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Mumintrollen #2
Comet in Moominland
When Moomintroll learns that a comet will be passing by, he and his friend Sniff travel to the Observatory on the Lonely Mountains to consult the Professors. Along the way, they have many adventures, but the greatest adventure of all awaits them when they learn that the comet is headed straight for their beloved Moominvalley.
192 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1946
894 people are currently reading
8312 people want to read
About the author
Tove Jansson
877 books3,892 followersTove 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.
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.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,782 reviews
April 7, 2023
feeling whimsical!!!
i love tove jansson and i love children's classics and i love The Power Of Imagination. so this was a dream.
bottom line: rebranding as a moomin girl.
i love tove jansson and i love children's classics and i love The Power Of Imagination. so this was a dream.
bottom line: rebranding as a moomin girl.
December 13, 2017
[Note: Rating increased from 3 to 4 stars after reading the first moomin book, The Moomins and the Great Flood.]
Moomintroll’s quiet life is upended when foreboding images of a star with a tail send him journeying to speak with the Professors at the Observatory. Meeting new friends along the way and forging through perilous adventures together, Moomintroll and his companions arrive at the Observatory where they learn a comet is headed towards earth. Worse yet – the comet is predicted to land precisely where Moomintroll lives with his Moominpappa and Moominmamma. Moomintroll must find a quick way home if he’s going to warn his family in time.
It’s not difficult to see why ‘Moominmania’ exists. Jansson’s book conveys an innocence rarely found in modern titles. An undeniable charm exudes from her fanciful characters – the same type of odd yet memorable creatures one anticipates finding in an L. Frank Baum novel.
Moomins have a simple way of life. Their relaxed attitudes, gardens, and lovingly prepared meals are reminiscent of Tolkien’s hobbits. In fact, Jansson’s descriptions of the whimsical setting often invoke the sense that one is reading about an alternate Shire – a feeling made more robust by Moomintroll and his friends journeying to the Lonely Mountains.
Halfway up the hill on their way grew a clump of blue-trees covered with big yellow pears, and of course they couldn’t get past that without Sniff deciding that he was hungry.
It certainly looked mysterious. Overhead the branches of the plum trees, oaks, and silver poplars met and formed a dark tunnel which led away into the unknown.
Despite the impending threat of a comet hitting the earth, Moomintroll and his companions are relatively carefree. They remain (mostly) focused in their task to hurry home as they're shuffled from one peculiar instance to the next. The narrative lacks a sense of urgency, yet there’s something cathartic about the sweet simplicity of Moomintroll’s adventure.
Sprinkled with darling illustrations, Comet in Moominland is a gentle tale of friendship and family.
Moomintroll’s quiet life is upended when foreboding images of a star with a tail send him journeying to speak with the Professors at the Observatory. Meeting new friends along the way and forging through perilous adventures together, Moomintroll and his companions arrive at the Observatory where they learn a comet is headed towards earth. Worse yet – the comet is predicted to land precisely where Moomintroll lives with his Moominpappa and Moominmamma. Moomintroll must find a quick way home if he’s going to warn his family in time.
It’s not difficult to see why ‘Moominmania’ exists. Jansson’s book conveys an innocence rarely found in modern titles. An undeniable charm exudes from her fanciful characters – the same type of odd yet memorable creatures one anticipates finding in an L. Frank Baum novel.
Moomins have a simple way of life. Their relaxed attitudes, gardens, and lovingly prepared meals are reminiscent of Tolkien’s hobbits. In fact, Jansson’s descriptions of the whimsical setting often invoke the sense that one is reading about an alternate Shire – a feeling made more robust by Moomintroll and his friends journeying to the Lonely Mountains.
Halfway up the hill on their way grew a clump of blue-trees covered with big yellow pears, and of course they couldn’t get past that without Sniff deciding that he was hungry.
It certainly looked mysterious. Overhead the branches of the plum trees, oaks, and silver poplars met and formed a dark tunnel which led away into the unknown.
Despite the impending threat of a comet hitting the earth, Moomintroll and his companions are relatively carefree. They remain (mostly) focused in their task to hurry home as they're shuffled from one peculiar instance to the next. The narrative lacks a sense of urgency, yet there’s something cathartic about the sweet simplicity of Moomintroll’s adventure.
Sprinkled with darling illustrations, Comet in Moominland is a gentle tale of friendship and family.
March 11, 2018
Moomin and Sniff explore a path which leads to the beach, they play, look at nature and find a cave, but they feel uneasy as they start to notice patterns carved into trees and objects, even seagulls arranged into the shape of a star with a tail. Moomin and Sniff set off on a journey to the observatory to find out what is happening.
We really enjoyed the details in this story, and the ideas. Before reading this for the first time as a child I had never thought what the ocean floor would look like if the sea disappeared, or what you would do if a comet was coming towards the place where you live or what belongings you would take if you had to suddenly leave.
As with all the Tove Jansson books we have read, we loved the relationships, the philosophy, the little creatures, the kindness and the reassuring safety of the moonin house that is there to come back to when your adventure is over.
We really enjoyed the details in this story, and the ideas. Before reading this for the first time as a child I had never thought what the ocean floor would look like if the sea disappeared, or what you would do if a comet was coming towards the place where you live or what belongings you would take if you had to suddenly leave.
As with all the Tove Jansson books we have read, we loved the relationships, the philosophy, the little creatures, the kindness and the reassuring safety of the moonin house that is there to come back to when your adventure is over.
May 12, 2013
As I've said many times on this site, I dislike translations on principle - but I am trying to do something about my miserable German, and when I saw this book at Foyles last week it immediately seemed like a good idea. I know the Swedish original well, and I figured that it should be easy to read and would improve my sketchy vocabulary. That worked out even better than I had hoped, and I already feel measurably more confident.
What surprised me, though, was that for once I experienced the translation as utterly convincing. Not has been casting scorn on my claims here, and asking the obvious questions: given that my German is terrible, how can I know this is brilliant? But I just know. Even though I'm no good at the language, I have heard it spoken a great deal, and I understand how it's pronounced. I can hear it in my head when I'm reading, and it sounds exactly like the Swedish original. Everything is there. The rhythm of the narrative, with its ironic alternation of comedy and tragedy; the charming dialogues between the unforgettable characters; even the made-up names. It's a little miracle. The English translation is quite different. I can understand every word, rather than having to guess a quarter of them, but the soul of the book has disappeared. It isn't Tove Jansson any more.
If you know German, and haven't read it already, get yourself a copy. It's just one of the best children's books ever written.
What surprised me, though, was that for once I experienced the translation as utterly convincing. Not has been casting scorn on my claims here, and asking the obvious questions: given that my German is terrible, how can I know this is brilliant? But I just know. Even though I'm no good at the language, I have heard it spoken a great deal, and I understand how it's pronounced. I can hear it in my head when I'm reading, and it sounds exactly like the Swedish original. Everything is there. The rhythm of the narrative, with its ironic alternation of comedy and tragedy; the charming dialogues between the unforgettable characters; even the made-up names. It's a little miracle. The English translation is quite different. I can understand every word, rather than having to guess a quarter of them, but the soul of the book has disappeared. It isn't Tove Jansson any more.
If you know German, and haven't read it already, get yourself a copy. It's just one of the best children's books ever written.
October 31, 2023
Ciągle baja. I ciągle urocza baja.
December 6, 2024
Some books are about magical worlds. Other books are magical worlds. It’s hard for me to put my finger on what exactly elevates Comet in Moominland above—not just other children’s books, but most other books I’ve read. It’s not the story, or the characters, or the setting. It’s some indefinable quality, some indefinable magic. Nonsense that feels true, perhaps. A children’s book that makes you feel a little like a kid yourself, perhaps.
