The Exploits of Moominpappa: Described by Himself

Mumintrollen #4

by Tove Jansson

'I decided to run away. There simply wasn't anything else to do.'

Here at last is Moominpappa's promised life story - from the days when he was abandoned in a newspaper parcel on the doorstep of a Moomin orphanage, to when he ran away to see the world and was lucky enough to meet Moominmamma.

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Childrens, Classics, Finnish Literature, Adventure, Middle Grade

156 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1950

About the author

Tove Jansson was born and died in Helsinki, Finland. As a Finnish citizen whose mother tongue was Swedish, she was part of the Swedish-speaking Finns minority. Thus, all her books were originally written in Swedish.

Although known first and foremost as an author, Tove Jansson considered her careers as author and painter to be of equal importance.

Tove Jansson wrote and illustrated her first Moomin book, The Moomins and the Great Flood (1945), during World War II. She said later that the war had depressed her, and she had wanted to write something naive and innocent. Besides the Moomin novels and short stories, Tove Jansson also wrote and illustrated four original and highly popular picture books.

Jansson's Moomin books have been translated into 33 languages.

Reviews

[Hannah Greendale (Hello, Bookworm) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Click here to watch a video review of this book on my channel, From Beginning to Bookend.



Jansson's decision to switch to a first-person perspective enlivens this darling account of young Moominpappa navigating one quirky adventure after another.

[Manny · Rating 4 out of 5]

I must be terribly unobservant; despite having read the Mumintroll series on and off for several decades, I had somehow not noticed that Snusmumriken and his father Joxaren are Zen masters. But this passage was so obvious that even I couldn't miss it:

När Fredrikson avlöste mig vid rodret i gryningen nämnde jag i förbigående Joxarens förvånande och fullkomliga brist på intresse för omgivningen.

Hm, sa Fredrikson. Kanske han tvärtom bryr sig om allting? Vi bryr oss om en enda sak. Du vill bli. Jag vill göra. Mitt brorsbarn vill ha. Men Joxaren bara lever.

Äsch, leva! Det kan ju vem som helst, sa jag.

Hm, sade Fredrikson.

Hur som helst, Joxarens inställning förefaller mig på något sätt slarvigt, jag menar det där att bara leva. Leva gör man väl i alla fall? Som jag ser saken är man hela tiden omgiven av massor med viktiga och betydelsefulla saker som borde upplevas och tänkas ut och erövras, det finns så fullt av möjligheter att nackhåret reser sig på ända när jag tänker på dem - och i mitten sitter jag själv och är naturligtvis det allra viktigast.

(My translation)

When Fredrikson relieved me at the tiller towards dawn, I mentioned in passing Joxaren's inexplicable and total lack of interest in what went on around him.

Hm, said Fredrikson. Maybe, on the contrary, he cares about everything? We only care about one thing. You want to become something. I want to do something. My nephew wants to own something. But Joxaren just exists.

Fiddle-de-dee, exist! I said. Anyone can do that.

Hm, said Fredrikson.

At any rate, Joxaren's attitude seems somehow irresponsible to me, I mean this business of just existing. We all exist anyway, don't we? The way I see it, you're constantly surrounded by any number of important and meaningful things that need to be experienced and thought about and conquered, there are so many possibilities that the hair on the back of my head stands on end when I just think about them - and in the middle, here I am, needless to say the most important thing of all.

[Spencer Orey · Rating 4 out of 5]

My kid didn't like this as much as the last book and mostly asked if we could skip on to the next one. But in the end we both liked it.

Moominpappa's voice isn't as fun as the usual narrator, and my kid missed the usual characters, who are barely present.

That said, there are great new characters, creatures, and adventures. There's a giant whiny dragonish thing. And there's a ghost that really got my kid going. First, in horror about a scary ghost. Then, as a hilarious ghost trying to sound scary but endlessly failing.

