Tove Marika Jansson was a Swedish-speaking Finnish author, novelist, painter, illustrator, and comic strip author. She was born on 9 August 1914 in Helsinki and passed away on 27 June 2001. Jansson was brought up by artistic parents and studied art from 1930 to 1938 in Helsinki, Stockholm, and Paris. Her first solo art exhibition was held in 1943. During this time, she also wrote short stories and articles for publications, and created illustrations for book covers, advertisements, and postcards.

Her most renowned work is the Moomin novel series for children, which began with the 1945 book The Moomins and the Great Flood. Following this, Comet in Moominland (1946) and Finn Family Moomintroll (1948) were published, becoming highly successful. For her contribution to children's literature, she received the Hans Christian Andersen Medal in 1966 and the Selma Lagerlöf Prize in 1992. Her Moomin stories have been adapted for theatre, cinema, and opera.

Besides her Moomin series, Jansson's artistic career included several solo painting exhibitions and mural commissions in public buildings across Finland. She also illustrated classics such as Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and The Hobbit. In 1968, Jansson published a semi-autobiographical novel Bildhuggarens dotter (Sculptor's Daughter) and went on to write six novels including the acclaimed Sommarboken (The Summer Book), along with five short story collections for adults.