Moominpappa's Memoirs (original 1963; edition 2010)

Papà Mumin, complice un raffreddore che lo costringe a casa, inizia a scrivere il libro delle sue memorie.
Si apre così il racconto di storie in cui i protagonisti non sono il piccolo Mumin o Tabacco o i loro amici, ma altri personaggi (molti padri) tutti caratterizzati dalla particolarità tipica di questi romanzi.
Come sempre un libro per bambini delizioso, ricco di avventure e di un rapporto con la natura che spesso dimentichiamo. ( )

I admit to being a little disappointed when I discovered that this was not the story of Moominpappa's adventures following the Hattifatteners, but I soon came round to embrace this strange tale of fathers: Moomintroll's, Sniff's, and Snufkin's, respectively. I was a little concerned that Sniff and Snufkin appeared to have never even met their parents, but I guess in Moominland that's not such a crazy notion. Anyway, this is Moominpappa's somewhat embellished account of his early years, from his abandonment at a Hemulen-run orphanage to the day he met Moominmamma. I was truly entertained by the Autocrat's speeches, and the art was wonderful as always, but this was not my favorite Moomin book. Moominpappa's inflated sense of self-importance was amusing at first, but became tiresome by the end. Luckily, it's a very short book, and does not overstay its welcome. ( )

There's a lot of me in Moominpapa. He's sure there's something special about him. He's got talent. All he needs is for someone to take note . . . and to stay away from Aunts who would force him to play educational games. ( )

Incredibly funny adventures from the past of the most interesting Moomin character. The thoughts of Moominpappa were touched in the previous two Moomin books. This book doesn't lay it all down (wait for Moominpappa at Sea), but his position as a familyman, a "retired" adventurer, and his silent urge to continue wandering are made clearer.

Pappa's adventures themselves introduce to us more of the Moomin world. They feature a lovable cast of characters, all with a definite personality as all other Moomin-folk. The presence of a King surprised me -- I guess Jansson just wanted that setting in one of her books.

The descriptions of nature (an important feature in all Moomin books) and charactures are as colourful as always, and the book is just great fun to read. ( )

In my day, trolls walked through snow and built ships with their bare hands, etc.

The conceit in this book is that good old dad is reading stories to the younger generation and friends, and these tales come from his own life given that he is writing his memoirs. So, you get the backstory of where he grew up, what he got up to, how he met your mum, all that sort of thing.

http://notfreesf.blogspot.com/2007/07/exploits-of-moominpapa-tove-jansson.html ( )