Colombo, 1989. Maali Almeida, war photographer, gambler and closet queen, has woken up dead in what seems like a celestial visa office. His dismembered body is sinking in the serene Beira lake and he has no idea who killed him. In a country where scores are settled by death squads, suicide bombers and hired goons, the list of suspects is depressingly long, as the ghouls and ghosts with grudges who cluster round can attest. But even in the afterlife, time is running out for Maali. He has seven moons to try and contact the man and woman he loves most and lead them to a hidden cache of photos that will rock Sri Lanka.
Ten years after his prizewinning novel Chinaman established him as one of Sri Lanka's foremost authors, Shehan Karunatilaka is back with a mordantly funny, searing satire. The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida is a state-of-the-nation epic that proves yet again that the best fiction offers the ultimate truth.
Colombo, 1989. Maali Almeida, war photographer, gambler and closet queen, has woken up dead in what seems like a celestial visa office. His dismembered body is sinking in the…
‘If we want to understand what has been lost to time, there is no way other than through the exercise of imagination. …imagination applied with delicate rather than broad strokes.’ So wrote the award winning Japanese author Kyoko Nakajima of her story Things Remembered and Things Forgotten, a prose piece that illuminates, as if by throwing a switch, the layers of wartime devastation that lie just below the surface of Tokyo’s insistently modern culture.
Of the ten acclaimed stories in this collection are pervaded by an air of Japanese ghostliness. In beautifully crafted and deceptively light prose, Nakajima portrays men and women beset by cultural amnesia and unaware of how haunted they are – by fragmented memories of war and occupation, by fading traditions, by buildings lost to firestorms and bulldozers, by the spirits of their recent past.
‘If we want to understand what has been lost to time, there is no way other than through the exercise of imagination. …imagination applied with delicate rather than broad…
In 1961, at the request of her Italian Publisher, Tove Jansson created a unique new edition of Moominland Midwinter, the tale in which Moomin wakes from hibernation to contend all on his own with the mysterious new world of winter. The text and internal line drawings of this much loved story were unchanged, but she added a beautiful new cover illustration and seven glorious full-page colour illustrations plus a colour panorama. It was the only Moomin title that she reworked in this way and became a prized item for fans and collectors. For the first time, this edition will now be available for Moomin fans in the UK.
Tove Jansson wrote and illustrated her first Moomin story, The Moomins and the Great Flood, in 1945 though it was the next two books Comet in Moominland and Finn Family Moomintroll, published in 1946 and 1948 respectively, that brought her worldwide fame. Moominland Midwinter, published in 1957, represented an important shift in her approach to creating children’s stories, asserting that children could cope with the full gamut of emotions, including moments of loneliness and isolation. As a result her books have been a source of comfort and inspiration to children and adults who have found themselves coping with new and unfamiliar situations. Tove credited her life-long partner Tuulikki Pietilä (the inspiration for the wise and able Too-ticky) for encouraging her towards greater emotional honesty and depth.
The Moomin books have since appeared in more than sixty languages and have remained in print for seventy years as new generations of readers become enchanted by the characters, the gentle philosophy, adventurousness and fun of the stories and the timeless beauty of their illustrations.
In 1961, at the request of her Italian Publisher, Tove Jansson created a unique new edition of Moominland Midwinter, the tale in which Moomin wakes from hibernation to contend all…
"I find myself talking to you about all the great joys, all the agonies, all my thoughts..." Letter to Eva Konikova, 1946
Out of the thousands of letters Tove Jansson wrote a cache remains that she addressed to her family, her dearest confidantes, and her lovers, male and female. Into these she spilled her innermost thoughts, defended her ideals and revealed her heart. To read these letters is both an act of startling intimacy and a rare privilege.
Penned with grace and humour, Letters from Tove offers an almost seamless commentary on Tove Jansson's life as it unfolds within Helsinki's bohemian circles and her island home. Spanning fifty years between her art studies and the height of Moomin fame, we share with her the bleakness of war; the hopes for love that were dashed and renewed, and her determined attempts to establish herself as an artist.
Vivid, inspiring and shining with integrity, Letters from Tove shows precisely how an aspiring and courageous young artist can evolve into a very great one.
"I find myself talking to you about all the great joys, all the agonies, all my thoughts..." Letter to Eva Konikova, 1946
Out of the thousands of letters Tove Jansson wrote a…
The Moomins, in case you didn’t know, are kind, philosophical creatures with velvety fur and smooth round snouts, who live in a tall blue house in a beautiful woodland valley beside the sea.