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

Depending on your point of view, I have either read this book twice (once twenty years ago, and once last week), or I've read two different books one time each. Moominpappa's Memoirs is a revised edition of The Exploits of Moominpappa. It seems Jansson went back and rewrote and added bits to the original not long after its first English translation was published. The English language publishers apparently chose to pretend this hadn't happened (it must indeed have been quite vexing for them) and kept reprinting the original. A new translation was finally published in 1994.

So the burning question is: did I feel completely baffled by the unfamiliarity of much of this book because time had warped my memory, or because Jansson changed it so much? I had remembered it as a light-hearted romp much in the vein of Finn Family Moomintroll with lots of gentle absurdity and a fast-paced story, so I was eager to read it to my son, who I'm quite sure is not ready for the more disquieting tone of the later books. But upon setting forth on the story with my eager boy by my side, I saw at once that as a read aloud it would not suit. Jansson pokes fun at Moominpappa's pretentiousness and self-importance by having him narrate the story of his youth in the most ridiculously overblown pompous way, making a melodrama of everything (yet you can tell she's fond of him despite this). Here's a fairly typical passage from the first chapter:

...by and by a change came: I started to muse about the shape of my nose. I put my trivial surroundings aside and mused more and more about myself, and I found this to be a bewitching occupation. I stopped asking and longed instead to speak of my thoughts and feelings. Alas, there was no one besides myself who found me interesting.

I felt that this, and some even more abstract passages, was asking a bit too much of my son. Moomintroll, who, along with Sniff and Snuffkin is hearing the memoirs read aloud, sums it up pretty well:

"Pappa," said Moomintroll, "did one really talk in that unnatural way in those days?"

I quickly decided that I would enjoy this book much more reading it to myself, and for a few nights "forgot" to continue where we'd left off (harsh, I know).

On picking it up for myself, I found that ironically, after that highly ponderous first chapter, the fast-paced story I remembered got started. There are some funny bits. I like the boat, which was supposed to be christened "The Ocean Orchestra", but after being painted by an inept speller, is referred to as "The Oshun Oxtra" for the duration. Edward the Booble, an gigantic creature who constantly has to pay for the funerals of the creatures he steps on was mildly amusing, in a slap-sticky kind of way. There is a somewhat deeper thread to the book, in the conflict between Moominpappa's longing for adventure and his charming instinct to build houses with fretwork in a pine-cone motif. The most surprising parts of the book, both twenty years ago and now, were the revelations about Sniff and Snuffkin's respective parentage. The denoument of this felt rushed and puzzling though-- not to be spoilerish, but where had all these suddenly appearing characters been all this time? And where did they all disappear to afterwords? It was incidentally, satisfying (to a degree) to be reading the series for the first time ever in publication order, and to understand where the Mymble's Daughter and Little My came from, those two being firmly ensconced, with no explanation given, in the Moomin household at the start of the next book.

This is a strange entry in the series, but not unrewarding.

[Karenina (Nina Ruthström) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Humorn! Jag älskar humorn!
Jag har oavbrutet roligt när jag läser pappans memoarer över vilka författaren raljerar klädsamt. Det är härligt att få skratta åt egot, självömkan, skrytsamheten, stoltheten, allvaret med vilka memoarer ofta skrivs när en man håller i pennan.

Han håller på att glömma att berätta om kvinnorna (skräll), men han får till några korta rader mot slutet om Sås-djuret och Muminmamman. Jansson glömmer givetvis inte kvinnorna, här träder Lilla My in i serien och det gör hon med bravur.

”Jag kände en som dog av gröt”

”Nu har de förgiftat sig, sa Lilla My” om Rådd-djuret och Sås-djuret som ingått äktenskap.

[Martyna Antonina · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,25☆

Tatuś Muminka oficjalnie otrzymuje tytuł najbardziej egzaltacyjnego romantyka w historii literatury dziecięcej. Dziękuję za uwagę.