I read this in German. Alas, this is my truly comfortable reading level. Not that I can’t read far more difficult texts—I can and I have. But I could read Komet im Mumintal without thinking about it. Without concentrating on it. I could simply enjoy the story. I did learn the words for muskrat (Bisam) and kelp (Tang); I may also have fruitlessly looked up a few completely made up words in the dictionary (Hemul, Hatifnatten). The language of the illustrations is, of course, universal. My two favorites are the forest dance and when they cross the seabed on stilts. I dare you not to be delighted!
I read this in German. Alas, this is my truly comfortable reading level. Not that I can’t read far more difficult texts—I can and I have. But I could read Komet im Mumintal without thinking about it. Without concentrating on it. I could simply enjoy the story. I did learn the words for muskrat (Bisam) and kelp (Tang); I may also have fruitlessly looked up a few completely made up words in the dictionary (Hemul, Hatifnatten). The language of the illustrations is, of course, universal. My two favorites are the forest dance and when they cross the seabed on stilts. I dare you not to be delighted!
June 8, 2023
I love the first Moomin books... the illustration style is so different and cute and quite silly :3
April 12, 2009
A beautiful, ironic parody of the Armageddon-style killer meteorite movie, written before any of them existed. There are so many brilliant little details. I particularly loved the out-of-touch astronomers at the observatory, who have calculated exactly when the comet will strike ("possibly four seconds later," they add scrupulously), but seem completely uninterested by the fact that it will wipe out everyone in Moomin Valley.
In case you're worried, though, the Moomin family is more than a match for one little rogue comet, and Moominpappa's wonderfully absurd solution saves the day. The writing in the original Swedish is impeccable; Jansson's unique blend of humor, melancholy and acute observation all comes together perfectly. I think this is her best book, and have read it several times. Suitable for anyone from eight to eighty-eight.
In case you're worried, though, the Moomin family is more than a match for one little rogue comet, and Moominpappa's wonderfully absurd solution saves the day. The writing in the original Swedish is impeccable; Jansson's unique blend of humor, melancholy and acute observation all comes together perfectly. I think this is her best book, and have read it several times. Suitable for anyone from eight to eighty-eight.
June 6, 2025
Bought in Helsinki, where Moomin merchandise is everywhere to be found, this is a heartwarming, whimsical story of a major journey, danger and learning to appreciate one's own home
It would be awful if the earth exploded. It’s so beautiful.
Giving The Hobbit, or There and Back Again and Le Petit Prince vibes in the best way, Tove Jansson brings a wonderful world filled with nature to life.
Moomintroll and his friend Sniff, a younger, more excitable and easily distractible manifestation, find worrying signs of impending doom. This leads to a journey where they meet new friends, including colour changing Moomins, while fighting off giant lizards, sentient bushes, crocodiles and locust plagues. Moses is interesting referred to, and besides the locusts, there is even a see that falls dry and is traversed, if on stilts. The fussy characters are fun touches, that parodies adults in a way that I think would be very fun for young readers. This is a lovely story which I enjoyed, bringing home the message that every odyssey makes one realise the value of having a home: We’re all like that. You must go on a long journey before you can really find out how wonderful home is.
It would be awful if the earth exploded. It’s so beautiful.
Giving The Hobbit, or There and Back Again and Le Petit Prince vibes in the best way, Tove Jansson brings a wonderful world filled with nature to life.
Moomintroll and his friend Sniff, a younger, more excitable and easily distractible manifestation, find worrying signs of impending doom. This leads to a journey where they meet new friends, including colour changing Moomins, while fighting off giant lizards, sentient bushes, crocodiles and locust plagues. Moses is interesting referred to, and besides the locusts, there is even a see that falls dry and is traversed, if on stilts. The fussy characters are fun touches, that parodies adults in a way that I think would be very fun for young readers. This is a lovely story which I enjoyed, bringing home the message that every odyssey makes one realise the value of having a home: We’re all like that. You must go on a long journey before you can really find out how wonderful home is.
September 9, 2021
REVIEW OF THE 1970 GERMAN TRANSLATION BY VIVICA AND KURT BANDLER
This here (and unfortunately also extremely rare and generally rather massively expensive if indeed even available used online) Ravensburger Taschenbücher German language translation of Tove Jansson's Komet im Mumintal (which Swedish language original title on the Goodreads database is Kometer kommer, although Vivica and Kurt Bandler's 1970 translation actually claims the original title to have been Kometjakten) was one of my favourite childhood reads (a book that I received in a large stack of about twenty Ravensburger Taschenbücher as a birthday present in 1975, a book that I took with me when we immigrated to Canada in 1976 and that I even carried along in my trunk when I went to university in New Brunswick in 1985, where it unfortunately ended up somehow disappearing during one of those silly residence "panty raids" during frosh week, and oh boy, was I ever both sad and seriously, lastingly peeved because of that).
And honestly, to and for me personally, Vivica and Kurt Bandler's translation (and I finally did locate a reasonably intact and not too shabby copy online a couple of years ago), it still and absolutely feels as THE ONE German language version of Komet im Mumintal I do love the most, as the more recent translation by Birgitta Kicherer at least in my opinion leaves way way too much to be desired and in particular that it fails to present far too many important details, such as for example patently ignoring the little silk monkey, who though strangely and incomprehensibly is still featured in Tove Jannsson's accompanying illustrations but has textually seemingly been textually forgotten by Kicherer (albeit that according to readers who have read the original Swedish version, Kicherer supposedly does include parts that were left out by the Bandlers in 1970, but I for one simply cannot handle the removal of that delightful little silk monkey). And sorry, but with Elizabeth Portch's English language translation, with Comet in Moominland (which I did try and originally had quite high hopes for) her writing style, her narrational renderings expression and cadence wise, they both just do not at least for me in any way capture the delightful magic of the story, as they tend to make me feel aloof, above and beyond, and not really rooting for and exploring with Moomin, Sniff, Snuffkin and the rest of the group (but just dispassionately observing them and theirs).
However, while I do personally and always will prefer the Bandlers' 1970 German language translation, their 1970 rendition of Komet im Mumintal, I would still if recommending this second Moomin novel most definitely suggest Elizabeth Portch’s English language translation, I would absolutely recommend Comet in Moominland before I would in any way even consider recommending Birgitta Kicherer's more recent German language rendition, as the latter just really and frustratingly bothers me to on end with its additions and especially with its annoying subtractions and abridgements (and sorry, but even if it is indeed true that the recent German translation contains parts that appear in the Swedish original and do not appear in the 1970 translation, the little silk monkey has always been a personal favourite and I was quite seeing red so to speak when I could not find her textually in the Birgitta Kicherer translation). And indeed, if you speak and read German and are actually able to find Vivica and Kurt Bandler's 1970 Ravensburger Taschenbücher translation online, yes, do consider reading their Komet im Mumintal, with its reddish and orange hued book cover of Moomin, Sniff, Snuffkin et al crossing the evaporated ocean on their stilts, as it truly is a lovely, evocative and fun, as well as occasionally eye-opening romp, a fantastical experience for young and old.
And finally with regard to Tove Jansson’s featured themes and contents, what I love the most lastingly about Komet im Mumintal (and actually, this pertains to all of the Moomin books I have read so far) are the delightfully anecdotal episodes, which although generally complete in themselves also never feel as though they are hanging in space so to speak, as though there is not a thread of continuity from beginning to end, with the chapters seamlessly moving from the first inklings that a comet could perhaps be arriving to the fateful day it does (and how close the earth comes to disaster). But for me even more importantly (and probably the main reason why I have always so much adored the Moomin novels both as a child and now as an adult) I have so much appreciated how very much humanely and with personal understanding and supportiveness, Jansson describes and presents her diverse and often rather intriguing characters, and yes that even those individuals who show potentially problematic or negative behaviour patterns (such as Sniff, the Hemulens and even the silent, creepy Hattifatteners) are shown not only as negative but also with positiveness and much authorial understanding (and considering that the Hemulens, for example, with their OCD like obsessions and neuro-atypical ways and means could easily be considered as being on the autism spectrum, the Moomin books are in my humble opinion also interesting and important discussion vehicles, especially considering that these novels were for the most part penned at a time when autism and other such syndromes were not as yet really part of public awareness and the public conscience).
