Tove Jansson: Finn Family Moomintroll (first published in 1948)
Tove Jansson: Moominland Midwinter (first published in 1957)
Tove Jansson: Tales from Moominvalley (first published in 1962)
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 finished her first book, The Moomins and the Great Flood, which was published exactly 80 years ago, in 1945, but unfortunately not in Hungarian. The book was followed by eight more, which were not only exciting because of their stories but also for their translations.
The author belonged to the Swedish minority living in Finland and wrote her books in her native language, Swedish. However, the world got to know the Moomins from translations made based on the Finnish adaptation not from the Swedish original. The first Hungarian translation of the Tales from Moominvalley was published by Móra Publishing House, translated from the Finnish edition, and then the Finn Family Moomintroll translated from the Swedish original. Later, eight Moomin books were published by Napkút Publishing House, adapted from the Finnish translations. The special thing about the Comet in Moominland is that the author herself revised it several times, and the new Hungarian translation was made from the Swedish original by Geopen Publishing House. Unfortunately, the series has not been continued so far.
Strange and exciting things are still happening in the lives of the Moomins, and they are looking for answers to important questions: what happens when we have achieved the goal we have always wanted, what do we do with our lives then? What if someone has such great power that they can fulfill everyone’s wishes, except their own? Why does someone become invisible when they are mistreated? Are objects important, or do we just cling to them out of habit? And why do stories only tell about brave rescuers instead of the ones who welcome those who return home with warm tea? It is good to enter Moominvalley, and even if we venture to other, unknown places, it is always good to return here.
