Finn Family Moomintroll

Finn Family Moomintroll
First edition
AuthorTove Jansson
Original titleTrollkarlens hatt
TranslatorElizabeth Portch
IllustratorTove Jansson
Cover artistTove Jansson
LanguageSwedish
SeriesMoomins
GenreChildren's novel
PublisherFarrar, Straus and Giroux in US, Penguin Books in UK
Publication date
1948
Publication placeFinland
Published in English
1950 (UK), 1951 (US)[1]
Pages150
ISBN978-0-14-030150-2 (English)
OCLC271863094
Preceded byComet in Moominland 
Followed byThe Exploits of Moominpappa 

Finn Family Moomintroll (original Swedish title Trollkarlens hatt, ‘The Magician's Hat’; US edition The Happy Moomins) is the third in the series of Tove Jansson's Moomins books, published in Swedish in 1948 and translated to English in 1950. It owes its title in translation to the fact that it was the first Moomin book to be published in English, and was actually marketed as the first in the series until the 1980s.[2][3]

The 1961 English publication features a foreword "by Moominmamma", where she explains the nature of Moomins for fear that English children may not have heard of them; she also apologises for her "rottn" English. Otherwise, the book was translated by Elizabeth Portch.[4]

The novel forms the basis of episodes 1–8 in the 1990 TV series.

  1. ^ Westin, Boel (2007). Tove Jansson: ord, bild, liv. Stockholm: Bonniers, page 520. ISBN 978-91-0-011325-4
  2. ^ Bosworth, Mark (13 March 2014). "Tove Jansson: Love, war and the Moomins". BBC. Retrieved 13 March 2014.
  3. ^ "Introduction to Moomin stories: Finn Family Moomintroll, 1948". Moomin.com. Retrieved 4 March 2023.
  4. ^ Guardian staff writer (16 April 2011). "Finn Family Moomintroll review". The Guardian (UK).