stuff in the two or three books . Here is the link to Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moomin

Anywa, Snufkin in Polish has nothing to do with tobacco, they named him something like "Wanderer" only with less serious connotations. TO me he is the epitome of freedom.

[Rhubarb]

Yeah, I wouldn't worry about that first one, but I've read all the other books Madame listed, so they can't be all that difficult to track down (at least in Australia). They're in chronological order, btw, in the sense of the characters' development and 'growing up'. I'm not that fond of Comet In Moominland personally (although others I know totally love it) because it's kind of babyish and the characters haven't really found their personalities yet - Snufkin actually cries at some point, indicating that they are all supposed to be small children, despite Snufkin's smoking pipe. Finn Family Moomintroll is, for me, the 'real' first book. But that might be just because it was the first Moomin book I owned.

The Exploits of Moominpappa seems to regress the characters back into generic and interchangeable children somewhat, but they aren't really the focus, since the whole book is Moominpappa narrating the story of his youth and the friends he had. The character of 'The Island Ghost, Called The Horriblest, The Terror Of Horror Island' is one of my favourites. I wish I could find a picture. He's awesome.
Note: I just remembered that Little My is in Moominpappa's narrative, I recall her making nasty comments about the Muddler's wedding... doesn't that make her a lot older than all the others? Meh.

Moominsummer Madness is probably one of the more defining ones where the characters really get stronger, and are obviously no longer just children. Snufkin shows himself as an anti-authoritatian figure of respect and independance, Little My becomes more self-sufficient and sarcastic, the first Fillyjonks turn up as trembling, nervous, resentful creatures dominated by brothers and husbands, and Moomintroll seems the most childlike and naive out of everyone... the only one who doesn't seem to be maturing.

Moominpappa At Sea and Moominvalley In November take place at the same time, with different characters in different places (the Moomin family off at the lighthouse being weird, and all their friends waiting for them at their house being *really* weird), and are detailed in previous posts. Don't remember much about Moominland Midwinter or Tales From Moominvalley.

If I haven't put you off them completely with my ranting, I'm pretty sure the English versions are still in print. Or at least they were a few years ago when I bought Moominpappa At Sea. Try the library, maybe?

[Marky]

Okay, I can get all the English versions for a total of € 57.40. Well, I'll come back on this when I have read some.

[Rhubarb]

Blimey. Must be nice to have a disposable income.

[Marky]

I said I could get it for that money, I didn't say I have that kind of money

[Madam Corvax]

Yea, that is quite a bit for a set of children's books, I wish I could lend you mine, but unfortunetely that are in Polish.
I had a quick browse through the "COmet" book, and I did not come across as very childish, though. The little Snif seems very lonely to me, the way some children are lonely. And he actually vomits when he is afraid, poor little fellow. I loved the bit when they come near the observatory and they recognise their way because of the cigarette ends the scientists throw away.