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Fiction. Literature. Short Stories. HTML:An NYRB Classics Original Tove Jansson was a master of brevity, unfolding worlds at a touch. Her art flourished in small settings, as can be seen in her bestselling novel The Summer Book and in her internationally celebrated cartoon strips and books about the Moomins. It is only natural, then, that throughout her life she turned again and again to the short story. The Woman Who Borrowed Memories is the first extensive selection of Jansson�??s stories to appear in English. Many of the stories collected here are pure Jansson, touching on island solitude and the dangerous pull of the artistic impulse: in �??The Squirrel�?� the equanimity of the only inhabitant of a remote island is thrown by a visitor, in �??The Summer Child�?� an unlovable boy is marooned along with his lively host family, in �??The Cartoonist�?� an artist takes over a comic strip that has run for decades, and in �??The Doll�??s House�?� a man�??s hobby threatens to overwhelm his life. Others explore unexpected territory: �??Shopping�?� has a post-apocalyptic setting, �??The Locomotive�?� centers on a railway-obsessed loner with murderous fantasies, and �??The Woman Who Borrowed Memories�?� presents a case of disturbing transference. Unsentimental, yet always humane, Jansson�??s stories complement and enlarge our u… (more)
User reviews
The other story was altogether lighter and called, Traveling Light, about a man who needed to share his optimism with others.
The clarity of the writing in this collection was amazing, the descriptions wonderful. Really allowed me to immerse myself in each and every one of these stories. Themes of loneliness, nature and creativity were all explored. A truly wonderful collection.
ARC from publisher.
I feel an intense need to take a trip to Finland. To spend a summer on an island. This book really is a series of open doors to another world and another way of life. I am so glad Jansson's work continues to gain international audience.