A Winter Book Part 6

Your G.o.dmother, Klara Dear Mr ohlander, In your letter of the 27th you claim that I am unjustifiably withholding from you an early work of your own, which you say you need to have, as soon as possible, for a retrospective exhibition.

I cannot remember that during a visit to your niece's son I 'w.a.n.gled' the picture in question out of him; he is much more likely to have pressed me to remove it from his flat.

I have made a careful study of the signatures on the works I have round me here and can just about make out one which could possibly be your own. The picture seems to show something halfway between an interior and a landscape; one might say that there's a je ne sais quoi of the semi-abstract about it.

The size, which you didn't mention, is the cla.s.sic French 50 x 61.

I'm restoring your work to you by return of post and I hope that it will now be able to take its rightful place in your collection.

Yours faithfully, Klara Nygard Dear Nicholas, I expect you've only just got back from your 'mystery destination' (I have a strong feeling it was Majorca); be that as it may, I've decided to make yet another small change to my will. Don't groan, I know that deep down all this toing and froing amuses you.

Well, I want to make over a fixed annual sum to the Old People's Home of whose services I shall one day be availing myself. But and this is the important point only during my lifetime. Interest from banks and bonds and whatever else, I can do without you know more about that than I do. They can use the money in whatever way suits them best.

I'm sure you've got the idea, cunning as you are. This temporary extra income will make it worth their while, at the Home, to do their best to keep me alive as long as they can; I shall be their mascot and will obviously be able to take certain liberties. What's left when I die will not go to them but must be divided up exactly as we planned earlier.

By the way, I'm in excellent health and I hope you are too.

Klara My dear Cecilia, It was so nice of you to send me my old letters; what an enormous box, did you at least have someone to help you get it to the post? It really touches me that you saved them all (and even numbered them), but, my dear, that business of reading them through you understand what I mean? I suppose the stamps were cut off for some stamp-collecting child. But if you have any other correspondence from the beginning of the century you should keep the whole envelope, stamps and all; that'll make the stamps much more desirable to a philatelist and be specially careful with blocks of four.

I a.s.sume you're busy clearing out the house very natural. Congratulations! I'm doing the same and I've been gradually learning all kinds of things, one being that if you give special treasures to young people they're not usually particularly pleased to have them. If you persist, they get more and more polite and more and more irritated. Have you noticed? But, do you know, there's a flea market every Sat.u.r.day and Sunday in Sandvikstorg square these days how about that? Anyone can go there and find what they want for themselves without needing to feel either put upon or grateful. Brilliant idea.

You say you're gloomy and depressed but that's normal, Cecilia, nothing to worry about. I've read somewhere that it's a physiological phenomenon, doesn't that make you feel better? I mean, you feel depressed, so you sit down and think, 'Oh well, it doesn't matter, there's nothing I can do about it, it's just the way things are.' Isn't that the truth?

What else shall I tell you oh, yes, I've got rid of my pot plants and I'm trying to learn a little French. You know, I've always admired you; you speak the language so perfectly. What's that elegant way they have of ending a letter? Chere madame, I enclose you, no, me, in your oh you know.

I'm just a beginner.

Chere pet.i.te madame, I do miss you sometimes Love, Klara Dear Sven Roger, So good of you to make sure the porcelain tiled stove's in working order again. If those officials come back and say it's against the law to light it I shall speak to my solicitor; the stove's an article of Historic Importance, as we're all well aware.

When you come back from your holiday you'll find that Mrs f.a.gerholm from the floor above me has gone in for an unnecessarily sweeping clearance of her attic storage s.p.a.ce. She parked her unnameable possessions in front of my own s.p.a.ce, so I naturally threw the whole lot out into the corridor.

I remember you once said you'd like some indoor plants for your summer cottage. I've put my own collection of pot plants out in the yard next the wheelie bins and anyone's welcome to take what they want; anything left can go into the bins. I'll keep them watered for the time being. To explain my apparently heartless behaviour, I'd just like to say that these potted plants have weighed on my conscience for far too long; they always get either too little water or too much, one can never get it right.

By the way, don't hurry to wash the windows; they have what looks like an attractive light mist on them just at the moment; it would be a pity to disturb it. With my very best wishes for your summer holiday, K. Nygard.

PS Don't say anything to the f.a.gerholm woman. I have to admit I really enjoyed throwing out her rubbish.

Camilla Alleen 'Woman to Woman'

Dear Ms Alleen, Thank you for your kind letter. But I do not consider myself to be in a position to take part, as you put it, in an enquiry into the problems and pleasures of old age.

One could of course maintain that, though taking part might be difficult, it could also be interesting but I don't see any point in listing one's obvious misfortunes, while trying to describe what's interesting about being old seems to me to be a private matter most unsuited to the dogmatic statements demanded by questionnaires.

My dear Ms Alleen, I'm afraid you're not very likely to get many honest answers to your questions.

Yours sincerely, Klara Nygard.

Messages.

I'll make it to Maritim, got hod of Gustafsson, van coming at 8, have redirected mail to summer address, bye kiss Tooti Take last things out of fridge Hi my name is Olavi. You write well but last time you didn't make a happy ending. Why do you do this?

