Abstract

Tove Jansson is known worldwide as the mother of the Moomins. She was a visual artist and writer. The first Moomin books deal with the threat of apocalypse. The 1946 book about the comet approaching the Earth is interesting because of the changes Jansson made in the later versions. The first edition is shown to reflect the fear of possible Soviet occupation of Finland after World War II. In the last, 1968 edition this was replaced by a fear of a global nuclear war. In her illustrations and texts, Jansson drew inspiration from several scientific sources, many of which are identified in the article. The case of a meteorite falling in Finland in 1899 is also discussed.