[Manybooks · Rating 2 out of 5]

Although I do generally adore Tove Jansson’s Moomins as characters, I without guilt and contrition have to admit that I have always had my personal reading pleasure issues with the character of Moominpappa, with the father, finding him rather arrogant, more than a bit selfish and to put it mildly also much too fond of the sound of his own voice. And as such, I was definitely not really looking all that much forward to reading The Exploits of Moominpappa: Described by Himself, as indeed, I definitely was worried that an entire Moomin novel where Tove Jansson (and by extension Thomas Warburton as translator) has the father not only being the main narrator but also the main protagonist writing out and reading to Moomintroll and his friends the story of his life, of his so-called exploits would more than likely be potentially a bit tedious and uninteresting, would not be all that pleasant and joyful (even though I of course was also hoping that my trepidations regarding The Exploits of Moominpappa: Described by Himself would prove to be unfounded and in error and that I would actually end up finding Moominpappa’s memoirs engaging and not what I was fearing they might be).

But no and indeed very much unfortunately, my prior to my perusal worries regarding The Exploits of Moominpappa: Described by Himself have been more than well founded (well, at least for me personally, as I do realise that the average ranking for The Exploits of Moominpappa: Described by Himself are actually quite high). For even though I have very much tried to retain my reading interest regarding the father’s presented memoirs, Moominpappa’s often rambling tirades, that almost everything seems in my opinion to focus on and revolve around him, him, him (and that these memoirs are thus also narrated by Moomintroll’s father in quite a pompous and increasingly arrogant manner) and finally that the numerous diverse storyline threads tend to become increasingly confusing with the oh so many scenarios depicted and also with the oh so many various and often strange characters appearing, disappearing and suddenly appearing again, yes, I very quickly ended up pretty massively frustrated and bored with The Exploits of Moominpappa: Described by Himself and to such an extent that I was actually often much tempted to not finish (and in fact I have only managed to complete The Exploits of Moominpappa: Described by Himself by doing a lot of skimming and trying to ignore Moominpappa’s pomposity as much as possible).

And truly, certainly, my two star rating for The Exploits of Moominpappa: Described by Himself is therefore rather generous, as I really have not AT ALL enjoyed my reading experience except for meeting the Mymble (and her children) and realising that two of Moominpappa’s friends are in fact Snufkin and Sniff’s respective fathers (Joxter and the Mudler).

[☾❀Miriam✩ ⋆｡˚ · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of my favourite books in the series. I love Moominpappa's sense of humour! :)

[Trzcionka · Rating 4 out of 5]

Muminki nigdy nie zawodzą. Tym razem trochę historii życia Tatusia Muminka - w całej okazałości. Przypomniałam sobie skąd się wziął Ryjek, Włóczykij i Mała Mi. Świetne przygody, pocieszne dialogi i urocze zakończenie.

[Drew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Of the three Moomin books I've read so far, this one is the deepest and most philosophical. That probably makes it the most "adult" of these alleged children's books.

Of course, they've all got traces of wisdom and philosophy in them, but it really emerges here, where Moominpappa sets out to write his life story. Like the other books, it's warmly absurd and imbued with deep emotion. Moominpappa considers himself quite special, born under important stars, resulting in an expressed desire for adventure. He finds adventure on a riverboat, along with characters who are eventually revealed to be Snufkin's and Sniff's fathers.

But even on his adventures, there is still an undercurrent of longing and yearning. Near the end of the book, as his fellow adventurers begin to settle down into careers and get married (or otherwise paired off) Moominpappa despairs that his life of adventure is probably over. Raise your hand if you can relate to that! :: raises hand ::

Ironically, as more and more people fill his house, the more lonely and isolated he feels. Classic introvert. In fact, I think Jansson captures the introvert personality quite well in all her books. (Snufkin's need to frequently withdraw from people is one clear example.)

Moominpappa is me. I am Moominpappa.

Never fear. The story ends on a high note as new adventures come washing in with the tide. Literally.

I can't speak highly enough of this series. Through her whimsical cast of non-human characters, Jansson has captured the human experience, in stories that have you nodding along and saying "Yes, life is just like that."