We look forward to your valued reply soonest concerning Moomin motifs on toilet paper in pastel shades Don't say too much if they ring, don't promise yet. Bye Tooti Hi! We're three girls in a mad rush with our essays about you could you help us by saying in just a few words how you started writing and why and what life means to you and then a message to young people you know the kind of thing. Thanks in advance Dear Miss Jansson, You must understand that the only way I can earn a living are panholders with Moomin figures which I design myself and make in the kitchen without any paid help at present. How would 6% be for a start Hi, I'm thinking of becoming a writer, can you help me with a little information? Is it all right to send your MS to several publishers simultaneously and is it better or worse with ill.u.s.trations? And about contracts One s.h.i.+mmering moonlit night I got up and do you know what I did ... I went out into the park and danced in my nightie! Maybe no one saw me but maybe someone ... Do you understand? Write You are a really sinful person on top of everything else, but don't think you're safe, you're being watched every moment because we're there and we're waiting My dear friend, I've been thinking of you so long now that it's really time I plucked up courage to ask a little boon of you; could you sometime when you feel like it draw all your sweet little figures in colour for my granddaughter Emanuela Hi coming later heat the soup.

Kiss, T.

My hamsters have been named after you and your brother. I had a christening party on my fortieth birthday but Astrid Lindgren didn't come.

You each had a rosette round your tummy. It's been an uncommonly cold winter and folk who are uncared for freeze to death, one morning you were both dead on the balcony. I'm thinking of having a funeral on Riddarholmen island, best wishes We are contacting you in connection with this year's marmalade promotion, in the first instance wondering if there would be any chance of a previously unpublished Moomin comic strip on the theme of marmalade What steel pen do you use to draw your comic strips? Everything I've found seems old-fas.h.i.+oned and the new ones are useless. Can you give me a copy of the usual contract and I'd also very much like to know a little more about world rights Dear Miss Jansson.

I have produced Moomin pictures for my home and also for profit and pleasure and placed them for sale in art galleries and kiosks bordering busy traffic routes. Now one of my friends is saying one ought to ask permission, can this be true? If I don't hear from you before week 5 shall go on as usual

Insufficient address.

Father Christmas Moomin Valley.

Please give current address and surname.

We are fully aware that you had planned a black troll for our Moomin liquorice advertis.e.m.e.nt, but for technical reasons What shall I do with my parents, they're becoming more and more hopeless. Write!

Couldn't we meet and chat about the old days at school? I'm Margit, the one who punched you in the stomach in the playground We look forward to your comments concerning the foregoing account in connection with earlier uncompleted agreements and taking into account secondary effects to which our most recent market discharge may have given rise we would be glad if in urgent order Now don't be afraid, but have you any understanding whatever of what your comic strips can mean for expectant mothers, how great a responsibility you bear? Have you even remotely grasped what it can mean for expectant mothers to be constantly confronted with those snouts how do you think the next generation may look My cat's died! Write at once Hi dear unknown fairy-tale auntie, we're a group of young folks with Ideas! What d'you think? Are you up for it?

Luv, Plastic Ltd, 'Now or Never' project.

Dear Jansson san.

I have collected money for a long time. I will come and sit at your feet to understand. Please when can I come there?

Last night they came in again. They're everywhere. Please come, I implore you Could you consider becoming patron of this constantly threatened little area of natural beauty How could you even consider invading this constantly threatened little area of natural beauty We've launched a discreet new mini sanitary towel earlier design Peach Bloom Ltd but now we're aiming at a younger clientele with the slogan 'Hi there, Little My always plays safe' a bit of fun which with your kind permission Can't you draw me a Snufkin that I can have tattooed on my arm as a symbol of freedom I don't know why I'm writing but I must because my heart is so big tonight throw away these lines forget them don't bother to read them if you feel embarra.s.sed but please be terribly kind and answer if you possibly can It was you who murdered Karin Boye*

Hi, took the mail with me.

Kiss, T.

Is it OK for you to transfer my fee to Sri Lanka? My latest translation into Esperanto can't be ready till New Year. I hope you will be patient In your story The Cat you change cat twice and that's heartless. As a member of the RSPCA I must I thought it might make you happy to know that there is someone who has everything that life can offer. It's true of me and I'm thankful. But the one thing I long to do is create. My therapist recommends watercolours and suggested I should phone you. It's a matter of choice of colours and motifs My very dear friend you are wallowing in sin. A Voice has spoken to me and now I pray for you every night which makes me so tired. I enclose some Tracts, read them and let me know if things go better. Hold out. There is an explanation and forgiveness for everything This is a message in a bottle for Toffle from Australia. If the paper gets wet on the way ask your mummy to iron it dry Have you forgotten your baby's fiftieth birthday? Have you read my letters? Have you got my presents? Don't tell me you're old and tired. I won't stop writing I'll never let go of you!

I brought the was.h.i.+ng in, you can put the potatoes on at 6. Someone called Anttiia phoned Dear Jansson san

Take good care of yourself in this dangerous world

Please have a long life.

With love.

* Karin Boye: Swedish poet, novelist and story writer who took her own life in 1941.

Correspondence.

Dear Jansson san I'm a girl from j.a.pan.

I'm thirteen years old and two months.

On the eighth of January I'll be fourteen.

I have a mother and two little sisters.

I've read everything you've written.

When I've read something I read it one more time.

Then I think about snow and how to be alone.

Tokyo's a very big city.

I'm learning English and studying very seriously.

I love you.

I dream one day I'll be as old as you and as clever as you.

I have many dreams.

There's a j.a.panese kind of poem called haiku.

I'm sending you a haiku in j.a.panese It's about cherry flowers.

Do you live in a big forest?

Forgive me for writing to you.

I wish you good health and a long life.

Tamiko Atsumi Dear Jansson san My new birthday today is very important.

Your present is very important to me.

Everyone admires your present and the picture of the little island where you live.

It's hanging above my bed.

How many lonely islands are there in Finland?

Can anyone live there who wants to?