Tove Jansson: Comet in Moominland (originally published in 1968 under the title Kometen kommer in Swedish)
Moominvalley, the home of the Moomins, is perfect. Nothing disturbs the peace of the summer afternoon, everyone spends their time as they please: Moomintroll and Sniff explore new places, Moominmamma does the gardening, and Moominpappa writes a book. But suddenly the weather changes strangely and they learn that a comet is approaching Earth. Moomintroll and Sniff departed to find out if the news is true and if they can survive the impact?
The characters in Tove Jansson’s Moomin stories embody different types of people, but they are all kind and lovable. They seem like children’s books, but in fact adults are who can really understand them. The story itself is serious, as the Moomins are waiting for the end of the world and they don’t know if tomorrow will exist. They are looking for answers to questions such as what is important in life: should we collect as many souvenirs as possible, like Moominmamma, or should we own almost nothing, like Snufkin, the wanderer? I just reread this book because it is my favorite of all the Moomin stories, but the next volume, Finn Family Moomintroll, is the most famous worldwide. This was the first book translated to English.
Tove Jansson is Scandinavia’s best-known children’s author (along with Astrid Lindgren), whose work is also significant as an illustrator, comic book writer and adult’s book writer. She belonged to the Swedish minority in Finland and finished her first book, The Moomins and the Great Flood, exactly 80 years ago, in 1945. The book was followed by eight more, which have animated adaptations, and there are also theme parks in Japan.
