The letters of Moomin creator Tove Jansson to her family, her confidantes and her lovers, revealing her innermost thoughts, the secrets of her heart and her strongest ideals.

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

Producer: Clive Brill

A Brill production for first broadcast in five parts on BBC Radio 4 in December 2019.