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Episode 5

Meeting engraver and artist Tuulikki Pietilä proves a turning point in Tove Jansson’s life. "I feel like a garden that’s finally been watered, so my flowers can bloom."

Out of the thousands of letters Moomin creator Tove Jansson wrote, a cache remains that she addressed to her family, her dearest confidantes, and her lovers, both male and female.

Into these, she spilled her innermost thoughts, defended her ideals and revealed her heart. To read these letters is both an act of startling intimacy and a rare privilege.

Penned with grace and humour, Letters from Tove offers an almost seamless commentary on Tove Jansson's life as it unfolds within Helsinki's bohemian circles and her island home. Spanning fifty years between her art studies and the height of Moomin fame, we hear the bleakness of war, the hopes for love that were dashed and renewed, and her determined attempts to establish herself as an artist.

Translated from the Swedish by Sarah Death
Abridged by Polly Coles
Read by Sarah Lambie

Produced by Clive Brill
A Brill production for Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Radio 4

14 minutes

Last on

Sat 17 Feb 2024 03:00

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Broadcasts

  • Fri 20 Dec 2019 09:45
  • Sat 21 Dec 2019 00:30
  • Fri 31 Dec 2021 14:00
  • New Year's Day 2022 02:00
  • Fri 16 Feb 2024 07:00
  • Fri 16 Feb 2024 12:00
  • Fri 16 Feb 2024 17:00
  • Sat 17 Feb 2024 03:00