If this hadn't been a library book, I would have been highlighting passages on nearly every page.

[Sean D'angelo · Rating 5 out of 5]

As far as Tove Jansson's work goes, Moominpappa's Memoirs may be better suited for the more mature and philosophical children (or nostalgic adults like myself). It's definitely not a bedtime read. But in my opinion no other book in the Moomin series captures quite so well the pure whimsical delight of Jansson's imagination. In fact, it's the only one that's ever brought a tear of joy to my eye.

For those who have read and enjoyed other Moomintroll books, don't be discouraged by the absence of your favorite little critters — Moominpappa and his friends are cut from the same cloth as his young wards Moomintroll, Sniff, and Snufkin. Their trials are every bit as fraught with excitement, mystery, and wonder. Their dreams are just as far fetched. And while Moominpappa is always one to linger on internal monologue, these introspective moments come off as silly rather than cumbersome.

For those who haven't yet had the pleasure of entering Tove Jansson's fantastical world, my advice is pick up another of the books first — I highly recommend starting with Finn Family Moomintroll — and then return to Moominpappa's Memoirs down the road. If you are anything like me, you won't be able to help yourself.

[Rosamund Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting to contrast this with later books in the series like November or Moominpappa at Sea -- this is a much more joyful and zany book, and while it's one of the few Moomin stories that feels directly satirical, it's also one of the most child friendly. Most of what I love about it, I remember from my experience as a child -- the Island Ghost, the treasure hunt for eggs, the advent of Little My, the chase for clouds, the Niblings. The drawings are fantastic: lively, evocative and graceful, the bring the characters to life. I found reading this very comforting, although it isn't as emotionally resonant as some of the other books.

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this book, Moominpappa reads his oft mentioned memoirs to the children. He introduces a brand new cast of characters to the series as he does so, which is delightful. The book is very entertaining. My one criticism would be that some elements feel like an afterthought, as though the author ran out of steam towards the end, and one plot point is never resolved at all. Oh, that’s two criticisms, isn’t it? Never mind; it’s Christmas.

[Kirjapallo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mieheni luki tätä minulle yhden luvun illassa ja minä värittelin tai piirtelin samalla. :) Olemme täysin samaa mieltä siitä, että Muumit ovat ihan parhaita ääneenlukukirjoja! Seuraavaksi on tietysti vuorossa Muumilaakson marraskuu. Otimme myös tavoitteeksi käydä ensi keväänä Tampereen Muumimuseossa. :)

[Anina | lukukartano · Rating 3 out of 5]

"En voi kyllin painottaa, miten vaarallista on, kun ystävät menevät naimisiin tai ryhtyvät hovikeksijöiksi. Ensin on lainsuojattomien seura, joukko seikkailunhaluisia toveruksia, jotka lähtevät matkaan, kun kyllästyvät ja voivat vaeltaa mihin ikinä haluavat, koko maailma on avoinna - ja sitten, yhtäkkiä, heitä ei enää kiinnostakaan.

He haluavat olla lämpimässä. He pelkäävät sadetta. He alkavat kerätä isoja tavaroita, jotka eivät mahdu reppuun. He puhuvat vain pienistä asioista. He eivät halua tehdä äkkipäätöksiä eivätkä muuttaa mieltään. Ennen he nostivat purjeet, nyt he nikkaroivat pieniä astiahyllyjä. Kuka voi kertoa sellaisesta kyynelöimättä!" (s. 161–163)

Muumi-sarjan neljännestä osasta ei tullut lemppariani, mutta ah millaisia hahmoja kirjan sivuilla seikkailee! 💜 Drontti Edvard, joka talloo porukkaa kuoliaaksi (joko vahingossa tai suutuspäissään) ja sitten katuvaisena itkee ja kustantaa hautajaiset. Mymmeli, jolla on niin monta lasta pestävänä, syötettävänä, niistettävänä ja Mörkö ties mitä kaikkea, että hän ei ikinä EHDI olla vihainen. Ja ehdoton lempparini: kummitus, jolla ei mene säikyttelyrintamalla kovin vahvasti mutta joka onneksi viihtyy myös epäaavemaisten harrastusten parissa.

