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{{DISPLAYTITLE:''Comet in Moominland''}}
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[[File:Sortofcomet.png|thumb|300px]]
 
{{Infobox Book
 
{{Infobox Book
 
| name = Comet in Moominland
 
| name = Comet in Moominland
| title_orig = ''Kometjakten''
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| title_orig = Kometjakten
| translator = [[Thomas Warburton]]
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| translator = Thomas Warburton
| image = [[Image:Cometmoominland.jpg|150px]]
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| image =
 
| image_caption =
 
| image_caption =
 
| author = [[Tove Jansson]]
 
| author = [[Tove Jansson]]
| illustrator =
+
| illustrator = [[Tove Jansson]]
| cover_artist =
+
| cover_artist = [[Tove Jansson]]
| country = [[Finland]]
+
| country = Finland
| language = [[Swedish language|Swedish]]
+
| language = Swedish
 
| series = [[Moomins]]
 
| series = [[Moomins]]
 
| subject =
 
| subject =
| genre = [[Children's literature|Children's novel]]
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| genre = Children's novel
 
| publisher =
 
| publisher =
 
| pub_date = 1946
 
| pub_date = 1946
| english_pub_date =
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| english_pub_date = 1959
 
| media_type =
 
| media_type =
 
| pages =
 
| pages =
| isbn = ISBN 0140302867 (English)
+
| isbn = ISBN 0140302867(English)
 
| oclc =
 
| oclc =
| preceded_by =
+
| preceded_by = [[The Moomins and the Great Flood]]
| followed_by =
+
| followed_by = [[Finn Family Moomintroll]]
 
}}
 
}}
  +
'''''Comet in Moominland''''' (Swedish: ''Kometjakten'' / ''Mumintrollet på kometjakt'' / ''Kometen kommer'' Literally: ''The Comet Chase'' / ''Moomintroll on a Comet Chase'' / ''The Comet is Coming'') is the second in the series of [[Tove Jansson|Tove Jansson's]] [[Moomins|Moomin]] books, published in 1946.
   
'''''Comet In Moominland''''' ([[Swedish language|Swedish]] title ''Kometjakten'' / ''Mumintrollet på kometjakt'' / ''Kometen kommer'') is the first in the series of [[Tove Jansson]]'s [[Moomins]] books, published in 1946. An earlier story ''[[The Little Trolls and the Big Flood]]'' exists, but ''Comet in Moominland'' is generally accepted to be the first novel in the series as it introduces many of the main characters, and is set in [[Moominvalley]].
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An earlier story ''[[The Moomins and the Great Flood]]'' exists, but ''Comet in Moominland'' is often seen as first novel in the series as ''The Moomins and the Great Flood'' wasn't translated or reprinted until long after it's initial publication, making it largely unknown to readers.
   
 
The English language book is a translation of the first version of Jansson's book, which she was later to revise in 1956 and 1968. The revisions contain a number of minor differences; for instance, the Silk Monkey character is changed to a kitten.
It was later made into an animated [[Japan|Japanese]] movie, ''[[Tanoshii Moomin Ikka: Muumindani no Suisei (movie)|Tanoshii Moomin Ikka: Muumindani no Suisei ]]''.
 
   
==Plot summary==
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==Plot Summary==
  +
<p style="margin-top:0.5em;line-height:inherit;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14px;">The story begins as the Moomin family are settling into their new life in Moominvalley. [[Sniff]], who is now living with the Moomins, discovers a mysterious path in a nearby forest. As he and [[Moomintroll]] explore it, they meet the mischievous Silk Monkey and arrive at a beach, where Moomintroll goes pearl-fishing. Meanwhile, Sniff and the Silk Monkey find a cave, and the three decide to hide Moomintroll's pearls there.</p>
   
  +
<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:inherit;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14px;">The next day, as they go back to the cave, they find the pearls arranged in the shape of a star with a tail. Back at [[Moominhouse]], [[the Muskrat]], a philosopher whose home was ruined by Moominpappa's bridge-building and who is now staying with them, explains that the pearls depict a comet. He directs Moomintroll to the Observatory on [[the Lonely Mountains]], where the Professors would be able to tell him whether the comet will hit the Earth.</p>
[[Moomintroll]] and his friend [[Sniff]] go into the forest and find a mysterious path. They follow it and meet the Muskrat and the silk monkey. They go pearl fishing, and then discover a cave. However, they get scared when they see a comet in the sky above Moominvalley, which the Muskrat tells them may well destroy the valley. So they set off in a boat to the Observatory in the Lonely Mountains to ask the Professor if the comet will destroy the Earth. At first they get attacked by crocodiles who eat their trousers. They then meet Snufkin, who joins them, and Sniff has a run in with a giant lizard after he tries to steal its shiny pebbles. The boat gets stuck in a cave and they almost fall into a dark hole when they are rescued by a Hemulen. They find the observatory, and the scientists tell them the exact time that the comet will arrive. Moomintroll saves the Snork Maiden from a deadly bush, and she and her brother Snork join them on their way back to Moominvalley. On the way they pop into the village store and buy each other gifts, and then attend a party in the forest. The heat from the comet has dried up the sea, and the group has to cross it on stilts. On the way they meet the Hemulen again, who follows them home. At home, they find that Moominmamma has baked a welcome home cake, and they all flee to a cave, along with the Muskrat, Silk Monkey, and the Hemulen. However, the comet passes by and doesn't hit the valley. The friends rejoice.
 
