Letters from Tove

Author: Jansson, Tove, Westin, Boel, Svensson, Helen, Death, Sarah

Swedish

Published on 3 October 2019 by SORT OF BOOKS.

'[The letters] cover war, fame and her first infatuation with another woman ... all related in a voice that is funny, gracious, intimate' The Observer'I find myself talking to you about

all the great joys, all the agonies, all my thoughts...' Letter to Eva

Konikova, 1946

Out of

the thousands of letters Tove Jansson wrote a cache remains that she

addressed to her family, her dearest confidantes, and her lovers, male and

female. Into these she spilled her innermost thoughts, defended her ideals

and revealed her heart. To read these letters is both an act of startling

intimacy and a rare privilege.

Penned

with grace and humour, Letters from Tove offers an almost seamless

commentary on Tove Jansson's life as it unfolds within Helsinki's bohemian

circles and her island home. Spanning fifty years between her art studies and

the height of Moomin fame, we share with her the bleakness of war; the hopes

for love that were dashed and renewed, and her determined attempts to

establish herself as an artist. Vivid,

inspiring and shining with integrity, Letters

from Tove shows precisely

how an aspiring and courageous young artist can evolve into a very great one.