Tove Jansson (1914–2001) was born in Helsinki into Finland’s Swedish-speaking minority. A painter and muralist, Jansson also drew humorous illustrations and political cartoons for the left-leaning anti-Fascist magazine
Garm, and it was there that what was to become Jansson’s most famous creation, Moomintroll, made his first appearance. Jansson went on to write about the adventures of Moomintroll, the Moomin family, and their curious friends in a long-running comic strip and in a series of books for children that have been translated throughout the world, inspiring films, several television series, an opera, and theme parks in Finland and Japan. Jansson also wrote eleven novels and short-story collections for adults, including
The Summer Book,
The True Deceiver,
and
Fair Play (NYRB Classics). In 1994 she was awarded the Prize of the Swedish Academy. 'My Beloved Uncles' was translated by Thomas Teal for
The Woman Who Borrowed Memories: Selected Stories, published 21 October 2014 by NYRB Classics.
Articles Available Online