This here (and unfortunately also extremely rare and generally rather massively expensive if indeed even available used online) Ravensburger Taschenbücher German language translation of Tove Jansson's Komet im Mumintal (which Swedish language original title on the Goodreads database is Kometer kommer, although Vivica and Kurt Bandler's 1970 translation actually claims the original title to have been Kometjakten) was one of my favourite childhood reads (a book that I received in a large stack of about twenty Ravensburger Taschenbücher as a birthday present in 1975, a book that I took with me when we immigrated to Canada in 1976 and that I even carried along in my trunk when I went to university in New Brunswick in 1985, where it unfortunately ended up somehow disappearing during one of those silly residence "panty raids" during frosh week, and oh boy, was I ever both sad and seriously, lastingly peeved because of that).
And honestly, to and for me personally, Vivica and Kurt Bandler's translation (and I finally did locate a reasonably intact and not too shabby copy online a couple of years ago), it still and absolutely feels as THE ONE German language version of Komet im Mumintal I do love the most, as the more recent translation by Birgitta Kicherer at least in my opinion leaves way way too much to be desired and in particular that it fails to present far too many important details, such as for example patently ignoring the little silk monkey, who though strangely and incomprehensibly is still featured in Tove Jannsson's accompanying illustrations but has textually seemingly been textually forgotten by Kicherer (albeit that according to readers who have read the original Swedish version, Kicherer supposedly does include parts that were left out by the Bandlers in 1970, but I for one simply cannot handle the removal of that delightful little silk monkey). And sorry, but with Elizabeth Portch's English language translation, with Comet in Moominland (which I did try and originally had quite high hopes for) her writing style, her narrational renderings expression and cadence wise, they both just do not at least for me in any way capture the delightful magic of the story, as they tend to make me feel aloof, above and beyond, and not really rooting for and exploring with Moomin, Sniff, Snuffkin and the rest of the group (but just dispassionately observing them and theirs).
However, while I do personally and always will prefer the Bandlers' 1970 German language translation, their 1970 rendition of Komet im Mumintal, I would still if recommending this second Moomin novel most definitely suggest Elizabeth Portch’s English language translation, I would absolutely recommend Comet in Moominland before I would in any way even consider recommending Birgitta Kicherer's more recent German language rendition, as the latter just really and frustratingly bothers me to on end with its additions and especially with its annoying subtractions and abridgements (and sorry, but even if it is indeed true that the recent German translation contains parts that appear in the Swedish original and do not appear in the 1970 translation, the little silk monkey has always been a personal favourite and I was quite seeing red so to speak when I could not find her textually in the Birgitta Kicherer translation). And indeed, if you speak and read German and are actually able to find Vivica and Kurt Bandler's 1970 Ravensburger Taschenbücher translation online, yes, do consider reading their Komet im Mumintal, with its reddish and orange hued book cover of Moomin, Sniff, Snuffkin et al crossing the evaporated ocean on their stilts, as it truly is a lovely, evocative and fun, as well as occasionally eye-opening romp, a fantastical experience for young and old.
And finally with regard to Tove Jansson’s featured themes and contents, what I love the most lastingly about Komet im Mumintal (and actually, this pertains to all of the Moomin books I have read so far) are the delightfully anecdotal episodes, which although generally complete in themselves also never feel as though they are hanging in space so to speak, as though there is not a thread of continuity from beginning to end, with the chapters seamlessly moving from the first inklings that a comet could perhaps be arriving to the fateful day it does (and how close the earth comes to disaster). But for me even more importantly (and probably the main reason why I have always so much adored the Moomin novels both as a child and now as an adult) I have so much appreciated how very much humanely and with personal understanding and supportiveness, Jansson describes and presents her diverse and often rather intriguing characters, and yes that even those individuals who show potentially problematic or negative behaviour patterns (such as Sniff, the Hemulens and even the silent, creepy Hattifatteners) are shown not only as negative but also with positiveness and much authorial understanding (and considering that the Hemulens, for example, with their OCD like obsessions and neuro-atypical ways and means could easily be considered as being on the autism spectrum, the Moomin books are in my humble opinion also interesting and important discussion vehicles, especially considering that these novels were for the most part penned at a time when autism and other such syndromes were not as yet really part of public awareness and the public conscience).
March 1, 2012
This review has been revised and can now be found at Expendable Mudge Muses Aloud.
December 23, 2022
Šventinis muminukų rereadas - seniausiai planavau, bet tik mumių filmas Skanoramoj privertė iš naujo pasiimti. Ačiū jam ir Skanoramai už paskatinimą.
Nors "Kometa" išėjo 1946 m., Jansson muziejuje skaičiau, kad knygą ji rašė per karą. Skaitydama šiandien (ir dar ne vaikystėje) to jau nebegali atmatyti, muminukui lekiant iki Observatorijos ir atgal namo, prasilenkiant su bėgančiaisiais nuo karo/susidūrimo susigriebus, kas po ranka pakliuvo. Žingsniavimas su kojūkais per nuslūgusią jūrą, užsimiršimo balius ir šokiai girioje paskutinį kartą prieš susidūrimą - kiek daug vaizdinių visa tai iššaukia, nuo Von Triero "Melancholijos" iki László Nemeso "Saulėlydžio".
Ko nebuvau ir niekada nebūčiau pastebėjusi, skaitydama anksčiau:
- visas karo ~ kometos kontekstas ir tie desperatiški bandymai išspausti iš gyvenimo viską, net jei liko nedaug, kaip muminuko mamos skubamas padaryt tortas, kurį reikia spėti ir pagamint, ir suvalgyti iki kometos.
- kaip vis dėlto užknisa Snifas!! jis kaip koks piktybinis trimetis, kur nuolat viską sugadina, neduoda ramybės, dar apkaltina visą pasaulį, jei kas nesiseka. Vaikiška, bet ir nervuoja, nieko negali padaryt.
- vaikystėj mačiau Snusmumriką kaip independent free spirit, bet dabar skaitant visos tos auros neliko nė kvapo. Šitoj knygelėj jis pasirodo pirmą kartą, pasakoja, kad neturi šeimos, nepažįsta mamos, galbūt yra rastas krepšely upėj. Graudžiausia scena, kur net gerklę užspaudė: keliaudami namo į slėnį, kad spėtų iki kometos, jie sustoja kažkokioj parduotuvėlėj. Snifas prisirenka visokio šlamšto ir terorizuoja pardavėją, kad viską jiems duotų nemokamai ir dar primokėtų. O pardavėja įkalbinėja Snusmumriką išsirinkt naujas kelnes vietoj savo sudėvėtų, jis pasimatuoja ir sako - labai gaila, man šitos tikrai netinka, jos per naujos, negalėsiu nešioti.
- Freken Snork visai ne tokia durna kaip prisiminiau; taip, ji fyfa, bet ir protinga, ir visai juokinga. Labiau stereotipiškas galbūt yra dėl jos galvą pametęs muminukas, įsimylėjęs dar net nepamatęs, tik išgirdęs apie ją iš Snusmumriko pasakojimų.
