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    Moominpappa's Memoirs
    Moominpappa's Memoirs
    Moominpappa's Memoirs
    Ebook182 pages2 hours

    Moominpappa's Memoirs

    By Tove Jansson and Thomas Warburton

    4/5

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    About this ebook

    Enhanced with Tove Jansson's simple, sprightly drawings, this series of delightful stories about life in Moomin Valley has enchanted audiences around the world for more than 70 years.

    Before he had a family, Moominpappa led a life of adventure and intrigue. But he's never told his story until now. He has a bad cold, and it's the perfect time to remember his youthful endeavors and to ponder the experiences which have made him the remarkable Moomin he is.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherMacmillan Publishers
    Release dateSep 2, 2014
    ISBN9781466871625
    Moominpappa's Memoirs
    Author

    Tove Jansson

    Tove Jansson (1914 - 2001) was born in Helsinki to artist parents. She was to become a celebrated artist, political cartoonist and author, but she is best known as the creator of the Moomins, one of the most successful and beloved children's book series ever written. Inspired by summers spent on the islands off Finland and Sweden, Tove created the unique world of Moominvalley and all its inhabitants. The Moomins and The Great Flood, her first book to feature the Moomins, published in 1945. Tove went on to publish twelve Moomin books between 1945 and 1977, which have sold in their millions and been translated into over forty languages. In the 1950's the Moomins became a successful cartoon strip, which was to feature in newspapers all over the world. As the Moomins' fame grew, they began to appear in television series, plays, films and a varied merchandise program soon followed. Tove also painted throughout her life and wrote novels and short stories, including the acclaimed Summer Book. But the Moomin world was never far away. As Tove said, "You feel a cold wind on your legs when you step outside Moomin Valley," In 1966, Tove received the Hans Christian Andersen Award for her lasting contribution to children's literature.

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    Reviews for Moominpappa's Memoirs

    4/5

    234 ratings4 reviews

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    • 4/5
      So, I am always checking out the middle grades fiction section at my local bookstore, looking for books for Jefferson as well as books for my We Need Diverse Books challenge supporting his classroom. The day I was scouring the shelves and found a set of all of Jansson's Moomin novels, I may have done a little happy dance. I definitely made a strange animal noise of some kind.

      At some point in my childhood, I was gifted with a copy of Tales from Moominvalley by my Uncle Tom, and I quickly realized it was one of the best books ever. It took me a much longer time to realize that it wasn't the only Moomin book out there, and I can't tell you how many times I've looked for Jansson on the shelves of various bookstores, only to slowly accumulate three or four more of the series, over decades.

      Now that I was staring at brightly colored versions of all eight, I couldn't let this chance pass me by, despite the fact that I sadly have still not catalogued by entire book collection, and couldn't remember exactly which ones I was still missing. (I did end up having to exchange one of the new ones I bought.)

      One of the new books went into my surprise box for reading out loud on a road trip, but this one skipped to the front of my to-read list. I had some concerns, as Moominpappa has never been my favorite character, and most of the other characters are largely absent. But this turned out to be quite lovely, about not knowing where one fits in, and being torn between the desire to have grand adventures and the desire to build a cozy, ornately decorated home. Large parts of the story are absurd, of course, but mostly in a charming way. And finally getting an origin story for Mymble's Daughter and Little My (among others, but you know it's Little My I really care about) was quite satisfying.

      Does not quite make it to the level of Moominland Midwinter or Tales from Moominvalley, but those two are, in my opinion, quite near perfection.

      Now I want to go read Moominland Midwinter again.
    • 5/5
      Incredible recounting of Moominpappa's youth. The illustrations are, as always, one of the best aspects in the book, and I can't stress it enough how much everyone-- not just children and, or Moomin fans-- should read this and the other books in the series.
    • 4/5
      I admit to being a little disappointed when I discovered that this was not the story of Moominpappa's adventures following the Hattifatteners, but I soon came round to embrace this strange tale of fathers: Moomintroll's, Sniff's, and Snufkin's, respectively. I was a little concerned that Sniff and Snufkin appeared to have never even met their parents, but I guess in Moominland that's not such a crazy notion. Anyway, this is Moominpappa's somewhat embellished account of his early years, from his abandonment at a Hemulen-run orphanage to the day he met Moominmamma. I was truly entertained by the Autocrat's speeches, and the art was wonderful as always, but this was not my favorite Moomin book. Moominpappa's inflated sense of self-importance was amusing at first, but became tiresome by the end. Luckily, it's a very short book, and does not overstay its welcome.
    • 4/5
      Incredibly funny adventures from the past of the most interesting Moomin character. The thoughts of Moominpappa were touched in the previous two Moomin books. This book doesn't lay it all down (wait for Moominpappa at Sea), but his position as a familyman, a "retired" adventurer, and his silent urge to continue wandering are made clearer.Pappa's adventures themselves introduce to us more of the Moomin world. They feature a lovable cast of characters, all with a definite personality as all other Moomin-folk. The presence of a King surprised me -- I guess Jansson just wanted that setting in one of her books.The descriptions of nature (an important feature in all Moomin books) and charactures are as colourful as always, and the book is just great fun to read.