Olenko muuten ainut, joka ei tiennyt, että pikku Myy ja Nuuskamuikkunen ovat sukua toisilleen? 😮

[Jenna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ensimmäinen lukemani Muumi -kirja, mutta ei todennäköisesti viimeinen. Hauska tarina, jossa käsiteltiin hienosti kasvamista ja identideetin kehittymistä. Hosuli on ihana.

[Nikky Kuil · Rating 5 out of 5]

Favoriete uitspraak: ‘When you were small you wanted to know. Now you want to become.’ -Moominpapa (daar loopt elke antropoloog toch warm van)

[Mathew · Rating 5 out of 5]

An ill, bedridden Moominpappa must find something to do to stave off the boredom so when Moominmamma suggests he write down his life history he seizes the opportunity and puts pen to paper. He may be the designated Patriarch of the house now but it wasn't always this way. Moominpappa began his life as a orphaned baby deposited outside a home for foundlings and this is his story.

Frustrated by the restrictive control of the Hemulen in charge at the home, a very young Moominpappa escapes and heads off into the wild world. Fortunately, he meets up and makes friends with the amiable and deeply knowledgeable Hodgkins. Noticing that both had the same spirit of adventure within them, they agree to set off in order to discover the world together along with Hodgkins' nephew, Muddler and their friend, Joxter.

All four set upon a series of adventures each tale of which is then read aloud in the present and to Moomintroll, Sniff and Snufkin (the children of these adventurers). I loved the fact that this is the book in which we meet Little My and Mymble (the latter of which was, amongst Tove's friends a codeword for making love). The memoirs close, as they open, on a stormy night in which Moominmamma is plucked from the raging sea (a wonderful image in both words and picture).

Memoirs (or Exploits depending on your version) was one of the most redrafted of all of Jansson's stories. The last moomin saga to be penned during the 40s, the autobiographical element was inspired by a similarly structured autobiography by Tove's favourite artist and sculptor, Benvenuto Cellini. In his own work, written in the 16th century, he reflected on how when one reaches the age of 40, one is old enough to write about your life and the adventures within. So the seed is sown for Moominpappa's own memoirs; a series of stories in which genre and viewpoint are interchangeable and memories are aplomb with fantasy and questionable authenticity.

Interestingly, it was Tove who always wanted the title to be Memoirs, but the publishers thought the term too sophisticated for the young audience and chose Exploits instead since it alluded to that sense of adventure: in time she would get her way. As a burgeoning writing of prose, Jansson enjoyed the idea that as Moominpappa wrote, he began to find his writerly identity; this mirrored her own journey through the process.

[Bjorn · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the few Moomin books I haven't re-read regularly since I was a kid, and that's on me, because this is just nifty. Jansson is fully aware that her protagonist is a bit silly, and turns the whole book into one of the most charming examples of unreliable narration committed to paper, explaining everything that seems to not add up or seem weird with well, that's just how you write it in memoirs... right up until the ending which seems just a little too pat, but then again, that's the way you write it in these kinds of books, and damn, it works.

[Kristīne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mazāk ēverģēlību - vairāk pārdomu - tās ir labākās Muminu grāmatas, un šī bija lieliska! Varoņu raksturi ir tik dzīvi, tik pazīstami.

[Lobo]

Tatuś Muminka nie był Muminkiem, którego bym lubiła, ale to chyba sposób autorki na rozprawę z mizoginią jej epoki. Egocentryzm młodego Tatusia Muminka jest dość ostrym przytykiem w stronę nastoletniej egzaltacji, bo każdy nastolatek jest trochę pick me i myśli, że cierpi tak, jak nikt nigdy wcześniej w historii ludzkości. Na szczęście z tego się wyrasta. Szczerość Tatusia Muminka w pamiętnikach jest rozbrajająca.

