Sophia Jansson Matthew Stadlen

Sophia Jansson discusses the enduring legacy of her aunt and great aunt the Finnish artist and writer Tove Jansson, creator of the famous Moomin books and of adult novels and short stories. What is the special quality of her writing that made her appeal so much to both children and adults?

Tove Jansson is widely seen as one of the greatest Finnish artists. She is also the most widely read Finnish author abroad. She is best known for the Moomin books and comics, which have been translated into 50 languages. She also won recognition for her short stories and novels for adults.

The Moomin Characters continue as a family-run business with Sophia Jansson as chairman. She will also talk about the future of the family business and about a coming film, The Summer Book, starring Glen Close, based on Tove Jansson’s magical novel about an elderly artist on holiday with her six-year-old granddaughter on an isolated island. Tove Jansson’s work was inspired by her passion for the outdoors. She eventually made her own home on the tiny and isolated island of Klovharun in the Finnish archipelago. A paperback version of Notes from an Island, her memoir and homage to this island home, is published for the first time in March. Here she talks to broadcaster and author Matthew Stadlen.