Skaičiau mažą anglišką leidimą su nuostabiai gražiu popierium ir nuostabiai gražiom Jansson iliustracijom per visą puslapį. LT leidime jos tokios pat, tik mažytės, o čia - visa ta grafika, kur muminukas dar visai pailgas, nardo po jūrą ir renka perlus arba stypčioja su kojūkais per buvusią jūrą - taip net nežemiška. Plius čia ta pirmoji istorijos versija, kur kometa turi nukristi ne spalį, o rugpjūtį, muminukas ir Snifas draugauja su šilkine beždžione, o ne katiniuku, pasakojime nepasirodo Mažoji Miu. Žinau, kad LT leidimas (kaip ir Skanoramos filmas) verstas iš kažkurios vėlesnės versijos, reikės ir tą atsišviežinti.
Visada identifikavausi su Mažąja Miu, bet po rereado tenka pripažint, kad turbūt aš vis dėlto Snorkas - toks control freakas, kuriam dėl visko reikia šaukti posėdžius ir nuspręsti, viską daryt pagal planą, o jei planą pavogė uraganas, tai viskas, tragedija, gyvenime nebėr orientyrų ir geriau jau tegul ta kometa viską sunaikina. Šita draaaama, supratau, irgi nesvetima......
Grožis:
Nors "Kometa" išėjo 1946 m., Jansson muziejuje skaičiau, kad knygą ji rašė per karą. Skaitydama šiandien (ir dar ne vaikystėje) to jau nebegali atmatyti, muminukui lekiant iki Observatorijos ir atgal namo, prasilenkiant su bėgančiaisiais nuo karo/susidūrimo susigriebus, kas po ranka pakliuvo. Žingsniavimas su kojūkais per nuslūgusią jūrą, užsimiršimo balius ir šokiai girioje paskutinį kartą prieš susidūrimą - kiek daug vaizdinių visa tai iššaukia, nuo Von Triero "Melancholijos" iki László Nemeso "Saulėlydžio".
Ko nebuvau ir niekada nebūčiau pastebėjusi, skaitydama anksčiau:
- visas karo ~ kometos kontekstas ir tie desperatiški bandymai išspausti iš gyvenimo viską, net jei liko nedaug, kaip muminuko mamos skubamas padaryt tortas, kurį reikia spėti ir pagamint, ir suvalgyti iki kometos.
- kaip vis dėlto užknisa Snifas!! jis kaip koks piktybinis trimetis, kur nuolat viską sugadina, neduoda ramybės, dar apkaltina visą pasaulį, jei kas nesiseka. Vaikiška, bet ir nervuoja, nieko negali padaryt.
- vaikystėj mačiau Snusmumriką kaip independent free spirit, bet dabar skaitant visos tos auros neliko nė kvapo. Šitoj knygelėj jis pasirodo pirmą kartą, pasakoja, kad neturi šeimos, nepažįsta mamos, galbūt yra rastas krepšely upėj. Graudžiausia scena, kur net gerklę užspaudė: keliaudami namo į slėnį, kad spėtų iki kometos, jie sustoja kažkokioj parduotuvėlėj. Snifas prisirenka visokio šlamšto ir terorizuoja pardavėją, kad viską jiems duotų nemokamai ir dar primokėtų. O pardavėja įkalbinėja Snusmumriką išsirinkt naujas kelnes vietoj savo sudėvėtų, jis pasimatuoja ir sako - labai gaila, man šitos tikrai netinka, jos per naujos, negalėsiu nešioti.
- Freken Snork visai ne tokia durna kaip prisiminiau; taip, ji fyfa, bet ir protinga, ir visai juokinga. Labiau stereotipiškas galbūt yra dėl jos galvą pametęs muminukas, įsimylėjęs dar net nepamatęs, tik išgirdęs apie ją iš Snusmumriko pasakojimų.
Skaičiau mažą anglišką leidimą su nuostabiai gražiu popierium ir nuostabiai gražiom Jansson iliustracijom per visą puslapį. LT leidime jos tokios pat, tik mažytės, o čia - visa ta grafika, kur muminukas dar visai pailgas, nardo po jūrą ir renka perlus arba stypčioja su kojūkais per buvusią jūrą - taip net nežemiška. Plius čia ta pirmoji istorijos versija, kur kometa turi nukristi ne spalį, o rugpjūtį, muminukas ir Snifas draugauja su šilkine beždžione, o ne katiniuku, pasakojime nepasirodo Mažoji Miu. Žinau, kad LT leidimas (kaip ir Skanoramos filmas) verstas iš kažkurios vėlesnės versijos, reikės ir tą atsišviežinti.
Visada identifikavausi su Mažąja Miu, bet po rereado tenka pripažint, kad turbūt aš vis dėlto Snorkas - toks control freakas, kuriam dėl visko reikia šaukti posėdžius ir nuspręsti, viską daryt pagal planą, o jei planą pavogė uraganas, tai viskas, tragedija, gyvenime nebėr orientyrų ir geriau jau tegul ta kometa viską sunaikina. Šita draaaama, supratau, irgi nesvetima......
Grožis:
July 8, 2015
How can it be that, unlike in the United Kingdom and the rest of Europe, the Moomin sagas never caught on in the United States? Finnish author Tove Jansson's tales of the white, hippo-like Moomintroll and his parents, Moominmamma and Moominpappa, would delight children and parents alike, the latter probably enjoying them even more, as adults can get the sly humor. I simply don't understand how Moominmania could possibly have bypassed the United States when it swept through Europe?
Comet in Moominland, the second in the series, follows Moomintroll; his rodent-like friend, the timid Sniff; and yet another pal, the clever tramp Snufkin, as they investigate the trajectory of a comet bound for Earth. Imagine their alarm when, after many adventures, they arrive at the Lonely Mountains and find out from the astronomers there that the comet will land in just four days' time!
The band race back to Moominvalley to save the day -- and consult Moominmamma, as wise children do. With this gentle story, the outcome's never in doubt, but Comet in Moominland never descends to the saccharine -- far from it! I frequently laughed out loud at some of the snarky passages, especially involving Sniff's vying for credit and the young Moomintroll's bashful crush on the pretty Snork maiden.
I'm going to try to read the entire series. Why should childhood be wasted only on the young?
Comet in Moominland, the second in the series, follows Moomintroll; his rodent-like friend, the timid Sniff; and yet another pal, the clever tramp Snufkin, as they investigate the trajectory of a comet bound for Earth. Imagine their alarm when, after many adventures, they arrive at the Lonely Mountains and find out from the astronomers there that the comet will land in just four days' time!
The band race back to Moominvalley to save the day -- and consult Moominmamma, as wise children do. With this gentle story, the outcome's never in doubt, but Comet in Moominland never descends to the saccharine -- far from it! I frequently laughed out loud at some of the snarky passages, especially involving Sniff's vying for credit and the young Moomintroll's bashful crush on the pretty Snork maiden.
I'm going to try to read the entire series. Why should childhood be wasted only on the young?
July 7, 2025
Just revisited this book for the first time in a long while by reading it aloud to my 6 year-old. Two main thoughts:
1. I love Tove Jansson. She always writes with a slightly off-beat charm (one of my favorite bits in this book is the title of the butterfly collecting Hemulin's book, Moths of the Eastern Hemisphere: their Behavior and Misbehavior) and her stories tend to swing uneasily between the surreal (Hattifatteners, anyone?) and the comforting (coffee and cake), a style which I found somewhat confusing as a child, but came to adore when I reread the books in college. However, this is one of her earliest books, and it shows. After Moomintroll and his friends learn that a comet is threatening the earth, they travel to an observatory to learn more about it. Much of the story consists of them encountering one peril after another on their long journey. It gets a little repetitive, and that contributes to a general flatness and lack of emotional depth to this book. Also there's some rather tedious gender stereotyping in the relationship between Moomintroll and the Snork Maiden -- even as a child, I thought the Snork Maiden was overdoing the damsel in distress act. But I can forgive Jansson all this for the wonderful chapter about crossing the dried up sea on stilts.
