The Summer Book (in the original Swedish Sommarboken) is a book written by Finnish author Tove Jansson in 1972. There was an island, and a house and a little girl called Sophia (a niece not a grandchild) who has now grown up. 7 likes. The Summer Book was one of ten novels she wrote for adults. There's a wild place in the north-west corner of Jersey in the Channel Islands where fields of coconut-scented gorse give way to ragged pink cliffs. In The Summer Book Tove Jansson distills the essence of the summer—its sunlight and storms—into twenty-two crystalline vignettes. While The Summer Book is fiction, it is evident that Tove Jansson drew on her experiences of summer living on an island in the outer archipelago in the Gulf of Finland. An elderly woman and her six-year-old granddaughter Sophia spend a summer together on a tiny island in the Gulf of Finland exploring, talking about life, nature, everything but their feelings about Sophia's mother's death and their love for one another. And the textures and secrets of the island are visceral. In The Summer Book Tove Jansson distills the essence of the summer—its sunlight and storms—into twenty-two crystalline vignettes.This brief novel tells the story of Sophia, a six-year-old girl awakening to existence, and Sophia’s grandmother, nearing the end of hers, as they spend the summer on a tiny … The Summer Book Tove Jansson Translated from the Swedish by Thomas Teal Foreword by Esther Freud Thanks Sort Of thanks: Sophia Jansson, Helen Svensson of Schildts, and Esther Freud; Per Olov Jansson, Margareta Strömstedt, Göran Algård and Alf Lidman for photos; Peter Dyer, Henry Iles, Miranda Davies … It is regarded as a modern classic throughout Scandinavia. Tove Jansson captured summer perfectly in this book about the relationship between a young child, with all the time in the world, and her aging grandmother, with no time to lose. Her books have been compared to the works of Lewis Carroll and J.R.R Tolkien. The Summer book Item Preview remove-circle Share or Embed This Item. Tessa Shaw is the co-founder of the bookshop [email protected].She also happens to know a lot about Tove Jansson – the author we are celebrating this month. The Summer Book 'TOVE JANSSON' WITH A FOREWORD BY ESTHER FREUD An elderly artist and her six-year-old grand-daughter while away a summer together on a tiny island in the gulf of Finland. This brief novel tells the story of Sophia, a six-year-old girl awakening to existence, and Sophia’s grandmother, nearing the end of hers, as they spend the summer on a tiny unspoiled island in … Summer readings: The Summer Book by Tove Jansson. tags: fear. We learn that if you step on moss once it will rise up the next time it rains, step on it twice and it won't rise up, step on it three times and it dies. About The Summer Book. The Summer Book was one of ten novels she wrote for adults. This brief novel tells the story of Sophia, a six-year-old girl awakening to existence, and Sophia’s grandmother, nearing the end of hers, as they spend the summer on a … We also learn that small islands in the sea have turf instead of soil: "The turf is mixed with seaweed and sand and invaluable bird droppings, which is why everything grows so well among the rocks." Stars Phyllida Law and Sophie Thompson. It is a charming, deceptively simple story that charts the relationship between a young girl called Sophia and her grandmother over a series of long summers on a remote Finnish island. "— Philip Pullman "Poetic understatement, dry humor and a deep … The sea is always there, "a long blue landscape of vanishing waves" – bringing guests, cooking up storms, enabling them to escape to other islands. They play together, fight and get bored with each other and yet, through each encounter, they learn something new about themselves, their world or their place within it. While The Summer Book is fiction, it is evident that Tove Jansson drew on her experiences of summer living on an island in the outer archipelago in the Gulf of Finland. One can almost feel the sand, ocean and vegetation in this superbly crafted volume. A postcard arrives from Venice and they set about creating canals in the mud and building palazzos from matchboxes. An elderly artist and her six year old granddaughter while away the summer together, on a tiny island in the Gulf of Finland, their solitude disturbed only by migrating birds, sudden storms and an occasional passing boat. Although she only ever prompts the child rather than directs: "'You know,' Grandmother said. "[4], "Summer readings: The Summer Book by Tove Jansson", The Book about Moomin, Mymble and Little My, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Summer_Book&oldid=870258181, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 23 November 2018, at 15:21. As a child I had read the Moomin stories and still have my copy of Finn Family Moomintroll on my children’s bookshelf. The main characters of this fiction, short stories story are , . Tove Jansson's "the summer book" is a masterpiece in it's simplicity and sparse writing. It is a wonderfully humane and gentle book. Mary Hamilton: Peculiarly well-suited to the Kindle, this novel is also perfect for those summers when you want to get away from your holiday, Penny Woods: Far from being unputdownable, this novel demands you cast it aside and emulate its great Greek hero in living life to the full, Your support powers our independent journalism, Available for everyone, funded by readers. This brief novel tells the story of Sophia, a six-year-old girl awakening to existence, and Sophia’s grandmother, nearing the end of hers, as they spend the summer on a tiny … In The Summer Book Tove Jansson distills