Featuring the much loved stories in Waterstone’s Oxfam bestseller, The Invisible Child and The Fir Tree – the Moomins’ gloriously funny and generous take on Christmas – Tales from Moominvalley collects together nine delightful Moomin short stories. Highlights include The Spring Tune (which Jarvis Cocker described as the best story about composing music) and The Last Dragon in the World, revealing the true essence of friendship. A perfect Christmas gift to complete the set of Moomin classics.
Tales from Moominvalley, the sixth novel in the Moomin series, was published in 1962. It has remained in print for over fifty years, appearing in more than fifty languages.
The Moomins, in case you didn’t know, are kind, philosophical creatures with velvety fur and smooth round snouts, who live in a tall blue house in a beautiful woodland valley…
The last, most profound and elegiac of Tove Jansson’s Moomin novels
The Moomins, in case you haven’t already met them, are kind, philosophical creatures with velvety fur and smooth round snouts, who live in a beautiful Finnish valley. They sleep through the winter and when spring comes they wake and clamber down rope ladders hanging from their windows, ready for a bright new adventure.
But in Moominvalley in November, the Moomins are missing. They have left their beloved Moominvalley – for the mysterious lighthouse island of Moominpappa at Sea – and no one has seen them since. As winter draws near, Snufkin, Mymble, Toft and others move into the Moominhouse to await the family’s return and soon find themselves absorbed in exploits of their own. Only little Toft lingers on. The gentle creature has seen a flicker of light on the horizon. Could this be the Moomins sailing back?
Moominvalley in November, the final novel in the series, was published in 1970 and serves as a beautiful and deeply subtle valediction to the world of the Moomins. It has appeared in more than fifty languages
The last, most profound and elegiac of Tove Jansson’s Moomin novels
The Moomins, in case you haven’t already met them, are kind, philosophical creatures with velvety fur and…
The Moomins, in case you didn’t know, are kind, philosophical creatures with velvety fur and smooth round snouts, who live in a tall blue house in a beautiful woodland valley beside the sea.
Moominpappa yearns to make a fresh start, to find a rocky island and lighthouse where he’ll feel alert and important again. And so the Moomins set sail for a new home. In Moominpappa at Sea they arrive at an island that proves as mysterious and wild as even Moominpappa had hoped. It even has a deserted lighthouse. But how is Moominmamma to grow her flowers and what strange fate befell the last keeper of the lighthouse?
Moominpappa at Sea, the penultimate novel in the Moomin series, was published in 1965. It has remained in print for over fifty years, appearing in more than fifty languages.
The Moomins set sail for a wild new adventure.
The Moomins, in case you didn’t know, are kind, philosophical creatures with velvety fur and smooth round snouts, who live in a…
Moomins sleep through the winter – or they did until the year Moomintroll woke up …
The Moomins, in case you didn’t know, are kind, philosophical creatures with velvety fur and smooth round snouts, who live in
a tall blue house in a beautiful woodland valley, beside the sea. They love the sunshine and sleep all through the winter months, waking up when spring arrives.
Except one year when Moomintroll accidentally awakes and nds himself stranded and alone in a mysterious world blanketed with snow. In Moominland Midwinter we follow Moomin as he overcomes his amazement and isolation and, with the help of the wise Too-ticky and the fearless Little My, begins to explore the glittering new landscape.
Tove Jansson wrote and illustrated her first Moomin story, The Moomins and the Great Flood, in 1945 though it was the next two books Comet in Moominland and Finn Family Moomintroll, published in 1946 and 1948 respectively, that brought her worldwide fame. Moominland Midwinter, published in 1957, represented an important shift in her approach to creating children’s stories, asserting that children could cope with the full gamut of emotions, including moments of loneliness and isolation. As a result her books have been a source of comfort and inspiration to children and adults who have found themselves coping with new and unfamiliar situations. Tove credited her life-long partner Tuulikki Pietilä (the inspiration for the wise and able Too-ticky) for encouraging her towards greater emotional honesty and depth.
The Moomin books have since appeared in more than sixty languages and have remained in print for seventy years as new generations of readers become enchanted by the characters, the gentle philosophy, adventurousness and fun of the stories and the timeless beauty of their illustrations.
Moomins sleep through the winter – or they did until the year Moomintroll woke up …
The Moomins, in case you didn’t know, are kind, philosophical creatures with velvety fur and…
Floating teacups, a prison break and a theatre cast adrift…it’s Moominsummer Madness!
The Moomins, in case you didn’t know, are kind, philosophical creatures with velvety fur and smooth round snouts, who live in a tall blue house in a beautiful woodland valley beside the sea.
