“Tove Jansson – Moomins and More” Talk announced

By John Freeman on December 14, 2022

Author and comics historian Paul Gravett will be giving a talk, “Tove Jansson – Moomins and More” at the Century Club, London, in January.

There are few artists more talented in making the mundane magical than Tove Jansson, the Finnish writer and illustrator who created the Moomins, a forest dwelling family of hippo-like trolls who are loved the world over. Their evocative, philosophical fantasies speak to all ages, most recently in the continuing CGI-animated TV series Moominvalley. In Finland, she has become a national treasure with an official flag day on her birthday (9th August) to celebrate Finnish arts and letters.

In this talk, comic historian Paul Gravett will explore Jansson’s multiple careers, ranging from painting and murals to picture books and literature. Illustration was also a lifelong passion, and this visual lecture includes rare and unseen artworks, including her brazen anti-Fascist cartoons during World War Two and her daily “Moomin” newspaper strips in the London Evening News. Gravett will also investigate how Tove became a queer icon and how her love for women inspired the characters of her artwork.

Paul Gravett is a London-based writer, historian, curator and lecturer, specialising in international comics art. His latest book, Tove Jansson (Thames & Hudson, 2022), offers fresh details and insights about her life and work, with a focus on her illustrations. It was published in October 2022 in English, German, Italian, Japanese and Korean, with Chinese, Finnish and Swedish editions to follow in Spring 2023.

DeAgostini “Moomin” part work (Moomin Chronicles)

As we recently reported, DeAgostini recently launched a Moomin part work, a series that includes “Tales from Moominvalley”, reliving some of the most famous adventures of Moomintroll and his family, from the timeless stories by Tove Jansson.

• Tove Jansson – Moomins and More with Paul Gravett 7.00pm Wednesday 18th January 2023, Century Club, 61-63 Shaftesbury Avenue, London W1D 6LQ | Members Event | Tickets £12 – click here to purchase

• Paul Gravett is online at: www.paulgravett.com

John Freeman

The founder of downthetubes, which he established in 1998. John works as a comics and magazine editor, writer, and on promotional work for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He is currently editor of Star Trek Explorer, published by Titan – his third tour of duty on the title originally titled Star Trek Magazine.

Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine, Babylon 5 Magazine, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics. He has also edited several comic collections, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”.

He’s the writer of “Pilgrim: Secrets and Lies” for B7 Comics; “Crucible”, a creator-owned project with 2000AD artist Smuzz; and “Death Duty” and “Skow Dogs” with Dave Hailwood.