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Afternoon Reading

Tove Jansson - Travelling Light

Episode 2: Foreign City

Duration: 15 minutes

First broadcast: on BBC Radio 4 FMLatest broadcast: on BBC Radio 4 Extra

An old man, his memory fading, is on his way to visit his grandson when he breaks his flight at an unknown city. His son has arranged the journey, but the old man becomes confused and events carry him on a different path.

The writer and artist Tove Jansson is best known as the creator of the Moomin stories, which were first published in English 60 years ago and have remained in print ever since. She turned her attention to writing for adults when she was in her fifties.

With the deceptively light prose that is her hallmark, 'Travelling Light' reveals to us the precariousness of a journey and the unease we feel at being placed outside of our milieu.

Translated by Silvester Mazzarella
Read By Timothy West

Producer: Karen Rose
A Sweet Talk production for BBC Radio 4. Show less

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