One summer a grumbling volcano causes Moominvalley to flood, forcing the Moomins to leave their beloved home and find refuge on a floating theatre. When this casts adrift, leaving Moomin, the Snorkmaiden and Little My marooned on land, Moominsummer Madness ensues.
Will they all be reunited before the final curtain?
Moominsummer Madness, the fourth novel in the Moomin series, was published in 1954. It has remained in print for over sixty years, appearing in more than fifty languages.
Floating teacups, a prison break and a theatre cast adrift…it’s Moominsummer Madness!
The Moomins, in case you didn’t know, are kind, philosophical creatures with velvety fur…
“One cold and windy autumn evening many years ago a newspaper parcel was found on the doorstep of the Home for Moomin Foundlings. In that parcel I lay, quite small and shivering with cold.”
So begins Moominpappa’s remarkable Memoirs, written to delight his son Moomintroll and friends. What emerges
is a story about storytelling itself as one fabulous tale follows another, and not just about Moominpappa but Sniff and Snufkin’s fathers too – the rather muddled Muddler and the carefree Joxter. Add to this mix the genius inventor Hodgkins, and a grand finale in which Moominpappa rescues a shipwrecked Moominmamma from the waves, and the fun becomes irresistible.
The Memoirs of Moominpappa, which Tove Jansson rewrote from the original Exploits of Moominpappa, is published for the first time in the UK in this Collector’s Edition.
The Memoirs of Moominpappa, was first published in the UK in 1950 under the title, The Exploits of Moominpapa. In the early 1960s Tove Jansson substantially revised this text, redrawing pictures and reinstating her preferred title. This is the very first time the revised edition has become available in the UK.
“One cold and windy autumn evening many years ago a newspaper parcel was found on the doorstep of the Home for Moomin Foundlings. In that parcel I lay, quite small and shivering…
The Moomin series begins with the most thrilling adventure of all…
The Moomins, in case you didn’t know, are kind, philosophical creatures with velvety fur and smooth round snouts, who live in a tall blue house in a beautiful woodland valley, beside the sea.
When mysterious signs start to appear of a strange star with a tail, young Moomintroll and his friend Sniff set off to consult the professors in the distant Lonely Mountains. Their journey is packed with adventures which they share with new friends they meet on the way – Snufkin, the carefree wanderer, the fascinating Snorkmaiden, and her brother the Snork. They discover that a ery comet is heading straight for their beloved Moominvalley. But can they race home before the comet crashes?
The Moomin series begins with the most thrilling adventure of all…
The Moomins, in case you didn’t know, are kind, philosophical creatures with velvety fur and smooth round…
The Moomins, in case you haven’t already met them, are kind, philosophical creatures with velvety fur and smooth round snouts, who live in a beautiful valley in a forest in Finland. They have the most natural way of turning friends into family – Moominmamma simply adds another plank to the table and builds a new bed. Moomins sleep through the winter, when the snow turns their house into a great snowball. But, when spring comes, they wake and clamber down rope ladders hanging from their windows, ready for a bright new adventure.
In Finn Family Moomintroll the discovery of the Hobgoblin’s hat leads to the most extraordinary magic and mayhem. Coupled with the arrival of Thingumy and Bob and their mysterious suitcase, the Moomins have never experienced anything quite like this before.
The Moomins, in case you haven’t already met them, are kind, philosophical creatures with velvety fur and smooth round snouts, who live in a beautiful valley in a forest in…
Klara, elderly yet acute, dispenses wisdom in terse letters; a young girl paints a mural on the hidden wall of a wood-shed; an art student uses a scholarship abroad to obsessively explore the landscapes of home; five middle-aged women attempt to rekindle a schoolgirl camaraderie. Letters from Klara is a collection where quiet revelations unfold and subtle transformations occur.
Klara, elderly yet acute, dispenses wisdom in terse letters; a young girl paints a mural on the hidden wall of a wood-shed; an art student uses a scholarship abroad to obsessively…
In the summer of 1947, a young priest, Petter, his wife and baby daughter, arrive by mail boat at a tiny island. They are to take over its drafty homestead from where Petter is to minister to the scattered community. In this evocative tale, Ulla-Lena Lundberg draws us into the minutiae of an austere yet purposeful life where the demands of self-sufficiency - cows to milk and sheep to graze - are tempered by the kindness of neighbours. With each season, the family's love of the island grows and when the winter brings ice a new and tentative link is created. Told through the eyes of Petter, the wholehearted if naive novice priest, and Mona, his tough-minded wife, a story unfolds that is as immersive as it is heartrending.
Winner of the Finlandia prize and nominated for the Nordic Critics Prize, Ice was a huge bestseller in Finland.
