Hasty Briefsbeta

Bilingual

Tove Jansson's criticized illustrations of The Hobbit

2 days ago
  • #The Hobbit
  • #Tove Jansson
  • #Illustration
  • Tove Jansson was commissioned by Astrid Lindgren to illustrate the Swedish translation of 'The Hobbit' in 1960.
  • Jansson aimed to differentiate her illustrations for 'The Hobbit' from her iconic Moomin style, experimenting with freehand techniques.
  • She created up to 60 versions of each character before finalizing her illustrations.
  • Jansson focused more on landscapes than characters, which some Tolkien fans found unsatisfying.
  • Her illustrations were used in both Swedish and Finnish translations of 'The Hobbit'.
  • A new book by Paul Gravett highlights Jansson's illustrations, including her unique take on Gollum.
  • Jansson described illustrating 'The Hobbit' as an adventure in a 1992 letter to the Finnish Tolkien Society.