[Klaudia_p · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bawiłam się przednio powracając do Doliny Muminków. Oczywiście jest kilka rzeczy, które i tym razem nieco mnie zaskoczyły:
"Tatuś Muminka (...) Zadzwonił dzwonkiem, który zwykle oznajmiał porę posiłku, i wtedy natychmiast wbiegła po schodach Mama (...)". - patriarchat jak się patrzy
"Jeżeli oczywiście przeczytacie moje pamiętniki do końca, proponuję, żebyście znów zaczęli je czytać od początku" - Tatuś Muminka to despota
"(...) pragnę wyrazić gorące słowa podziękowania tym wszystkim, którzy swego czasu przyczynili się do ukształtowania mojego życia w to dzieło sztuki, jakim ono niezaprzeczalnie się stało (...)" - i megaloman
"Niech tatusiowie i mamusie będą ponad wszelką miarę ostrożni, zanim wydadzą na świat dzieci; zalecam im jak najdokładniejsze wyliczenia" - wielkie nieba, Tatuś Muminka jako edukator seksualny
"Żeby tak spaść między nie! (...) Nic więcej, tylko w dół i w dół, i w dół... (...) Okropnie mnie to podnieciło. Podniosłem się i zacząłem tupać po lodzie, żeby sprawdzić, czy wytrzymuje" - Tatuś Muminka przejawiał w młodości skłonności samobójcze
"Myśl o budowie domu tak mocno zawładnęła mną, że naprawdę wierzyłem, że to zbudowałem!" - wizualicja jednak nie jest skutecznym narzędziem na drodze do sukcesu i realizacji marzeń
"(...) nadeptują cię tylko przez pomyłkę. I potem przez tydzień płaczą. Pokrywają też koszty pogrzebu" - uwielbiam czarny humor w Muminkach
"Wszystko, co przyjemne, jest dobre dla żołądka" - powiedziała Mama Muminka o papierosach, choć sama nie pali
"Hatifnatowie (...) prowadzą łajdackie życie (...) - W jaki sposób? (...) - Może depczą czyjeś ogródki warzywne i piją piwo". - pewnie napadają na ogródki działkowe i grillują do upadłego, a to Ci przestępcy :D

I na koniec, ale bez zaskoczenia, znowu wino, dużo wina. Zaczynam myśleć, że jest to podstawowy trunek w spiżarni rodziny Muminków :)

[Karl Orbell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Two things I have learnt from this book.

1. Moominpappa is a narcissistic pillock.
2. Tove Jansson can't write in the first person at all well.

Nevertheless, this little novel is presented as the memoirs of Moominpappa, and serves as a history for the other Moomin books, so it's a necessary read within the series.

We are introduced to the fathers of Snufkin and Sniff, and eventually their mothers too, not all quite alike their children, but sufficiently so to imagine that this is just any other story with the parents in the usual protagonists roles. Like a flashback in a comedy where the cast get a stupid haircut and old clothing and that's that.



For the first time, Little My turns up, albeit via her mother and big sister for the majority of the time, though her first few words are towards the end - not that she has joined the gang yet.



Otherwise it is the usual Moomin stock, high adventure upon the seas and land, the building of cunning modes of transport and habitation and a certain disregard for logic or common sense.



At least there's an engineer in this one, who likes cogs. I do wish the female characters were more than hat stands though.

[ნინო კერესელიძე · Rating 5 out of 5]

გადახდენილ თავგადასავლებზე საინტერესოდ მამა მუმინის ფიქრები, განცდები, თავისუფლებისკენ გადადგმული ნაბიჯები და მშფოთვარე ცხოვრებისკენ მიდრეკილება მომეჩვენა. უსაყვარლესია დედა მუმინთან პირველად შეხვედრის ეპიზოდი. ეპილოგზე რომ აღარაფერი ვთქვათ. ❤️

[Are Kjeldsberg Skauby · Rating 5 out of 5]