   
  +
<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:inherit;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14px;">Moomintroll and Sniff set sail towards the Lonely Mountains, and on the way they meet [[Snufkin]], who joins them. The river takes them into a cave under the mountains where they almost fall into a hole, but at the last moment a [[Hemulen]] inadvertently rescues them when he mistakes Snufkin's harmonica-playing for a rare caterpillar and reaches his butterfly net into the cave to catch it. They find themselves in the Lonely Mountains and set off towards the Observatory. On the way they are attacked by an eagle and Moomintroll finds a gold ring, which Snufkin tells him belongs to the [[Snork Maiden]] he had met a few months earlier.</p>
==Trivia==
 
The English book is a translation of the first version of Jansson's book, which she was later to substantially revise. The new edition, ''Kometen kommer'', which was published in [[1968]] contains a number of differences compared to ''Kometjakten'' which the English version is translated from; for instance, in the newer version, the Silk Monkey was changed for a kitten which Sniff befriends.
 
   
  +
<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:inherit;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14px;">At the Observatory, one of the professors tells them that the comet is going to hit the Earth, and gives them the exact date and time that it's going to happen. Realising they only have a few days left, they hurry back towards Moominvalley, noticing that the heat from the comet's approach is starting to dry up smaller streams. In a forest they come across the Snork Maiden being attacked by a poisonous bush. Moomintroll saves her, and she and [[The Snork|her brother]] join them. Further on, they arrive at the sea to find it all dried up. They use stilts to cross it, and the Snork Maiden saves Moomintroll from a giant octopus.</p>
==Quotes==
 
*"An astounding tale that will grip the attention of any child aged 5-9, and be sure not to miss the play either! " -Bernerd Singh
 
   
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<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:inherit;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14px;">On the other side of the sea they meet another Hemulen, and manage to survive a tornado by using his dress as a glider. Finally they arrive in Moominvalley and the whole family, together with the Hemulen, the Muskrat and the Snorks, go to the cave, making it there just in time to seek shelter from the comet. Believing the impact to have destroyed everything, they fall asleep, only to discover the next morning, to their great delight, that the comet had missed the Earth altogether and everything is back the way it used to be.</p>
==External links==
 
*[http://www.moomintrove.com/0140302867-2-detail.htm The Moomin Trove]
 
{{child-book-stub}}
 
   
  +
==Comic versions==
{{The Moomin Series}}
 
  +
In 1947-1948 Jansson made a comic adaptation for the Swedish-language newspaper Ny Tid, which made changes such as the first ever appearance of [[the Groke]] and [[Thingumy and Bob]], Snufkin living in a tin can, the Snork being absent and the family surviving the comet by building two large floating orbs instead of hiding in a cave.
   
  +
Jansson also wrote and illustrated a black-and-white comic strip version for newspapers. The 86 day story does not follow the book plot, for example, the Moomins get their news from a radio, not a trip to the observatory, and [[Little My]] appears throughout the story, albeit often observing. In this version the comet hits Moominvalley dead on, laying the landscape bare. Right away, however, flowers bloom, and life begins again.
[[Category:Moomin series]]
 
[[Category:1946 books]]
 
   
  +
==Adaptations==
[[et:Sabatäht]]
 
  +
Comet in Moominland has been adapted to film and television four times.
[[fi:Muumipeikko ja pyrstötähti]]
 
  +
[[sv:Kometen kommer]]
 