2. This perhaps was not the best choice of book to read aloud to a child who is already prone to fanatsizing and worring about calamatous events, such as the sun blowing up. But I told him it had a happy ending (that's not a spoiler, right? I mean we know they're not wiped out by the comet because of all the sequels), and he enjoyed it a lot, and I loved reading it aloud. We are ready to start Finn Family Moomintroll!
ETA: Days after finishing this, I've decided to change my review to four stars, because despite its flaws the book has stuck with me, and the writing was so lovely and the penultimate chapter so exciting.
1. I love Tove Jansson. She always writes with a slightly off-beat charm (one of my favorite bits in this book is the title of the butterfly collecting Hemulin's book, Moths of the Eastern Hemisphere: their Behavior and Misbehavior) and her stories tend to swing uneasily between the surreal (Hattifatteners, anyone?) and the comforting (coffee and cake), a style which I found somewhat confusing as a child, but came to adore when I reread the books in college. However, this is one of her earliest books, and it shows. After Moomintroll and his friends learn that a comet is threatening the earth, they travel to an observatory to learn more about it. Much of the story consists of them encountering one peril after another on their long journey. It gets a little repetitive, and that contributes to a general flatness and lack of emotional depth to this book. Also there's some rather tedious gender stereotyping in the relationship between Moomintroll and the Snork Maiden -- even as a child, I thought the Snork Maiden was overdoing the damsel in distress act. But I can forgive Jansson all this for the wonderful chapter about crossing the dried up sea on stilts.
2. This perhaps was not the best choice of book to read aloud to a child who is already prone to fanatsizing and worring about calamatous events, such as the sun blowing up. But I told him it had a happy ending (that's not a spoiler, right? I mean we know they're not wiped out by the comet because of all the sequels), and he enjoyed it a lot, and I loved reading it aloud. We are ready to start Finn Family Moomintroll!
ETA: Days after finishing this, I've decided to change my review to four stars, because despite its flaws the book has stuck with me, and the writing was so lovely and the penultimate chapter so exciting.
January 6, 2025
Re-read 3.1.2025
(No change in rating.)
Believing in bliss and sweetness as long as it's possible, hoping that mothers can fix everything, dancing with strangers and eating marmalade sandwiches in the face of doom, and thinking how impossible it would be to live without forests, sea, wind, sunshine, grass, and moss.
Starting my year with an apocalyptic mood. An Earth-nuking apocalypse is pretty much the worst thing that could make my 2025 more horrible than 2024.
Re-read 2.4.2020
(No change in rating.)
15.6.2014
Like so many Finnish children of a certain generation, I grew up watching the Moomins tv-series (there are still reruns every once in a while, and the magic has never faded) and visited Moomin World. Now, to honor Tove Jansson's centenary, I started a project of reading all her Moomin books. Maybe the rest of her body of work as well, if I have the time or enthusiasm.
When the 1992 animated movie premiered in Finland, my mom took me to see it. The part where Muskrat sits on the cake was funny, but mostly the oppressive mood stayed with me. I don't remember the happy ending, but I do remember the part where creatures big and small were hurrying away from Moominvalley with all their possessions, the frantic search for the kitten, and the red sky that reminded of the impending doom.
The book is very similar to the movie with minor differences (the change of the chump Silk Monkey into a kitten worked better in my opinion), and has echoes of nuclear explosions and their scorching power to destroy everything. Everyone in the valley has their way of surviving in the middle of an increasing dread of an uncertain future. Moominmamma just keeps going with her chores and bakes a cake, but Moomintroll and Sniff travel to the Observatory of the Lonely Mountains to find out more about the approaching comet. On their journey they meet other familiar characters who join the Moomin family.
The contrast between them all works great (Sniff is a selfish whiner, the fickle Snork Maiden is vain and loves beautiful things, and the practical Snork is obsessed about details and having meetings about everything). There's a little of them in all of us. Snufkin is my favorite, and here we meet him for the first time. He sees beauty even in the starkest of sceneries and proves to be a great asset to the group with his experience in adventures.
(No change in rating.)
Believing in bliss and sweetness as long as it's possible, hoping that mothers can fix everything, dancing with strangers and eating marmalade sandwiches in the face of doom, and thinking how impossible it would be to live without forests, sea, wind, sunshine, grass, and moss.
Starting my year with an apocalyptic mood. An Earth-nuking apocalypse is pretty much the worst thing that could make my 2025 more horrible than 2024.
Re-read 2.4.2020
(No change in rating.)
15.6.2014
Like so many Finnish children of a certain generation, I grew up watching the Moomins tv-series (there are still reruns every once in a while, and the magic has never faded) and visited Moomin World. Now, to honor Tove Jansson's centenary, I started a project of reading all her Moomin books. Maybe the rest of her body of work as well, if I have the time or enthusiasm.
When the 1992 animated movie premiered in Finland, my mom took me to see it. The part where Muskrat sits on the cake was funny, but mostly the oppressive mood stayed with me. I don't remember the happy ending, but I do remember the part where creatures big and small were hurrying away from Moominvalley with all their possessions, the frantic search for the kitten, and the red sky that reminded of the impending doom.
The book is very similar to the movie with minor differences (the change of the chump Silk Monkey into a kitten worked better in my opinion), and has echoes of nuclear explosions and their scorching power to destroy everything. Everyone in the valley has their way of surviving in the middle of an increasing dread of an uncertain future. Moominmamma just keeps going with her chores and bakes a cake, but Moomintroll and Sniff travel to the Observatory of the Lonely Mountains to find out more about the approaching comet. On their journey they meet other familiar characters who join the Moomin family.
The contrast between them all works great (Sniff is a selfish whiner, the fickle Snork Maiden is vain and loves beautiful things, and the practical Snork is obsessed about details and having meetings about everything). There's a little of them in all of us. Snufkin is my favorite, and here we meet him for the first time. He sees beauty even in the starkest of sceneries and proves to be a great asset to the group with his experience in adventures.
"It was a funny little path, winding here and there, dashing off in different directions, and sometimes even tying a knot in itself from sheer joy. (You don't get tired of a path like that, and I'm not sure that it doesn't get you home quicker in the end."
November 30, 2020
Many years ago I was in hospital with a suspected fractured skull (turned out to be just a bad concussion) and this book was in the hospital book shop. I was not in the mood for anything heavy, for obvious reasons, so I read this, which was my first encounter with the Moomins in book form. I had fond memories of the fuzzy felt tv show when I was a kid but had no idea at the time the show was based on a series of books, so I was pleasantly surprised to find this.
Needless to say, I loved it, and really enjoyed revisiting it all these years later. The Moomins are quirky and adorable and often really quite funny. If you can forgive some very shonky astrophysics, this is a fun, little fantasy adventure story for all the family.
Needless to say, I loved it, and really enjoyed revisiting it all these years later. The Moomins are quirky and adorable and often really quite funny. If you can forgive some very shonky astrophysics, this is a fun, little fantasy adventure story for all the family.
April 25, 2020
"Cik dīvaini tu jūties, ja tu ej un pēc kaut kā ilgojies," saka Mumins, un es jau (eju un) ilgojos pēc nākamās Muminpiedzīvojumu grāmatas.
December 15, 2021
Strange nature phenomenons in Moominvalley appear suddenly, making Moomintroll and Sniff worry. They decide to go visit a remote observatory in the Lonely Mountains, meeting new friends along the way, and learn that an incoming comet is threatening Moonminvalley… can they get back home soon enough?
