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Eleanor Yule

Franny Moyle

Moominland Tales: The Life of Tove Jansson

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Factual: Life Stories

Factual: Arts, Culture & the Media: Arts

26/12/2012

BBC Four - Moominland Tales: The Life of Tove Jansson

Documentary about the extraordinary life of Finnish author and artist Tove Jansson.

Documentary revealing the autobiographical slant in the Moomins series, tracing author Tove Jansson's story from bohemian artist in war-torn Helsinki to recluse on a remote island.

Moomintroll and the Moomin family are characters loved by children and parents worldwide who have grown up listening to Finnish writer Tove Jansson's delightful stories about a group of philosophical trolls who face a range of adventures in Moominland.  

This documentary reveals the strong autobiographical slant in the Moomins series as it traces the author's own extraordinary story from living the bohemian life of an artist in war-torn Helsinki to becoming a recluse on a remote island in the Gulf of Finland. 

Enjoying unprecedented access to Jansson's personal archive, the film reveals an unconventional, brave and compelling woman whose creative genius extended beyond Moominland to satire, fine art and masterful adult fiction - not least her highly regarded The Summer Book. With home movie footage shot by her long-term female lover and companion, it offers a unique glimpse of an uncompromising fun-loving woman who developed love as the central theme of her work.

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