Report pooling studies of ‘literate behaviour characteristics’ from around the world puts the Nordic country first.

Read more here.

I'm not surprised. Can I also just say that I love that blue Moomin house? I'd love to live in something like that.

Abridged version of my review posted on Edith’s Miscellany on 29 November 2013

Fair Play is a series of seventeen seemingly unimportant episodes which are mainly set at the Baltic Sea, presumably Helsinki and one of the small islands off the Finnish coast respectively, and which allow a glimpse into the daily lives of Mari and Jonna, a writer-illustrator and a filmmaker-graphic artist in their early seventies. They have known each other since childhood and have been sharing their lives for almost as long. Both are painfully aware of getting older and of their dwindling strength. They go on living together and travelling together, but at the same time Mari and Jonna have each a life of her own, a life filled with friendship and love.

The Swedish-language writer from Finland Tove Jansson produced with Fair Play a very fine and calm piece of literature about creativity and the life-long friendship of two women trying to reconcile life and art in their relationship. There’s no elaborate plot linking the stories and all things considered there isn’t happening much, but the vignettes are interweaved and combine to a character study of the two protagonists. The psychological conditions of the artist as well as the creative process itself and its requirements get much room in the stories and form kind of a red thread. As for language and style the book is an easy and light read although the philosophical dimension may escape the quick reader.

I enjoyed the calm stories of Fair Play by Tove Jansson very much and it was nice to see the relationship of two women depicted as true friendship instead of a never ending series of stupid intrigues. Consequently I recommend the book for reading.

For the full review please click here to go to my blog Edith’s Miscellany.