Moominpappa at Sea

Synopsis

Moominpappa at Sea (Swedish: Pappan och havet, literally "The Father and the Sea") is the eighth book in the Moomin series by Finnish author Tove Jansson. First published in 1965, the novel is set contemporaneously with Moominvalley in November (Sent i november, 1970), and is the last in the series where the titular Moomin family are present within the narrative. The book follows the titular Moomin family as they arrive on a deserted island in the middle of the sea, documenting their experiences as they become familiar with their newfound surroundings. The book is notable for its introspective and contemplative tone, unlike the other books in the series. Critics have noted its psychological approach, as Moominpappa has a masculinity crisis. The book has also been seen as about how to deal with loneliness, which appears in different forms but is healed by relationships. The book is based primarily around the character of Moominpappa, who was heavily inspired by Jansson's father, Viktor Jansson. The book's original title is a loose reference to Ernest Hemingway novel The Old Man and the Sea, though this is not reflected in the English translation, and the text instead satirises Virginia Woolf's 1927 modernist novel To the Lighthouse. The book is considered a classic of Swedish literature: it was named on the Sveriges Television programme Babel in 2013 as one of five books that should form the start of a Swedish literary canon.

Text license: CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source

Details

Type

Book

Release date

January 1, 1965

Genres

children's literature

Created by

Tove Jansson

Countries

Finland