From the author of The Summer Book and creator of the Moomins, an off-beat novel about a retirement community in sunny Florida.In The Summer Book and The True Deceiver, as in her many short stories, Tove Jansson was drawn again and again to the everyday life of the aged. Not as a group apart but as full-blooded people with as many jealousies, urges, and joys as any other group. It’s no wonder that in her travels through America in the 197...

**A Nature Book of the Year (The Times (UK))“The hoverflies are only props. No, not only, but to some extent. Here and there, my story is about something else.”Amesmerizing memoir of extraordinary brilliance by an entomologist, The Fly Trap chronicles Fredrik Sjöberg’s life collecting hoverflies on a remote island in Sweden. Warm and humorous, self-deprecating and contemplative, and a major best seller in its native country, T...

Fredrik Sjöberg's Swedish bestseller about summer, islands, freedom and boundaries.'The light, the warmth, the smells, the mist, the birdsong - the moths. Who can sleep? Who wants to?'Fredrik Sjöberg finds happiness in the little things. Millions of them, in fact. This beguiling bestseller is his unique meditation on collecting hoverflies. It is also about living on a remote Swedish island, blissful long summer nights, lost loves, unexpected treasu...

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 Fa...

A New York Review Books OriginalWinner of the Best Translated Book AwardFeaturing an introduction by Glyph author Ali SmithThe bestselling author of The Summer Book offers a haunting suspense novel about corruption and innocence, truth and art—hailed “as one of [Jansson’s] greatest” (The New Yorker).“A dark companion to her glowing The Summer Book. Here the setting i...

From the beloved author of "The Summer Book" comes Tove Jansson's most unnerving and quietly haunting novel—a masterful exploration of trust and deception.All winter long, Katri Kling, blunt and yellow-eyed, lives with her vulnerable brother and a nameless dog, on the edge of the small community. Across the street, Anna Aemelin, a respected but reclusive children's book illustrator, ventures from her vast empty house only in spring, when she paints intricate forest scenes.B...

Immerse yourself in this riveting short story collection where art takes center stage - but not always for the better. Journey with an elderly caretaker who resolves a couple's spat over a painting, revealing the art market's complexities. Follow a draughtsman whose obsession with locomotives derails his love life, and a cartoonist who risks his sanity to fill in for a troubled colleague. Through tales that are witty yet unsettling, Jansson confronts obsession, ambition, and the pitfalls o...

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...

A rare memoir of extraordinary, mesmerizing brilliance—and a Swedish bestseller—by an entomologist fascinated with the natural world and the hidden wonders of life, and which asks: What is it that drives the obsessively curious to exploration and the practice of collecting?Warm and humorous, self-deprecating and contemplative, The Fly Trap is a meditation on solitude, stillness, and the observation of beauty—be it found among insects or in art. Weaving a fascinating web of...

On a pristine island in the Gulf of Finland, six-year-old Sophia is awakening to life, while her wise yet cranky grandmother is contemplating its end. This unlikely duo becomes each other's perfect companions for a season of unforgettable adventures. From crafting boats out of bark to creating their own miniature Venice, they explore their island world with youthful curiosity and aged wisdom. Along the way, they tackle the universal questions that captivate young and old: What is life and ...

Set against the rugged backdrop of Klovharun, a barren skerry in the Gulf of Finland, ´Notes from an Island´ invites you into the intimate world of Tove Jansson and her partner, graphic artist Tuulikki Pietilä, known affectionately as "Tooti." Aided by Brunstroem, an unconventional fisherman, Jansson races against time and the elements to build a cabin that would serve as their sanctuary for thirty summers. A declaration of the beauty of solitude, ´Notes from an Island´ is a touching homag...

FINALIST FOR THE 2025 AUDIO PUBLISHERS ASSOCIATION AUDIE AWARD FOR BEST SHORT STORY COLLECTION.In this collection comprising of thirteen short stories, Jansson masterfully crafts unsettling narratives that delve into unexpected connections, awkward encounters, and solitary momentsFrom reconnecting with childhood friends in "Party Games" to exploring the theme of ageing in "Trip to the Riviera", Jansson's short story collection "Letters from Klara" beautifully and intimately...