Tove Jansson

Tove Marika Jansson (9 August 1914 – 27 June 2001) was a Finnish author, novelist, painter, illustrator, and comic strip creator who spoke Swedish. Jansson, who was raised by artists, studied art from 1930 to 1938 in Stockholm, Helsinki, and Paris. Her first solo show took place in 1943. She was also producing short tales and articles for publication, as well as designing visuals for book covers and other uses. She worked as an artist and writer for the remainder of her life.

Jansson began writing the Moomin novels for youngsters in 1945, with The Moomins and the Great Flood. Comet in Moominland and Finn Family Moomintroll, released in 1946 and 1948, respectively, were huge sales successes, adding to the success of the original book. In 1966, she was awarded the Hans Christian Andersen Medal for her work as a children's author. The Moomins also inspired a comic strip, which Jansson developed herself, and she was inducted into The Will Eisner Award Hall of Fame in 2016. Jansson wrote six novels, including the acclaimed Sommarboken (The Summer Book), and five books of short tales for adults, beginning with the semi-autobiographical Bildhuggarens dotter (Sculptor's Daughter) in 1968.

Tove Jansson considered her careers as an author and painter to be equally important, despite the fact that she became known first and foremost as an author. She painted throughout her life, shifting from classical impressionism in her teens to a very abstract modernist style in her later years. Jansson exhibited a number of paintings at shows throughout the 1930s and early 1940s, with her first solo exhibition taking place in 1943. Despite largely favorable reviews, Jansson's style was refined to the point where, in her 1955 solo show, her approach was less saturated in terms of detail and content.