Fair Play [Import] [Paperback]

Tove Jansson (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 152 pages
• Publisher: Sort of Books (2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0954899539
• ISBN-13: 978-0954899530
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 4.9 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,958,493 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

TOVE JANSSON (1914-2001) is revered around the world as one of the foremost children's authors of the twentieth century for her illustrated Moomin chapter books.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Crystalline Short Stories from a Scandinavian Genius, June 18, 2011

By 

Maren Robinson (Chicago, IL USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Fair Play (New York Review Books Classics) (Paperback)

Tove Jansson never fails to astonish me. Her children's books are gems (The Moomintrolls) that are equally lovely to read for children and adults. Her books for adults are as cold and clear as fjords or Scandinavian sunlight. She describes ordinary events with such clarity and precision that rather than remaining simple, they take on the layers of complexity that color human interaction. The short stories in Fair Play are loosely autobiographical about her relationship with her long time partner Tuulikki Pietila. Both women were artists. In the stories, they become Mari and Johnna. Each story is an examination of the way in which a partnership develops over time and the subtle negotiation between competing needs: for companionship and for independence, things that need to be said and those which can remain unsaid, love and work. While these stories will not supplant the sheer brilliance of The Summer Book and the stories in Travelling Light as my favorites they are worth reading and rereading. Jansson deserves to be discovered by a wider audience.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Sparse Tale of Art, October 28, 2011

By 

Bookeater (My Own Big Wide World) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Fair Play (New York Review Books Classics) (Paperback)

This is a novella detailing the relationship between two aging artists. It looks in on their artistic lives whilst examining their close friendship over many years. The sparse writing conveys in subtle tones the interactions with each other, and how those interactions are altered based on the different approaches to life of the two artists in question. It is also an introspective look at earning a living through Art, which the author talks about via past successes and failures of the respective characters.

Not a wasted word in this little book, curl up one evening by the fire and let your mind wonder in the head of an artist for a while. No big plot, and certainly nothing of the fast paced action thriller, but a joy to read and some beautiful writing that never takes time out to preach about how anyone should live life. One feels that we are being subtly urged to ignore the constraints of life and seek what we may find by following our hearts or noses.