the essence of the summer—its sunlight and storms—into twenty-two crystalline vignettes. There was an island, and a house and a little girl called Sophia (a niece not a grandchild) who has now grown up. This is a marvelous, beautiful, wise novel, which is also very funny. the summer book by Tove Jansson ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 28, 1975 Ms. Jansson, who wrote those "Moominland" fancies for children, has directed her inventive hook-and-button plain talk at some adult concerns. ― Tove Jansson, The Summer Book. In The Summer Book Tove Jansson distills the essence of the summer--its sunlight and storms--into twenty-two crystalline vignettes. This brief novel tells the story of Sophia, a six-year-old girl awakening to existence, and Sophia’s grandmother, nearing the end of hers, as they spend the summer on a tiny … Someone who's really interested ought to write a book about them.'" This, however, was the first time I had read one of her six adult novels. Sophia is appalled at accidentally cutting an angleworm in half and so the grandmother suggests she write a book about them. Any chance to visit exhibitions of her wider … This brief novel tells the story of Sophia, a six-year-old girl awakening to existence, and Sophia's grandmother, nearing the end of hers, as they spend the summer on a … The characters' terrain is limited – a small forest, a beach, a bog, some moss-covered granite – and yet their imaginations are endless. That was my puzzle when I picked up Tove Jansson’s The Summer Book. In The Summer Book Tove Jansson distills the essence of the summer—its sunlight and storms—into twenty-two crystalline vignettes. An elderly woman and her six-year-old granddaughter Sophia spend a summer together on a tiny island in the Gulf of Finland exploring, talking about life, nature, everything but their feelings about Sophia's mother's death and their love for one another. Jansson wrote The Summer Book in 1972, just after her mother died, and it reads like a meditation on life and love and surviving in the natural world. Just perfect to be read against a soundtrack of vanishing waves. And that a small island takes care of itself. "[2] Smith praises Thomas Teal's English translation as "original and stunning". An elderly grandmother and her six year old granddaughter spend the summer on a tiny island in the Gulf of Finland (the … Tove Jansson - The Summer Book. She is most famous for the series of Moomin characters which she created in 1945. 45 minutes In The Summer Book Tove Jansson distills the essence of the summer—its sunlight and storms—into twenty-two crystalline vignettes. 8 likes. © 2021 Guardian News & Media Limited or its affiliated companies. She captured much of her own life and spirit in The Summer Book, which was her personal favourite among her own novels. Sophia turns up that evening with an exercise book in which she writes the title "A Study of Angleworms That Have Come Apart.". The writer and artist Tove Jansson (1914-2001) is best known as the creator of the Moomin children's stories, which have been published in 35 languages. "[2] Telling the tale of the child and her grandmother in the simplest language, Smith writes, "The threat of brevity, even on this timeless island in this timeless, gorgeous summer, is very marked. In The Summer Book Tove Jansson distills the essence of the summer—its sunlight and storms—into twenty-two crystalline vignettes. [2], The journalist Antonia Windsor described it as "like a meditation on life and love and surviving in the natural world. 'I don't think anyone's ever taken sufficient interest in angleworms. An illustration of two cells of a film strip. This brief novel tells the story of Sophia, a six-year-old girl awakening to existence, and Sophia’s grandmother, nearing the end of hers, as they spend the summer … Tove Jansson was born in Helsinki in 1914. "[4], The novelist Philip Pullman described the book as "a marvelous, beautiful, wise novel, which is also very funny. What they don't know - and it cannot be repeated too often - is that moss is terribly frail. But Jansson's brilliance is to create a narrative that seems, at least, to have no forward motion, to exist in lit moments, gleaming dark moments, like lights on a string, each chapter its own beautifully constructed, random-seeming, complete story. The first edition of the novel was published in 1972, and was written by Tove Jansson. First published on Fri 12 Aug 2011 15.28 BST. Books. In The Summer Book Tove Jansson distills the essence of the summer—its sunlight and storms—into twenty-two crystalline vignettes. Told from a realistic and unaffected perspective, their bond is, nevertheless, deep and magical. Tove Jansson may be most famous for success with her Moomin books and characters but they were a relatively small part of her prodigious output which included fiction, short stories, anti-Nazi illustrations during WWII in Garm magazine, and also her career as a painter. show more This pondering of our impact on the environment will be familiar to those of you who know Tove Jansson's more famous Moomintroll cartoon strips and children's books. This brief novel tells the story of Sophia, a six-year-old girl awakening to existence, and Sophia's grandmother, nearing the end of hers, as they spend the summer … Publication date 1975 Topics Sweden -- Fiction. The Summer Book by Tove Jansson, Thomas Teal, Esther Freud. [1], The novelist Ali Smith, reviewing the book in The Guardian, wrote that Jansson was better known for her Moomin books than for her novels, and that with her worldwide fame, she knew the virtues of withdrawal. Click here for the lowest price! Summer readings: The