This is the second book in the series, and it introduces us to Snork and his sister who Moomintroll develops a crush on, plus the wandering minimalist Snufkin whose clear head and skills in harmonica playing saves the mood a lot of the time. Sniff is I guess the childish-self in this story, easily scared, easily bored, easily exhausted, easily attracted to shiny things, but he does care in this story. And I keep loving Moominmamma a lot, her food and her calmness, and her belief in everything turning out alright, and that Moomintroll will find his way back home with others.
This is a book with a lot of heartwarming stuff, some melancholy stuff, and uneasiness, especially
as the signs of coming Comet increase Some familiar things appear here: the bridge, the cave, and the sea will remain a part of the series. I'm so glad that And there’s always Moominmamma to comfort you. <3
This is the second book in the series, and it introduces us to Snork and his sister who Moomintroll develops a crush on, plus the wandering minimalist Snufkin whose clear head and skills in harmonica playing saves the mood a lot of the time. Sniff is I guess the childish-self in this story, easily scared, easily bored, easily exhausted, easily attracted to shiny things, but he does care in this story. And I keep loving Moominmamma a lot, her food and her calmness, and her belief in everything turning out alright, and that Moomintroll will find his way back home with others.
This is a book with a lot of heartwarming stuff, some melancholy stuff, and uneasiness, especially
as the signs of coming Comet increase Some familiar things appear here: the bridge, the cave, and the sea will remain a part of the series. I'm so glad that And there’s always Moominmamma to comfort you. <3
February 3, 2022
Trolītis Mumins un Snifs dodas uzzināt, vai tiešām Zemei tuvojas Komēta, un kā no tās izglābties.
Lieliski, kad bērnībā lasīta grāmata nav zaudējusi ne kripatas arī lasot vēlāk. Jansones tēli ir pietiekami mīlīgi, bet ar daudziem trūkumiem, nu gluži kā īsti cilvēki, kaut arī Muminielejā nav neviena paša cilvēkveidīgā!
Lieliski, kad bērnībā lasīta grāmata nav zaudējusi ne kripatas arī lasot vēlāk. Jansones tēli ir pietiekami mīlīgi, bet ar daudziem trūkumiem, nu gluži kā īsti cilvēki, kaut arī Muminielejā nav neviena paša cilvēkveidīgā!
Read
February 6, 2018
Najlepsze, co można czytać, kiedy człowiek umiera od sesji!
Muminki mnie zaskakują: może odzwyczaiłem się od bajek i dziwi mnie to niemalże "prorocze" poszerzanie drużyny mieszkającej w dolinie? może nie spodziewałem się znaleźć tak dużo smaczków dla starszych czytelników? może nadinterpretuje pewne wzorce osobowe, czy zachowania bohaterów dostrzegając w nich konkretne syndromy psychologiczne?
Mimo powyższego moje zdanie o najbardziej znanej serii Tove Jansson wyklaruje się najpewniej jeszcze po kilku częściach cyklu :)
PS To WYDANIE zawierające dziesiątki ilustracji autorki jest NIESAMOWITE.
May 28, 2025
Under hot om jordens undergång av en brinnande komet (atombomb?) utspelar sig den andra boken i serien om Mumin. Det rädda lilla djuret Sniff och trollet ger sig iväg för att undersöka vad som pågår i rymden. De möter den kloka Snusmumriken som bor i tält och spelar munspel. Vilken kille! Han avstår från att äga saker, han tittar och behåller dem i minnet istället. Sniff gapar efter mycket och mister därför hela stycket. Hemuler i klänning korsar deras väg, de är inte musikaliska men däremot intresserade av insekter, och frimärken. De är tjuriga enstöringar som sagt upp bekantskapen med varandra. Trollet hittar snorkfrökens fotring och räddar henne med hjälp av mod och svordomar (”förmorrat”) från en angostura. Hon har en imponerande pannlugg och blir gul av glädje när hon återfår sin ring av trollet som nu lovar beskydda henne. Även hon kommer att rädda honom. Hennes bror snorken utnämner sig själv till ordförande och kallar till möte då de alla har ett intresse av kometen. Snorkarna ser likadana ut som mumintrollen men de är inte samma sort, (är snorkarna månne svenskar med sin känslighet, pannlugg och kärlek till sig själva, knäckebröd och möten?).
Den här berättelsen är allvarlig, lärorik, rolig och finurlig för både barn och vuxna. Jag fattar nu hypen kring Mumin, skrattar högt och faller pladask.
Jag älskar besöket i handelsboden och gummans matematik. Jag älskar att Snusmumriken när han ska köpa nya byxor avstår för att de är så väldigt nya. Jag älskar att de glömmer jordens undergång medan de dansar.
Könsrollerna och den heterosexuella romantiken mellan snorkfröken och Mumintrollet hade stört mig tidigare, men jag står ut med sånt nu. Tove skriver så fint och klokt om att vara på flykt och längta hem, att ens mamma är en hjälte och om regnbågsfamiljen. 🏳️🌈
Den här berättelsen är allvarlig, lärorik, rolig och finurlig för både barn och vuxna. Jag fattar nu hypen kring Mumin, skrattar högt och faller pladask.
Jag älskar besöket i handelsboden och gummans matematik. Jag älskar att Snusmumriken när han ska köpa nya byxor avstår för att de är så väldigt nya. Jag älskar att de glömmer jordens undergång medan de dansar.
Könsrollerna och den heterosexuella romantiken mellan snorkfröken och Mumintrollet hade stört mig tidigare, men jag står ut med sånt nu. Tove skriver så fint och klokt om att vara på flykt och längta hem, att ens mamma är en hjälte och om regnbågsfamiljen. 🏳️🌈
June 25, 2018
Just delightful! I never read these as a child, but I believe this is the beginning of a new obsession.
March 30, 2020
Już zapomniałam, jaką frajdę sprawia czytanie Muminków. Teraz chyba jeszcze większą niż gdy byłam dzieckiem. Jest jednak kilka rzeczy, na które dopiero teraz zwróciłam uwagę:
* Muminki piją wino. Dużo wina
* Tatuś Muminka ma poletko tytoniowe
* Muminek żłopie hektolitry kawy
* Migotek ma strasznie hejterski stosunek do siostry: "Popatrzcie na mnie! - zawołała Panna Migotka. - Jakoś sobie radzę! Bo nic nie myślę, tylko wyczuwam!
- O tym wiemy - rzekł jej brat". Całkiem słusznie, bo Panna Migotka to idiotka. Zapomniałam, jak bardzo irytująca, małostkowa i pusta jest ta postać.
*Ryjek i jego czarnowidztwo (utożsamiam się z tym): "To pewnie jest pustynia - rzekł Ryjek ponuro. - Pustynia, na której nasze kości zbieleją i nikt ich nigdy nie odnajdzie. Głowa mnie boli!".
*Włóczykij i jego filozofia minimalizmu, takie "Less waste" właściwie - szanuję.
Nie powiem, fajnie było wrócić do tego świata!
* Muminki piją wino. Dużo wina
* Tatuś Muminka ma poletko tytoniowe
* Muminek żłopie hektolitry kawy
* Migotek ma strasznie hejterski stosunek do siostry: "Popatrzcie na mnie! - zawołała Panna Migotka. - Jakoś sobie radzę! Bo nic nie myślę, tylko wyczuwam!
- O tym wiemy - rzekł jej brat". Całkiem słusznie, bo Panna Migotka to idiotka. Zapomniałam, jak bardzo irytująca, małostkowa i pusta jest ta postać.
*Ryjek i jego czarnowidztwo (utożsamiam się z tym): "To pewnie jest pustynia - rzekł Ryjek ponuro. - Pustynia, na której nasze kości zbieleją i nikt ich nigdy nie odnajdzie. Głowa mnie boli!".
*Włóczykij i jego filozofia minimalizmu, takie "Less waste" właściwie - szanuję.
Nie powiem, fajnie było wrócić do tego świata!
