The Moomins: A Manifesto for a kinder world
The Finnish Writer and cartoonist Tove Jansson’s most famous creation, The Moomin Family (and their world) are one of the best series of stories and drawings of the 20th century and a national icon for the People of Finland.
Growing up, I had a audiobook recording of Finn Family Moomintroll read in Hugh Laurie’s dulcet tones, besides being a great story, the philosophies that are embodied by the Moomin family and their friends are some of the most important lessons a person, let alone a child, can learn.
The autobiographically inspired characters and landscapes of the Moomin world seem idyllic without belittling the reader, indeed far from it. Subtly is everywhere in Jansson’s drawings, humour, and her storylines are both empathetic and socio-politcally subversive — concepts of race, identity, gender, sexuality and Otherness are all approached without ever seeming too much.The lessons between the lines of text and illustration are what give the Moomins their defining features: acceptance, openess, thirst for knowledge, adventure, collective will power and perhaps most importantly — Joy for life.
Take for example, these quotes:
“ There’s no need to imagine that you’re a wondrous beauty, because that’s what you are.”
…well aint that the truth…and somewhat re-phrases Nelson Mandela’s famous poem/prayer ‘Our Greatest Fear’
and what about this one…
“The world is full of great and wonderful things for those who are ready for them.”
The quizzical, inquisitive nature of all Jansson’s characters inspires the same mindset in her readers — children are encouraged to question and adults re-discover their ‘childish’ habits of pondering ‘what is?!’
Whilst there are shadowy figures within the Moomin Valley none of them are malevolent once they are truly understood: The Groke is lonely and wrongly misunderstood, the Hobgoblin is just hungry for pancakes and the Hattifattners could even be seen as a race dedicated to meteorology rather than anything more ill-intended.
Profound, playful: taking joy in the small things is what the Moomins do best — who else could invent a game in which you play Tarzan when the magical Hobgoblin’s hat grows a forest around your house!? Even preceived calamity or crisis is a chance to look at things in a different, more positive way.
Tove Jansson’s piece de resistance should be read by everyone — then maybe the world would be a more peaceful, attuned and in touch, holistic place….or at the least a place where people daydreamed and wondered a little more.
