''Moominland Midwinter'' ( Swedish title: ''Trollvinter'') is the sixth in the series of

Tove Jansson Tove Marika Jansson (; 9 August 1914 – 27 June 2001) was a Swedish-speaking Finnish author, novelist, painter, illustrator and comic strip author. Brought up by artistic parents, Jansson studied art from 1930 to 1938 in Helsinki, Stockholm, ...

Moomin The Moomins (, ) are the central characters in a series of novels, short stories, picture books, and a comic strip by the Finnish writer and illustrator Tove Jansson, originally published in Swedish by Finnish publisher Schildts. They are a ...

books, published in 1957. This book sees Jansson adopt a darker, more introspective tone compared to the earlier books that is continued in the remainder of the series. Often in the book

Moomintroll A large number of characters appear in the ''Moomin'' series by Tove Jansson. The original Swedish names are given with the etymologies and word associations suggested by Yvonne Bertills in her 2003 dissertation. Main characters Moomintroll ...

is either lonely, miserable, angry or scared - the result of being forced to survive in a world to which he feels he does not belong. While preserving the charm of the previous novels, the story involves a more in-depth exploration of Moomintroll's character than before.

Plot summary

While the rest of the Moomin family are in the deep slumber of their winter

hibernation Hibernation is a state of minimal activity and metabolic reduction entered by some animal species. Hibernation is a seasonal heterothermy characterized by low body-temperature, slow breathing and heart-rate, and low metabolic rate. It is mos ...

, Moomintroll finds himself awake and unable to get back to sleep. He discovers a world hitherto unknown to him, where the sun does not rise and the ground is covered with cold, white, wet powder. Moomintroll is lonely at first but soon meets Too-ticky, a wise spirit who sings mysterious songs, and his old friend

Little My Little My (original , literally: "Little Mu") is a character in the Moomin series of books by Tove Jansson. The character first appeared in the fourth book, The Exploits of Moominpappa (1950). She is a small, determined and fiercely independe ...

(who takes delight in sledging down the snowy hills on Moominmamma's silver tea tray). The friends build a snow horse for the Lady Of The Cold and mourn the passing of an absent-minded squirrel who gazed into the Lady's eyes and froze to death. However, a squirrel is spotted alive by Moomintroll at the end of the book, and it seems that it may have come back to life. As the haunting winter progresses, many characters (notably the Groke, Sorry-oo the small dog, and a boisterous skiing Hemulen) come to Moominvalley in search of warmth, shelter and Moominmamma's stores of jam.

Reception

The novel explores the character of the series' lead, Moomintroll. In ''Tove Jansson: Life, Art, Words'', Boel Westin describes the main themes of the novel: "''Moominland Midwinter'' is a story about balance; balance between greyness, darkness and cold, and balance between colour, light and warmth. The seasons present a play of pictures that step by step reveals Moomintroll's deepening experience." In ''Tove Jansson'', W. Glyn Jones agrees, "The absolute and unquestioned reality of the world of childhood now becomes less clearly defined, something a growing Moomintroll can question. Likewise, Moomintroll, who has hitherto been protected, now learns to live without that protection." It is believed that the new character, Too-Ticky, is a representation of Jansson's life-long partner, Tuulikki Pietilä (nickname, Tutti) who was often an inspiration for her.

Adaptations

''Moominland Midwinter'' was adapted into episodes 23-33 of the 1977 stop motion series which was compiled into the 2017 feature film ''Moomins and the Winter Wonderland'', as well as episodes 22, 23 and 37 in the 1990 TV series. The book was adapted by

BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. The station replaced the BBC Home Service on 30 September 1967 and broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes from the BBC's headquarters at Broadcasti ...

, as part of their Christmas Day 2021 Schedule, starring

John Finnemore John David Finnemore (born 28 September 1977) is a British comedy writer and actor. He wrote and performed in the radio series '' Cabin Pressure'', '' John Finnemore's Souvenir Programme'', and '' John Finnemore's Double Acts'', and frequent ...

as Moomintroll

References

External links

The Moomin Trove
1957 children's books 1957 fantasy novels Moomin novels Swedish-language novels 1957 Finnish novels {{1950s-child-fantasy-novel-stub ja:ムーミン#小説作品