  +
* [[The Moomins (TV series)|''The Moomins (1977)'']]
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* [[Mumi-troll|''Mumi-troll (1978)'']]
  +
* [[Moominvalley (1990 Sweden)|''Moominvalley (1990)'']]
  +
* [[Comet in Moominland (film)|''Comet in Moominland'']]
  +
  +
The Polish 1977 version was restored with updated effects and cut into [[Moomins and the Comet Chase|a feature length film]] in 2010.
  +
  +
In 1949, the story was made into the stage play [[Moomintroll and the Comet|''Moomintroll and the Comet'']].
  +
  +
==English language editions==
  +
<gallery widths="260" bordersize="none">
  +
comet002.jpg|UK, 1950s<br>Ernest Benn
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comet001.jpg|UK, 1950s<br>A & C Black
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comet004.jpg|UK, 1960s<br>Puffin Books
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comet003.jpg|UK, 1970s<br>Puffin Books
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comet in moominland uk.jpg|UK, 1980s<br>Puffin Books
  +
comet us fsg 1990.jpg|United States, 1991<br>Farrar, Straus and Giroux
  +
</gallery>
  +
  +
==Non-English language editions==
  +
 
==External links==
 
*[http://www.moomintrove.com/0140302867-2-detail.htm The Moomin Trove]
 
[[Category:Moomin Books]]

Revision as of 22:18, 24 July 2019

Sortofcomet

Comet in Moominland (Swedish: Kometjakten / Mumintrollet på kometjakt / Kometen kommer Literally: The Comet Chase / Moomintroll on a Comet Chase / The Comet is Coming) is the second in the series of Tove Jansson's Moomin books, published in 1946.

An earlier story The Moomins and the Great Flood exists, but Comet in Moominland is often seen as first novel in the series as The Moomins and the Great Flood wasn't translated or reprinted until long after it's initial publication, making it largely unknown to readers.

The English language book is a translation of the first version of Jansson's book, which she was later to revise in 1956 and 1968. The revisions contain a number of minor differences; for instance, the Silk Monkey character is changed to a kitten.

Plot Summary

The story begins as the Moomin family are settling into their new life in Moominvalley. Sniff, who is now living with the Moomins, discovers a mysterious path in a nearby forest. As he and Moomintroll explore it, they meet the mischievous Silk Monkey and arrive at a beach, where Moomintroll goes pearl-fishing. Meanwhile, Sniff and the Silk Monkey find a cave, and the three decide to hide Moomintroll's pearls there.

The next day, as they go back to the cave, they find the pearls arranged in the shape of a star with a tail. Back at Moominhouse, the Muskrat, a philosopher whose home was ruined by Moominpappa's bridge-building and who is now staying with them, explains that the pearls depict a comet. He directs Moomintroll to the Observatory on the Lonely Mountains, where the Professors would be able to tell him whether the comet will hit the Earth.

Moomintroll and Sniff set sail towards the Lonely Mountains, and on the way they meet Snufkin, who joins them. The river takes them into a cave under the mountains where they almost fall into a hole, but at the last moment a Hemulen inadvertently rescues them when he mistakes Snufkin's harmonica-playing for a rare caterpillar and reaches his butterfly net into the cave to catch it. They find themselves in the Lonely Mountains and set off towards the Observatory. On the way they are attacked by an eagle and Moomintroll finds a gold ring, which Snufkin tells him belongs to the Snork Maiden he had met a few months earlier.

At the Observatory, one of the professors tells them that the comet is going to hit the Earth, and gives them the exact date and time that it's going to happen. Realising they only have a few days left, they hurry back towards Moominvalley, noticing that the heat from the comet's approach is starting to dry up smaller streams. In a forest they come across the Snork Maiden being attacked by a poisonous bush. Moomintroll saves her, and she and her brother join them. Further on, they arrive at the sea to find it all dried up. They use stilts to cross it, and the Snork Maiden saves Moomintroll from a giant octopus.

On the other side of the sea they meet another Hemulen, and manage to survive a tornado by using his dress as a glider. Finally they arrive in Moominvalley and the whole family, together with the Hemulen, the Muskrat and the Snorks, go to the cave, making it there just in time to seek shelter from the comet. Believing the impact to have destroyed everything, they fall asleep, only to discover the next morning, to their great delight, that the comet had missed the Earth altogether and everything is back the way it used to be.

Comic versions

In 1947-1948 Jansson made a comic adaptation for the Swedish-language newspaper Ny Tid, which made changes such as the first ever appearance of the Groke and Thingumy and Bob, Snufkin living in a tin can, the Snork being absent and the family surviving the comet by building two large floating orbs instead of hiding in a cave.

Jansson also wrote and illustrated a black-and-white comic strip version for newspapers. The 86 day story does not follow the book plot, for example, the Moomins get their news from a radio, not a trip to the observatory, and Little My appears throughout the story, albeit often observing. In this version the comet hits Moominvalley dead on, laying the landscape bare. Right away, however, flowers bloom, and life begins again.

Adaptations

Comet in Moominland has been adapted to film and television four times.

The Polish 1977 version was restored with updated effects and cut into a feature length film in 2010.

In 1949, the story was made into the stage play Moomintroll and the Comet.

English language editions

Non-English language editions

External links