Dear Tove – Letters From Children Around the World
The book offers a new perspective on the beloved author, sharing the stories behind the letters Tove Jansson received from readers and revealing the depth of Tove’s responses to their concerns.
According to Tove Jansson (1914-2001), she received up to 1,500-2,000 letters a year from her young readers from all corners of the world. ‘I have received a lot of love,’ she said towards the end of her life, patting the stack of letters she received in reply. The letters from children and young people were full of admiration and love for Tove, but also contained touching questions about life, including loneliness, sadness, and all the problems, big and small. In their own way, the letters were admiration letters, but even more so, they are open and honest letters to a wise adult with the ability to understand, comfort and advise. In her replies, Tove wrote openly about her own childhood and her work as a writer, and also told the disappointed why the Moomin books were no longer being written.
Tuula Karjalainen, the author of Tove Jansson’s biography, has selected the most interesting letters from readers and the author’s replies, shedding light on the background to the correspondence and revealing insights into Tove’s own life. The reading experience is complemented by stunning four-colour illustrations.
READING MATERIAL
Finnish edition & PDF
Sample translation Chapters 1-4
Publishing information
Reviews
“This new book tells us more about Tove Jansson, Moominvalley, and its closure than any human being or even a Moomin could dare hope for. In a perplexing way, it bypasses all mannerisms, publicity stunts, glossy images, calculations, flattery, and sales pitches and shows us what kind of person and writer Tove Jansson truly was. This is thanks to the children. Their letters to Tove are so direct, honest, and heartfelt that Jansson could not help but respond in kind. Directly, honestly, even with tears in her eyes. And perhaps that is why, when reading the book, you learn a lot about Tove, children, writing, life and yourself. With tears in your eyes and your heart full. Quite an achievement for a 193-page work.(…) Karjalainen has done a lot of detective work in tracking down Jansson's letters. The letters sent by the children are happily preserved in the archives of Åbo Akademi University, but Karjalainen had to track down their senders one by one. They are now adults, some already retired, but surprisingly many of them helped and sent Jansson's reply letters to Karjalainen. We should give her a Tieto-Finlandia prize for this!”
“Karjalainen's book isn’t a collection of letters and replies but an in-depth analysis of Jansson's roles, ways of thinking, and character. The cavalcade of topics covering her life and Moomin production will be familiar to those who have read about Jansson, but Karjalainen delves even deeper into the portrayal of Tove. [...] The book's illustrations feature familiar Moomin images alongside lesser-known works. In addition to letters and drawings sent by children, the book includes illustrations for foreign editions, Moomin posters, and collectables. The selected photographs of Tove Jansson complement the text perfectly. There could have been fewer familiar book illustrations, but even those have been chosen to perfectly match the topic of each section of the text.”
