Tove 100: Moomin, Little My and me
*** This text was written on December 31st, 2014***
Tove Jansson (1914-2001) would have been 100 in 2014. I couldn't think of wrapping up the year without writing some lines about her and, of course, the Moomins.
Tove Jansson (1914-2001) would have been 100 in 2014. I couldn't think of wrapping up the year without writing some lines about her and, of course, the Moomins.
Let me say that I've spent several months trying to write this post and I've failed horribly each time. What can I say that hasn't been said about Tove. That she was a wonderful queer person? That she was great as an artist and as an author? Others have told the story of her life in a better way than I could. How to make a homage in her centenary? By remembering what Moomins taught us about friendship, freedom and life? ('cause others have said that too)
These words will be sloppy and, maybe, a little nonsensical, but full of love. Because, if there's something a learnt from Tove is that: to love.
'twas the 90's and, as I attended elementary school, I was a moderately weird girl who liked watching German cartoons and puppets, Basque movies, as well as Eastern European and Russian animations in the cultural channel. There's where I met the Moomins anime. (I loved "regular," popular cartoons too, of course. Note that I wrote "moderately weird")
How amazed I was by all the characters that inhabited Moomin Valley. Somehow it reminded me of the town I lived for the first 4 years of my life next to La Marquesa national park. They weren't similar places at all except for having a forest and cold weather in winter, but they had something that was almost the same: the blue Moomin house was my grandparents home and I was Little My... well, almost.
Like the Moomins, I grew up surrounded by that warm feeling of food being cooked, of a big table full of people –my family–, of stories and love. There were also a couple of hemulens and fillyjonks around, but that happens with every family, I guess. Since I was the littlest in size and age (as well as kind of grumpy sometimes :p) I identified with Little My as soon as I saw her. But soon I realised that I wasn't fearless and adventurous as her. I, then, wished to be more like her when I grew up.
Years and series reruns passed and I was more in love with that Finn family, despite not having read their proper printed stories since Spanish translations were quite expensive and hard to find in Mexico and my English wasn't good enough to read children's books.
I finally got to read Moomin books and The Summer Book in the mid 2000's and my life brightened. All those great feelings of my childhood came back to me all of a sudden and I laughed and frolicked and laid on my bed watching the clouds, hoping for them to be from the magician's hat and just then, with the wind on my face, I cried the death of Tove.
I spent the entire 2014 thinking about how the world is a happier, more beautiful place thanks to Tove. I also thought about her and how gloom things were for her sometimes because of the war and how it affected her family, or because of being gay in a non-diverse society. But I like better to imagine her painting and writing in her island with Tuulikki, both happy and beautiful under the northern sun.
Thanks for everything, Tove.
***
I wanted to become as cool and fearless as Little My. Instead I grew up to be a weird version of Moominmamma, but that's ok, you know. I still am Little My-sized, though.
These words will be sloppy and, maybe, a little nonsensical, but full of love. Because, if there's something a learnt from Tove is that: to love.
 |
| © Moomin Characters™ |
'twas the 90's and, as I attended elementary school, I was a moderately weird girl who liked watching German cartoons and puppets, Basque movies, as well as Eastern European and Russian animations in the cultural channel. There's where I met the Moomins anime. (I loved "regular," popular cartoons too, of course. Note that I wrote "moderately weird")
How amazed I was by all the characters that inhabited Moomin Valley. Somehow it reminded me of the town I lived for the first 4 years of my life next to La Marquesa national park. They weren't similar places at all except for having a forest and cold weather in winter, but they had something that was almost the same: the blue Moomin house was my grandparents home and I was Little My... well, almost.
Like the Moomins, I grew up surrounded by that warm feeling of food being cooked, of a big table full of people –my family–, of stories and love. There were also a couple of hemulens and fillyjonks around, but that happens with every family, I guess. Since I was the littlest in size and age (as well as kind of grumpy sometimes :p) I identified with Little My as soon as I saw her. But soon I realised that I wasn't fearless and adventurous as her. I, then, wished to be more like her when I grew up.
 |
| © Moomin Characters™ |
Years and series reruns passed and I was more in love with that Finn family, despite not having read their proper printed stories since Spanish translations were quite expensive and hard to find in Mexico and my English wasn't good enough to read children's books.
I finally got to read Moomin books and The Summer Book in the mid 2000's and my life brightened. All those great feelings of my childhood came back to me all of a sudden and I laughed and frolicked and laid on my bed watching the clouds, hoping for them to be from the magician's hat and just then, with the wind on my face, I cried the death of Tove.
I spent the entire 2014 thinking about how the world is a happier, more beautiful place thanks to Tove. I also thought about her and how gloom things were for her sometimes because of the war and how it affected her family, or because of being gay in a non-diverse society. But I like better to imagine her painting and writing in her island with Tuulikki, both happy and beautiful under the northern sun.
Thanks for everything, Tove.
***
I wanted to become as cool and fearless as Little My. Instead I grew up to be a weird version of Moominmamma, but that's ok, you know. I still am Little My-sized, though.