Perfect Summer by Juliet Nicolson, Summer readings: The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde, Summer readings: Zorba the Greek by Nikos Kazantzakis, Summer readings: The Road by Cormac McCarthy, Summer readings: Captain Alatriste by Arturo Pérez-Reverte, Summer reading: To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf, Summer readings: My Family and Other Animals by Gerald Durrell. This brief novel tells the story of Sophia, a six-year-old girl awakening to existence, and Sophia’s grandmother, nearing the end of hers, as they spend the summer … Jansson … Tove Jansson's The Summer Book I finished this book this morning, and I think it's going on my top ten all-time favorites list. Tove Jansson's short novel about Summer is several worlds away from the Moomintrolls she is most famous for outside her native Scandinavia. It's a scramble to get down to the ledges below, warm slabs of granite held in a rough embrace by a cobalt sea. Immediately download the Tove Jansson summary, chapter-by-chapter analysis, book notes, essays, quotes, character descriptions, lesson plans, and more - everything you need for studying or teaching Tove Jansson. The writer and artist Tove Jansson (1914-2001) is best known as the creator of the Moomin children's stories, which have been published in 35 languages. So, rather than our regular book review (usually written by Tessa’s co-founder, Betsy) we have a brief introduction to the extraordinary life of Tove and to The Summer Book … It's beautiful, and I don't say that lightly. It is regarded as a modern classic throughout Scandinavia. It is a wonderfully humane and gentle book. Like “you can't depend on people who just let things happen” ― Tove Jansson, The Summer Book. But it is with her grandmother that Sophia engages. The book has been awarded with , and many … Paperback, 9780954221713, 0954221710 Jansson, whom we've mentioned here as the author of our favorite kids' books, the Moomintroll series, was a Swedish-speaking Finn who died in 2001. A beautiful, understated examination of platonic love and profound friendship from the Scandinavian maestro, One summer the father tries to interfere with this natural ecosystem by planting dutch bulbs and then needs to invent a complex irrigation system to keep them alive. The book was published in multiple languages including English, consists of 172 pages and is available in Paperback format. The Summer Books is a fresh, vivid and magical novel about seemingly endless summers of discovery. Sophia recalls the holidays spent with her grandmother on an island in the Gulf of Finland. Her writing is all magical deception, her sentences simple and loaded; the novel reads like looking through clear water and seeing, suddenly, the depth. "[3], The New York Review of Books writes that Jansson's characters, the girl and her grandmother, "discuss things that matter to young and old alike: life, death, the nature of God and of love. Book yourself an afternoon this Summer, and take yourself and The Summer Book somewhere quiet, preferably within sight and sound of the sea, settle back and prepare to be … Publisher New York : Pantheon Books In Smith's view, The Summer Book is an astonishing achievement of artistry, "the writing so lightly kept, so simple-seeming, so closely concerned with the weighing of moments that any extra weight of exegesis is too much. Sophia's mother has died at the start of the book and the father is always lurking in the margins of the pages. As the two learn to adjust to each other's fears, whims and yearnings, a fierce yet understated love emerges - one that encompasses not only the summer … Fri 12 Aug 2011 15.28 BST Like “Only farmers and summer guests walk on the moss. The Summer book by Jansson, Tove. But several years later she relented and provided pictures for a new German edition, producing some of her finest – and final – black and white line drawings … THE SUMMER BOOK by Tove Jansson Translated from the Swedish by Thomas Teal Introduction by Kathryn Davis $14.00/NCR / 978-1-59017-268-1 "Tove Jansson was a genius. It was there one summer, in between bouts of rock climbing, that I raced through Tove Jansson's The Summer Book. "It drinks melting snow and spring rain and, finally, dew, and if there is a drought, the island waits for the next summer and grows its flowers then instead." The Summer Book (Book) : Jansson, Tove : In The Summer Book Tove Jansson distills the essence of the summer--its sunlight and storms--into twenty-two crystalline vignettes. In Tove Jansson’s 1972 The Summer Book, 6-year-old Sophia and her grandmother are spending the summer on a tiny, remote island off the coast of Finland. In The Summer Book Tove Jansson distills the essence of the summer—its sunlight and storms—into twenty-two crystalline vignettes. The Summer Book was originally published without illustrations – Tove was keen to mark this out as an adult work, separate from her Moomin books. The story of Sophia's relationship and her grandmother is a meditation on love and nature. For several days, their island and my island merged and I momentarily lost my bearings. All rights reserved. Perfect to read beside the sea. This brief novel tells the story of Sophia, a six-year-old girl awakening to existence, and Sophia’s grandmother, nearing the end of hers, as they spend the summer on a tiny … , 9780954221713, 0954221710 Tove Jansson distills the essence of the Book was one of ten novels she for. Accidentally cutting an angleworm in half and so the grandmother suggests she write a Book about.. Perfect to be read against a soundtrack of vanishing waves still have copy. 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