The Finnish artist and author Tove Jansson (1914-2001) wrote and illustrated her first Moomin story, The Moomins and the Great Flood, in 1945 as a form of escape from the dark shadows of war. With the publication of The Finn Family Moomintroll, her third and best loved title, she became a worldwide sensation. Her eight Moomin chapter books would be translated into over 60 languages and remain in print for over six decades.

Tove Jansson lived in Helsinki and a tiny island in the Gulf of Finland which she shared with her life partner, the graphic artist, Tuulikki Pietila.