Moominpappa at Sea (Moomins Fiction)

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Finding a dot on the map which may or may not be a bit of fly poo, they set of to inhabit a new island. The book is dedicated to her father Viktor Jansson and serves as portrayal of his complicated and destructive nature, but also as a heartfelt farewell. Anyway, I did like the book - I don't think it's possible for me to dislike a Moomin book at this point - but I'm not sure this will be one of my favorites.

The story began dark, and it only got darker and more suffocating the longer it continued, a feeling of inevitable doom lingered around the lonely island and the huge lighthouse the Moomin family moved into. There's only one other person living on the island: a strange and lonely fisherman who may be the key to understanding this curious, melancholy place where they live now.

Slowly, he starts to grow fond of her, and when the lamp ultimately runs out of kerosene, the Groke is no longer cold. The power of the autumn sea protects the island’s fishermen from other disturbances while also offering an opportunity for escapism: “It was so marvellous not to have to care about a blessed thing. If Moominland Midwinter is about a journey from a place of depression to one of hope and joy, Moominpappa at Sea is about acceptance. The struggle of growing up, fighting loneliness, desire to understand oneself, the feeling of uprootedness, personal failure, it's all in there cleverly disguised as a children's story.

In this way, approaching nature and accepting it can be seen as supporting humanity, self-acceptance and empathic understanding. The island is no tropical paradise--it actually sounds quite imposing, looming over the Moomins at first sight like a giant shadow--but holds mysteries aplenty for the whole family: Moominpappa and Moominmamma; Moomintroll and Little My. The original title is likely a play on the 1952 short novel The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway. In my opinion, Tove Jannson is the best children's author who ever lived and one of the ten greatest authors of the twentieth century. The book was funny because Moominpapa was really serious and Moomimama didn't really like the island.Although I enjoyed this slightly less than the first reading, ten or more years ago, it was enjoyable to revisit this story and spend time with these characters.