Saturday, December 12, 2009

Ursula Le Guin on Tove Jansson


Ursula Le Guin on Tove Jansson:

Anyone familiar with Jansson knows it would be unwise to dismiss her or patronise her work on any grounds. Her books for children are complex, subtle, psychologically tricky, funny and unnerving; their morality, though never compromised, is never simple. Thus her transition to adult fiction involved no great change. Her everyday Swedes are quite as strange as trolls, and her Swedish village in winter is as beautiful and dangerous as any forest of fantasy.

To read the rest of Le Guin's article, a review of a new translation of Jansson's novel The True Deceiver, click here.

6 comments:

Kathleen Jones said...

I adored the Moomin books and still do as an adult. Favourite character? probably Snufkin! I like her adult fiction too, but not as much. She created a world I could really believe in and which I can still retreat into when I need cheering up! She is a writer of pure genius.
Kathleen

Suko said...

I adore Ursula Le Guin's Catwings series. If she endorses Tove Jansson then her work must be something special.

Kailana said...

Apparently I need to read this author!

Shelby said...

interesting author.. new to me

Stefanie said...

I've never heard of Jansson before. Now I'm going to have to look for her books. And I love those hippos she has in the photo.

The Reader said...

swedish children's author turned novelist? count me in.

the reader
I'm a Bookworm