In the summer of 1947, a young priest, Petter, his wife and baby daughter, arrive by mail boat at a tiny island. They are to take over its drafty homestead from where Petter is to…
The Finnish-Swedish writer and artist Tove Jansson achieved worldwide fame as the creator of the Moomin stories, written between 1945 and 1970 and still in print in more than twenty languages. However, the Moomins were only a part of her prodigious output. Already admired in Nordic art circles as a painter, cartoonist and illustrator, she would go on to write a series of classic novels and short stories. She remains Scandinavia's best loved author.
Tove Jansson's work reflected the tenets of her life: her love of family (and special bond with her mother), of nature, and her insistence on freedom to pursue her art. Love and work was the motto she chose for herself and her approach to both was joyful and uncompromising. If her relationships with men were shaded by an ambivalence towards marriage, those with women came as a revelation, especially the love and companionship she found with her long-time partner, the artist Tuulikki Pietilä, with whom she shared her solitary island of Klovharu.
In this meticulously researched, authorised biography, Boel Westin draws together the many threads of Jansson's life: from the studies interrupted to help her family; the bleak years of war and her emergence as an artist with a studio of her own; to the years of Moomin-mania, and later novel writing. Based on numerous conversations with Tove, and unprecedented access to her journals, letters and personal archives, Tove Jansson: Life, Art, Words offers a rare and privileged insight into the world of a writer whom Philip Pullman described, simply, as 'a genius'.
The Finnish-Swedish writer and artist Tove Jansson achieved worldwide fame as the creator of the Moomin stories, written between 1945 and 1970 and still in print in more…
"What sort of thing are you?” asked the little creature. “I’m a moomintroll,” answered Moomintroll, who had had time to feel brave again. “And this is my mother…”
And so, for the very first time, we meet the young Moomin, Moominmamma and Sniff as they search through forest and flood for long lost Moominpappa, last seen wandering with the Hattifatteners. Along the way, in a series of delightful adventures, they encounter Hemulens, stranded kittens and the blue-haired Tulippa.
The Moomins and the Great Flood was the original Moomin story, published in Finland in 1945. A rediscovered gem, it offers an extraordinary glimpse into Tove Jansson’s unique vision, featuring beautiful sepia watercolours as well as the pen and ink drawings that would become her trademark.
"What sort of thing are you?” asked the little creature. “I’m a moomintroll,” answered Moomintroll, who had had time to feel brave again. “And this is my mother…”
Few great writers produced less than Jane Bowles: one novel, one play and a dozen short stories. Yet hers is one of the most original, unique voices in twentieth century American literature. A novelist with an essentially tragic view, as Truman Capote concludes in his memoir, but also 'a very funny writer ... with at [her] heart the subtlest comprehension of eccentricity and human apartness.'
Here, then, is a novel unlike any other. A tale of two extraordinary heroines - Christina Goering, a wealthy spinster in pursuit of sainthood, and Frieda Copperfield, who finds a home away from home in a Panama brothel. And a book whose lesbian themes were startling on its original publication in 1943.
Few great writers produced less than Jane Bowles: one novel, one play and a dozen short stories. Yet hers is one of the most original, unique voices in twentieth century American…
Few great writers produced less than Jane Bowles: one novel, one play and a dozen short stories. Yet hers is one of the most original, unique voices in twentieth century American literature. A novelist with an essentially tragic view, as Truman Capote concludes in his memoir, but also 'a very funny writer ... with at [her] heart the subtlest comprehension of eccentricity and human apartness.'Here, then, is a novel unlike any other. A tale of two extraordinary heroines - Christina Goering, a wealthy spinster in pursuit of sainthood, and Frieda Copperfield, who finds a home from home in a Panama brothel. And a book whose lesbian themes were startling on its original publication in 1943.
Few great writers produced less than Jane Bowles: one novel, one play and a dozen short stories. Yet hers is one of the most original, unique voices in twentieth century American…
Winner of the 2009 Bernard Shaw Prize for Translation
Fair Play is the type of love story that is rarely told, a revelatory depiction of contentment, hard-won and exhilarating.
Mari is a writer and Jonna is an artist, and they live at opposite ends of a big apartment building, their studios connected by a long attic passageway. They have argued, worked, and laughed together for decades. Yet they’ve never really stopped taking each other by surprise. Fair Play shows us Mari and Jona’s intertwined lives as they watch Fassbinder films and Westerns, critique each other’s work, spend time on a solitary island (recognizable to readers of Jansson’s The Summer Book), travel through the American Southwest, and turn life into nothing less than art.
A New York Review Books Original
Winner of the 2009 Bernard Shaw Prize for Translation
Fair Play is the type of love story that is rarely told, a revelatory depiction of…
