The Dangerous Journey – Tove Jansson
The Dangerous Journey by Tove Jansson / ISBN 9781770463202 / 32-page hardcover, all in color, from Drawn and Quarterly
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Tove Jansson takes us on a beautifully illustrated and delightfully quirky journey through Moominvalley, perfectly capturing the experience and its emotional impact as seen through the innocent eyes of Susanna, our main character. Susanna is bored with her life: her cat is too content; her surroundings—too gentle. She craves adventure when there is none to be had. But when a new pair of glasses appears in front of her, she gets an opportunity to live the bold life that she has always longed for as her surroundings are transformed into a dark and sinister landscape. At first afraid, but then her daring side takes over and she moves forward to an unknown destination, meeting some familiar faces along the way. Combatting everything from an exploding volcano to a fierce winter storm, from mysterious monsters to stormy seas, Susanna and her newfound friends are given the adventure of a lifetime.
With subtle existential themes, a lyrical rhythm, and delicate watercolour illustrations, The Dangerous Journey will capture the curiosity of children and adults alike. Published for the first time in North America, and the last picture book completed by world-renowned Tove Jansson, The Dangerous Journey pushes the emotions that underlie our nostalgia out into the open but with an unparalleled viewpoint that always brings forth a new perspective. Take this fantastical journey to Moominvalley and never look back.
“In the ‘Moomins’ creator Tove Jansson’s THE DANGEROUS JOURNEY… [Susanna] finds a pair of glasses that reveal the nightmare under the surface of things…unlike 99 percent of children’s books, we are left without the reassurance that all is right in the end… Normal is perhaps a thing of the past.”–The New York Times
Tove Jansson (1914–2001) was born in Helsinki and spent much of her life in Finland. She is the author of the Moomin books, including Comet in Moominland and Finn Family Moomintroll. Born into an artistic family―her father was a sculptor and her mother was a graphic designer and illustrator―Jansson studied at the University College of Arts, Crafts and Design in Stockholm, the Finnish Academy of Fine Arts, and L’École des Beaux-Arts in Paris. In addition to her Moomin books, she also wrote several novels, drew comic strips and worked as a painter and illustrator. In 1966, she was awarded the Hans Christian Andersen Medal for her body of work. Jansson had a studio in Helsinki but spent most of her time at her home on a small island called Klovharu.
