In August 1970, with my parents Lars and Annika Bäckström I visited Tove Jansson and her friend Tuulikki on their small rock island. The event starts in Helsinki.
My father wrote an article in Dagens Nyheter in november -56, "being Moominminded". He got his first letter from Tove the same month in which she said she was "proud and happy" that he had taken her Moomin characters seriously. In february -57 she visited us in Uppsala after a lecture she held at a student society. The local newspaper showed up in our home and took a picture of Tove with me in her lap.
Later she made cover illustrations for some of my father´s books.
In -64 she sent him the manuscript for "Moominpappa at Sea" from which he published a piece in Ord&Bild for which he was the editor. He had printed one of the short stories in "The Invisible Child" in -62 in the same magazine. "You cannot imagine how happy You made me with Your letter" she wrote in response to his enthusiasm over the Moominpappa at Sea.
"No one has ever cared so sincerely about my books as You have" she comments what he had written in one of his own books.
She sent him "Late in November" about which she felt unsure. "If You write a few words about what You thought You shouldn´t be afraid to be sincere". I was afraid it was too dark. After Your letter i look forward to start with the illustrations.
Translated as well as I managed from Lars´ book "Vänkritik".

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