Moominland Midwinter



Moominland Midwinter (Swedish: Trollvinter Literally: Trollwinter) is the seventh in the series of Tove Jansson's Moomin books and the sixth novel, published in 1957. The story follows Moomintroll as he wakes up from his winter hibernation and discovers the winter season for the first time.

This book is a reaction to the massive popularity the Moomin characters saw following the newspaper comic strips and heavy merchandising. Tove Jansson adopts a darker, more introspective tone compared to the earlier books that is continued in the remainder of the series. Often in the book Moomintroll is either lonely, miserable, angry or scared - the result of being forced to survive in a world to which he feels he does not belong.

While preserving the charm of the previous novels, the story involves a more in-depth exploration of Moomintroll's character than before.

The book is dedicated to Tove Jansson's mother Signe Hammarsten-Jansson.

Plot Summary
While the rest of the Moomin family are in the deep slumber of their winter hibernation, Moomintroll finds himself awake and unable to get back to sleep.

He discovers a world hitherto unknown to him, where the sun does not rise and the ground is covered with cold, white, wet powder.

Moomintroll is lonely at first but soon meets Too-ticky and his old friend Little My (who takes delight in sledging down the snowy hills on Moominmamma's silver tea tray).

The friends build a snow horse for the Lady of the Cold and mourn the passing of an absent-minded squirrel who gazed into the Lady's eyes and froze to death. However, a squirrel is spotted alive by Moomintroll at the end of the book, and it seems that it may have come back to life.

As the haunting winter progresses, many characters (notably the Groke, Sorry-oo the small dog, and a boisterous skiing Hemulen) come to Moominvalley in search of warmth, shelter and Moominmamma's stores of jam.

Adaptations
Moominland Midwinter has been adapted to television five times.


 * Moominvalley (1973)
 * The Moomins (1977)
 * Moominvalley (1990)
 * Moomin (1990)
 * Moominvalley (2019)

The Polish 1977 version was restored with updated effects and cut into a feature length film in 2017.