Faen så bra liksom

[Angelika · Rating 5 out of 5]

jakie to było świetne 😭 trochę bałam się zaczynać, bo naczytałam się negatywnych recenzji, ale totalnie mnie zachwyciła ta książka, opisy, nawet wady wszystkich bohaterów i cały ten muminkowy świat ❤️ od razu cieplej na serduszku

[sommarbinka · Rating 5 out of 5]

jak dobrze, że świat nie składa się z samych Goldingów

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

In Moominpappa’s preface to what was later revised and expanded as Moominpappa’s Memoirs (1968) we discover that this story was written in August, in anticipation of the moomin imminently attaining the venerable age of forty on the ninth day of that month.

How delightful then that it should coincide with the birthday of Tove Jansson herself, who had taken on the task of setting down the memoir and illustrating it!

And how lucky are we that Moominpappa yielded both to persuasion and to temptation to talk about himself and his early life, else we wouldn’t have been treated to the exciting stories of not just this friendly troll’s exploits but also of two other “daddies’ adventures.”

Prevailed upon to give an account of his early life, Moominpapa describes his arrival at a Hemulen's orphanage, only to find a way to escape from its constrictive regime. He meets agreeable friends such as Hodgkins the inventor (Fredrikson in Swedish), the Muddler (Rådd-djuret) and the Joxter (Joxaren) the last two of whom, we soon learn, will become the fathers of Sniff and Snufkin. They embark on a boat called Ocean Orchestra – misspelled as Oshun Oxtra – inadvertently launched by the huge Edward the Booble.

On their eventful voyage their crew enlarges with the advent of the bossy Hemulen Aunt, one of the Niblings (as the Klippdassar are here rendered), the Mymble’s Daughter, and the delightful if loquacious Ghost of Horror Island (Spöket), who all make significant impacts on unfolding events. Later, encouraged by the aged Autocrat (Självhärskaren) called Daddy Jones, Hodgkins transforms the Oshun Oxtra into a submarine, and then a flying machine. Finally we get to hear about the circumstances in which Moominpappa got to meet Moominmamma.

I wasn’t sure of this entry into the Moomin series when I first started: it felt a bit too episodic, too whimsical, even rather directionless. But delivered as a series of mini-adventures, each ending in a sort of cliffhanger, to an eager audience of Moomintroll, Snufkin, and Sniff, the Exploits begin to morph into an odyssey, with potential adversaries, storms at sea, islands big and small, a garden party and the announcement of a wedding. And for all the whimsy – which I loved, by the way – there was a quiet emotion to be felt and enjoyed by the conclusion.

The whimsy in fact may be the catalyst for the emotion, residing as it does in most of the characters – even the seemingly cantankerous or objectionable ones – who ultimately underwent transformations into valued acquaintances or even friends. And there were delightful surprises: discovering who were the offspring of the Muddler and the Joxter, for example, indeed who was the mother of Snufkin, and who was Little My’s half-brother.

Add to this Jansson’s own line drawings, integral to the plot as well of overflowing with their own magic: the individual characterisations given form (as in the Moomin-Gallery following the Epilogue – the half- or full-page illustrations with their whiff of classic engravings or, in the seascapes, Hokusai prints. All that remains is to take us back to the month of Jansson’s birthday:

'The eastern sky was a wonderful rose-petal pink, promising a fine clear August day. A new door to the Unbelievable, to the Possible, a new day that can always bring you anything if you have no objection to it.' – Epilogue

[Klara A · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Jag kan inte nog betona faran av att ens vänner går och gifter sig (...) ena dagen är man ett laglöst sällskap, äventyrliga kamrater som sticker iväg när det blir tråkigt, man har vad som helst att välja på, hela världskartan - och så, plötsligt, är de inte intresserade längre" ❤️

[Ida Jackson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Det Nifseste! Mymlens datter! Eneherskeren! Havhunden! Fjomsedyret! Fredriksen! Havsorkesteret! Nappetassene! Hemulens tante! Jokseren! Dronten Anton! Ved min hale, for et gjensyn!