Tove 100 Anniversary
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Wed 11 Jun 2014 - Sat 13 Sep 2014
On the 9th August 2014 it will mark a hundred years since the birth of Finland's greatest children's writer,
Tove Jansson . What makes her the greatest? Well, let me ask you this; how many other Finish writers can you name? None have gained world wide appeal like Tove Jansson, who is famous for her creation of
The Moomins. These bizarre hippo-looking creatures evolved from a political cartoon depicting Immanuel Kant. The character was thin with a long nose, devilish tail, and went under the name of 'Snork'. Snork later appeared as another character in the series, but the Moomins grew fatter and cuter. The name 'Moomin' came from Jansson's uncle, who, in an attempt to stop his niece raiding the kitchen, said a 'Moomintroll' lived in the kitchen closet and beathed cold air down people's necks.
Tove Jansson died at the age of 86 in 2001, but is still celebrated the world over. In the run up to her hundredth anniversary, I have seen book shops stocking all kind of related things, from the author's biography, her books, and toys. This is all part of the
Tove 100 , a worldwide series of events celebrating her life and works.
London is hosting a number of these events in August; in fact Wimbledon's Polka Theatre got a head start, and is currently showing a production of
Moominsummer Madness until the 16th August. Take a journey on a floating theatre, where there will be adventure and magical puppetry.
And why stop there? You can compare the theatre to film Axiom Films screens
Moomins and Midsummer Madness at three London venues. Dates include
10th August -
JW3
9th & 10th August -
ICA
13th September -
Barbican Centre
On the 6th August, the Southbank Centre's
Book Club will be discussing Jansson's
The Summer Book (1972), about the relationship
between a young girl and her grandmother. It is a chance to read up on some of Jansson's non-Moomin work.
Finally the
Moomin Shop in Covent Garden will be holding fun activities on the 9th & 10th August, which includes readings, concerts, face painting, and theatre.
#barbican
#books_writing
#cinema
#covent_garden
#fun_things_to_do
#literary
#theatre
#wimbledon
#june
#july
#august
#september
!date 11/06/2014 -- 13/09/2014
%wnlondon
65008 - 2023-01-20 01:56:24