April 4, 2022
Tik neierasti lasīt grāmatu, kur visi Muminielejas draudziņi vēl nav satikušies, bet kādai no grāmatām jau bija jābūt iesākumā. Sižetiski man šis stāsts šķiet vismazāk saistošais no pēdējā laikā pārlasītajām muminu grāmatām, ir sižeta caurumi vai nu autores vai tulkotājas izpildījumā, un vispār. Bet, protams, tos atsver zvēriņi, kuriem nepieciešama īpaša uzmanība (Snifs un Bizamžurka) ar visiem viņu izgājieniem. Ak, un Snorke ar tām sapulcēm.
Jocīgi, cik komētas nākšana šobrīd ir aktuāla. Ja es to neredzu un domāju par ko citu, tad nebaidos. Kā Snorkes jaunkundze.
- Vai tie visi ir tavi? - Snifs čukstēja.
- Tie pieder man, kamēr es te dzīvoju, - Susuriņš bezrūpīgi atteica. - Man pieder viss, ko es redzu un par ko priecājos. Visa zeme, ja tev tā tīk.
Drošāk ir tikai dot mājienu, ka tu kaut ko briesmīgi mīli.
Jocīgi, cik komētas nākšana šobrīd ir aktuāla. Ja es to neredzu un domāju par ko citu, tad nebaidos. Kā Snorkes jaunkundze.
- Vai tie visi ir tavi? - Snifs čukstēja.
- Tie pieder man, kamēr es te dzīvoju, - Susuriņš bezrūpīgi atteica. - Man pieder viss, ko es redzu un par ko priecājos. Visa zeme, ja tev tā tīk.
Drošāk ir tikai dot mājienu, ka tu kaut ko briesmīgi mīli.
December 11, 2020
Iesākumā nācās ik pēc lapas atgriezties pie jau lasītā, bet, kad izdevās atslēgties no darbadienas trauksmes un pieslēgties mirklim, izbaudīju pilnībā. Lieliska grāmata.
September 9, 2024
tippude tipp
March 8, 2022
Dar viena, iki šiol nepatekusi man į rankas Trolių Mumių knyga. Kurioje, beje, pirmą kartą pristatomas mano favoritas Snusmumrikas. Like.
January 8, 2025
Although I have a pretty strong memory about Moomins being part of my childhood, when it comes to specifics I am very uncertain about which books I read / listened to or if maybe the biggest bulk of my impressions is from the TV show? I cannot be sure, although I AM sure that I watched the TV show, because of the music 😂
Anyway, recently I really started thinking about reading through all of the books and just immersing myself it the coziness they offer. And I'm so glad I finally started to put this plan in motion! After finishing this, I'm thinking I maybe read this one before but I am not quite sure.
I think this might be a controversial opinion, but I think I liked The Moomins and the Great Flood better, which isn't to say I didn't enjoy this one. The feel of them is just very different and I liked the dark edges we get in the Great Flood and I especially adored Moominmamma's heroism that does get a bit lost in this one.
On the other hand, we get the treasure of the group crossing the seabed on stilts!
Really hope to continue on with the series soon!
Anyway, recently I really started thinking about reading through all of the books and just immersing myself it the coziness they offer. And I'm so glad I finally started to put this plan in motion! After finishing this, I'm thinking I maybe read this one before but I am not quite sure.
I think this might be a controversial opinion, but I think I liked The Moomins and the Great Flood better, which isn't to say I didn't enjoy this one. The feel of them is just very different and I liked the dark edges we get in the Great Flood and I especially adored Moominmamma's heroism that does get a bit lost in this one.
On the other hand, we get the treasure of the group crossing the seabed on stilts!
Really hope to continue on with the series soon!
September 11, 2021
REVIEW OF THE ELIZABETH PORTCH TRANSLATION
No, I am just not all that much textually enamoured of Elizabeth Portch's translation of Tove Jansson's 1946 Kometjakten, I really have not (the two times I did try) enjoyed reading Comet in Moominland even remotely as much as I have always oh so totally adored Vivica and Kurt Bandler's 1970 German language translation (their exquisite Komet im Muminland), which was one of my favourite childhood novels and which I have indeed adored just as much during my recent rereads.
And indeed, it really and obviously is the general narrative flow of the Elizabeth Portch translation that seems to bother me and take away quite a large amount of potential narrative magic, as well as the annoying fact that far too often and in my opinion, Portch presents English vocabulary choices in her rendering into English of Tove Jansson's original Swedish text that read and feel idiomatically awkward, such as for example her using the word swear as a noun instead of the much more natural sounding oath (two words that might well mean the same semantically, but well, for the context of Comet in Moominland, oath totally sounds better and much less artificial), and therefore, leaving Comet in Moominland thematically in most ways quite as delightful for me as Komet im Muminland has always been but stylistically rather hugely frustrating and majorly aggravating. For yes, with regard to Tove Jansson’s featured themes and contents, what I love the most lastingly about the Bandlers' translation, about Komet im Mumintal, this actually totally also pertains Elizabeth Portch's rendition, also holds generally true for Comet in Moominland, as the delightfully anecdotal episodes, although generally complete in and of themselves never seem to feel as though they are hanging in space so to speak, as though there is not a thread of continuity from beginning to end in both Komet im Muminland and Comet in Moominland, with the chapters seamlessly moving from the first inklings that a comet could perhaps be arriving to the fateful day it does (and how close the earth comes to total and utter disaster).
However, for me even more importantly (and probably one of the main reasons why I have always so much adored the Moomin novels on a content and themed based level both as a child and now as an adult) I really do appreciate how very much humanely and with personal understanding and supportiveness, Jansson (and by extension her translators) describe and present her diverse and often rather intriguing characters, and that even those individuals who show potentially problematic or negative behaviour patterns (such as Sniff, the Hemulens and even the silent, creepy Hattifatteners) are shown and presented not only as negative but also with positiveness and much authorial understanding (and considering that the Hemulens, for example, with their OCD like obsessions and neuro-atypical ways and means could easily be considered as perhaps being on the autism spectrum, the Moomin books are in my humble opinion also interesting and important discussion vehicles, especially considering that these stories were for the most part penned by Tove Jansson at a time when autism and other such syndromes were not as yet really part of public awareness and the public conscience).
But unfortunately, the for and to my personal reading tastes more than a trifle substandard quality of Elizabeth Portch's translation of Kometjakten, of Tove Jansson’s original Swedish (even if I do indeed have no content and thematic based bones of contention), this does definitely and indeed take away quite a bit of potential joy of reading for Comet in Moominland (and to make me even more appreciative of the exquisite and wonderful magic of Vivica and Kurt Bandler's rendition, of their 1970 Komet im Muminland) and to thus and unfortunately also consider both Comet in Moominland and Elizabeth Portch as translator rather mediocre at best, still to be thematically recommended of course, but yes, if you do read German and if you are able to locate a copy of the Bandlers' 1970 (and sadly usually quite rare and expensive) Komet im Muminland, to most definitely read this instead (but of course, I am also rather majorly biased here, but I do stand by this since both personally and with regard to narrative style I strongly consider Elizabeth Portch as not really a very decent translator of Tove Jansson, since well, I have also not really enjoyed Finn Family Moomintroll either and indeed mostly because of Portch's textually frustrating lack of decent translation efforts).
No, I am just not all that much textually enamoured of Elizabeth Portch's translation of Tove Jansson's 1946 Kometjakten, I really have not (the two times I did try) enjoyed reading Comet in Moominland even remotely as much as I have always oh so totally adored Vivica and Kurt Bandler's 1970 German language translation (their exquisite Komet im Muminland), which was one of my favourite childhood novels and which I have indeed adored just as much during my recent rereads.
