Today’s article in the Guardian made our day. Observer reader Ruth McKay shared her Tove Jansson’s letter with the publication after they ran a selection of inspiring historical correspondence from the Letters of Note book. Ms. McKay wrote to Tove Jansson when she was seven and she still treasures the letter she received back.
See the transcription of this Tove Jansson’s letter below.
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Helsinki 28.12.67
Dear Ruth,
Thank you so much for your nice letter. I’m really glad that you like my trolls. There might be quite a lot of trolls in Ireland, I’ve heard? Here, they’re all hibernating. The whole town is but a huge soft snow drift, a fire is burning in the over the whole day long and the cat is sleeping in my lap.
We’ve had a fine Christmas – the days are short but one knows that the light is returning more and more. Soon, I’ll start waiting for spring. Then, I go on to my island in the Finnish Gulf, a tiny one with no trees or bushes – only rock and wild flowers. And big, beautiful storms. You would love it!
Strange animals wander about, not afraid at all. I’m planning to plant a lot of rose bushes next year. Red ones.
I wish you a very Happy New Year!
Tove Jansson