Tove Jansson

Tove Jansson
Tove Jansson in 1967
Born	Tove Marika Jansson (1914-08-09)9 August 1914 Helsinki, Grand Duchy of Finland, Russian Empire
Died	27 June 2001(2001-06-27) (aged 86) Helsinki, Finland
Occupation	Artist, writer
Nationality	Finnish
Notable works	The Moomins
Notable awards	Hans Christian Andersen Award 1966 Order of the Smile 1975 Pro Finlandia 1976
Partner	Tuulikki Pietilä
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Tove Marika Jansson (Finland Swedish pronunciation: [ˈtuːve ˈjaːnsɔn]; 9 August 1914 – 27 June 2001) was a Swedish-speaking Finnish novelist, painter, illustrator and comic strip author. For her contribution as a children's writer she received the Hans Christian Andersen Medal in 1966.

Brought up by artistic parents, Jansson studied art from 1930 to 1938 in , Helsinki and then Paris. Her first solo art exhibition was in 1943. At the same time, she was writing short stories and articles for publication, as well as creating the graphics for book covers and other purposes. She continued to work as an artist for the rest of her life, alongside her writing.

Jansson is best known as the author of the Moomin books for children. The first such book, The Moomins and the Great Flood, appeared in 1945, though it was the next two books, Comet in Moominland and Finn Family Moomintroll, published in 1946 and 1948 respectively, that brought her fame.

Starting with the semi-autobiographical Bildhuggarens dotter (Sculptor's Daughter) in 1968, she wrote six novels and five books of short stories for adults.

Tove Jansson was born in Helsinki, Grand Duchy of Finland, Russian Empire. Her family, part of the Swedish-speaking (Swedish: finlandssvensk, Finnish: suomenruotsalainen) minority of Finland, was an artistic one: her father Viktor Jansson was a sculptor and her mother Signe Hammarsten-Jansson was a graphic designer and illustrator. Tove's siblings also became artists: Per Olov Jansson became a photographer and Lars Jansson an author and cartoonist. Whilst their home was in Helsinki, the family spent many of their summers in a rented cottage on an island near Porvoo, 50 km east of Helsinki.