    Book preview

    Moominpappa's Memoirs - Tove Jansson

    Prologue

    nce, when Moomintroll was quite small, his father got a cold at the very hottest time of summer. Moominpappa refused to drink warm milk with onion juice and sugar, and he refused to go to bed. He sat in the garden hammock blowing his nose and saying his cigars had a horrible taste, and the lawn was strewn all over with his handkerchiefs. Moominmamma carried them away in a little ­basket.

    When his cold became still worse, Moominpappa moved up to the verandah and seated himself in the rocking chair, with blankets around him up to his nose, and Moominmamma brought him a substantial rum toddy. Only by then it was too late. The rum toddy tasted just as bad as onion milk, and Moominpappa abandoned all hope and took to his bed in the northern attic room. He had never been ill before and took a very serious view of the matter.

    When his throat was at its sorest, he asked Moo­minmamma to fetch Moomintroll and Snufkin and Sniff, and they all assembled around his bed. He then exhorted them never to forget that they had had the privilege of spending their early lives in the company of a genuine adventurer, and asked Sniff to bring him the meerschaum tram from the chest of drawers in the drawing room. But Moo­minpappa was so hoarse that no one understood what he wanted.

    When they had tucked him in and pitied him and comforted him and given him some toffees and aspirin and amusing books, they took themselves off and went back out in the sunshine.

    Moominpappa remained in bed, greatly vexed, and at last he went to sleep. When he awoke toward eve­ning, his throat was feeling a little better, but he was still vexed anyhow. He rang the dinner bell at his bedside, and Moominmamma climbed upstairs at once to ask him how he was feeling.

    I feel rotten, said Moominpappa. But no matter. Just at the moment it’s important that you take some interest in my meerschaum tram.

    The drawing-­room decoration? said Moominmamma, surprised. What about it?

    Moominpappa sat up. Really, don’t you know that it played an important part in my youth? he asked.

    Well, it was some kind of lottery prize, ­wasn’t it? said Moominmamma.

    Moominpappa shook his head, blew his nose, and sighed.

    Just as I thought, he said. Now, suppose I had died from my cold this morning. Then none of you would have had the least idea of the history of this tram. Probably the same goes for a lot of other important matters. I may have told you something about my youth, but obviously you’ve forgotten it all.

    Perhaps some of the lesser details, Moominmamma admitted. One’s memory gets a little vague with time . . . Would you like your dinner now? We have vegetable soup and fruit juice.

    Ugh, said Moominpappa gloomily. He turned his face to the wall with a hollow cough.

    Moominmamma sat awhile looking at his back. Then she said, I’ll tell you what: the last time I tidied the attic, I found a thick exercise book, quite unused. Suppose you wrote down the ­whole story of your youth?

    Moominpappa did not answer, but he stopped coughing.

    Wouldn’t it be con­ve­nient now when you’ve got a cold anyway and ­can’t go out? Moominmamma continued. What is it called, memories, when you write about your life?

    No, memoirs, said Moominpappa.

    And then you could read to us what you’ve written, Moominmamma said. After breakfast, or after dinner, for instance.

    I’ll have to take some time about it, exclaimed Moominpappa, pushing the blankets away. You ­can’t write a book all that easily, believe me. I won’t read a word aloud before I have a complete chapter, and I’ll read it only to you at first, and afterward to the others.

    You’re probably right, said Moominmamma. She went to look in the attic and found the exercise book.

    How’s he feeling? asked Moomintroll.

    Better, said his mother. And now you’ll have to keep very quiet because your father is starting his Memoirs today.

    Preface

    Moominpappa am sitting to­night by my window gazing into my garden, where the fireflies are embroidering their mysterious signs on the velvet dark. Perishable flourishes of a short but happy life!

    As father of a family and own­er of a ­house, I look with sadness on the stormy youth I am about to describe. I feel a tremble of hesitation in my paw as I hold my memoir-­pen

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