And indeed, it really and obviously is the general narrative flow of the Elizabeth Portch translation that seems to bother me and take away quite a large amount of potential narrative magic, as well as the annoying fact that far too often and in my opinion, Portch presents English vocabulary choices in her rendering into English of Tove Jansson's original Swedish text that read and feel idiomatically awkward, such as for example her using the word swear as a noun instead of the much more natural sounding oath (two words that might well mean the same semantically, but well, for the context of Comet in Moominland, oath totally sounds better and much less artificial), and therefore, leaving Comet in Moominland thematically in most ways quite as delightful for me as Komet im Muminland has always been but stylistically rather hugely frustrating and majorly aggravating. For yes, with regard to Tove Jansson’s featured themes and contents, what I love the most lastingly about the Bandlers' translation, about Komet im Mumintal, this actually totally also pertains Elizabeth Portch's rendition, also holds generally true for Comet in Moominland, as the delightfully anecdotal episodes, although generally complete in and of themselves never seem to feel as though they are hanging in space so to speak, as though there is not a thread of continuity from beginning to end in both Komet im Muminland and Comet in Moominland, with the chapters seamlessly moving from the first inklings that a comet could perhaps be arriving to the fateful day it does (and how close the earth comes to total and utter disaster).
However, for me even more importantly (and probably one of the main reasons why I have always so much adored the Moomin novels on a content and themed based level both as a child and now as an adult) I really do appreciate how very much humanely and with personal understanding and supportiveness, Jansson (and by extension her translators) describe and present her diverse and often rather intriguing characters, and that even those individuals who show potentially problematic or negative behaviour patterns (such as Sniff, the Hemulens and even the silent, creepy Hattifatteners) are shown and presented not only as negative but also with positiveness and much authorial understanding (and considering that the Hemulens, for example, with their OCD like obsessions and neuro-atypical ways and means could easily be considered as perhaps being on the autism spectrum, the Moomin books are in my humble opinion also interesting and important discussion vehicles, especially considering that these stories were for the most part penned by Tove Jansson at a time when autism and other such syndromes were not as yet really part of public awareness and the public conscience).
But unfortunately, the for and to my personal reading tastes more than a trifle substandard quality of Elizabeth Portch's translation of Kometjakten, of Tove Jansson’s original Swedish (even if I do indeed have no content and thematic based bones of contention), this does definitely and indeed take away quite a bit of potential joy of reading for Comet in Moominland (and to make me even more appreciative of the exquisite and wonderful magic of Vivica and Kurt Bandler's rendition, of their 1970 Komet im Muminland) and to thus and unfortunately also consider both Comet in Moominland and Elizabeth Portch as translator rather mediocre at best, still to be thematically recommended of course, but yes, if you do read German and if you are able to locate a copy of the Bandlers' 1970 (and sadly usually quite rare and expensive) Komet im Muminland, to most definitely read this instead (but of course, I am also rather majorly biased here, but I do stand by this since both personally and with regard to narrative style I strongly consider Elizabeth Portch as not really a very decent translator of Tove Jansson, since well, I have also not really enjoyed Finn Family Moomintroll either and indeed mostly because of Portch's textually frustrating lack of decent translation efforts).
December 18, 2009
The Moomins, a family of trolls, have appeared in my life in various ways; I vaguely remember having read (or having been read) one of the novels as a young child - as an older child I remember the animated series on television. I happened across it by accident and spent much time in enjoyable confusion about the names and natures of the seemingly infinite cast of characters. This year I decided I wanted to find out more than my hazy memories could tell me and in the process stumbled across the fact that Tove Jansson had written and drawn a Moomin strip comic for a British newspaper and I acquired the first volume of the collected strip comics and read it. I was pleasantly surprised to find it densely but gently satirical as well as pleased to find that the bizarre imagination (particularly for characters who are mythic or completely invented creatures) was most definitely as I recalled.
This meant I still didn't know what the novels were like, but encouraged by the high quality of the comic strip and my memories, I decided to give Comet in Moominland a go - selected because it was the first written (though not first published, I think) of the Moomin novels.
It turned out to be a delightful, pleasant book, strong on imagined characters and incidental mystery - what is a Snufkin? Just how much difference is there between a Troll and a Snork? Everybody and everything is introduced blithely as if common-place without any real requirement for detailed explanation. Everybody knows what a Hattifattener is, really - description is almost superfluous.
The plot is epic compared to those in the volume of comic strips I read - the fate of Moomin Valley (and the rest of the world, really) is at stake and an arduous journey is undertaken to request knowledge and help in saving the day.
The gentle satire is present but in lesser quantity - a philosopher who states that everything is Unnecessary, is never-the-less rather keen on creature comforts (all the more so because he is a creature - a Muskrat)and not being destroyed by the impact of a celstial body. Not keen enough to actually help avert the crisis, however. The scientists that Moomintroll appeals to for information and help take no interest, but pour out all their knowledge to the Snork Maiden when asked about their work...
Contrast of characters is also used to give a Message about the moral and physical dangers of too much attachment to physical belongings (a sentiment expressed in the comic strip, too). The characters are also used to promote the virtues of friendship and familial love. Moomintroll's faith that his mother, Moominmama will fix everything if only they can get back to her in time, is touching - hasn't there been a time in all our lives when we had absolute faith that Mum could resolve any problem satisfactorily?
I suppose it is not too much of a spoiler to reveal that Moomintroll, friends and family, The Valley of the Moomins and even the rest of the planet survive to return in more books; I look forward to reading them.
I would say that comparing Comic Strip vol.1 to Novel 1, the strip has just a slight edge in my opinion because it is more densely packed with satire, but that a greater focus on plot is suited to the novel as a form, so perhaps each should be enjoyed for their own merits and comparison should not be dwelled on too much.
Now, if only some-one would tell me what order the rest of the novels are meant to be read in....
This meant I still didn't know what the novels were like, but encouraged by the high quality of the comic strip and my memories, I decided to give Comet in Moominland a go - selected because it was the first written (though not first published, I think) of the Moomin novels.
It turned out to be a delightful, pleasant book, strong on imagined characters and incidental mystery - what is a Snufkin? Just how much difference is there between a Troll and a Snork? Everybody and everything is introduced blithely as if common-place without any real requirement for detailed explanation. Everybody knows what a Hattifattener is, really - description is almost superfluous.
The plot is epic compared to those in the volume of comic strips I read - the fate of Moomin Valley (and the rest of the world, really) is at stake and an arduous journey is undertaken to request knowledge and help in saving the day.
The gentle satire is present but in lesser quantity - a philosopher who states that everything is Unnecessary, is never-the-less rather keen on creature comforts (all the more so because he is a creature - a Muskrat)and not being destroyed by the impact of a celstial body. Not keen enough to actually help avert the crisis, however. The scientists that Moomintroll appeals to for information and help take no interest, but pour out all their knowledge to the Snork Maiden when asked about their work...
Contrast of characters is also used to give a Message about the moral and physical dangers of too much attachment to physical belongings (a sentiment expressed in the comic strip, too). The characters are also used to promote the virtues of friendship and familial love. Moomintroll's faith that his mother, Moominmama will fix everything if only they can get back to her in time, is touching - hasn't there been a time in all our lives when we had absolute faith that Mum could resolve any problem satisfactorily?
I suppose it is not too much of a spoiler to reveal that Moomintroll, friends and family, The Valley of the Moomins and even the rest of the planet survive to return in more books; I look forward to reading them.
I would say that comparing Comic Strip vol.1 to Novel 1, the strip has just a slight edge in my opinion because it is more densely packed with satire, but that a greater focus on plot is suited to the novel as a form, so perhaps each should be enjoyed for their own merits and comparison should not be dwelled on too much.
Now, if only some-one would tell me what order the rest of the novels are meant to be read in....
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