Tove Marika Jansson was a Swedish-speaking Finnish author, novelist, painter, illustrator, and comic strip author. Born on 9 August 1914 in Helsinki, she was brought up by artistic parents and studied art from 1930 to 1938 in Helsinki, Stockholm, and Paris.

Jansson held her first solo art exhibition in 1943. Over the same period, she penned short stories and articles for publication, and subsequently drew illustrations for book covers, advertisements, and postcards. She continued her work as an artist and writer for the rest of her life.

She is best known for the Moomin novel series for children, which she began with the 1945 publication of The Moomins and the Great Flood. The series continued with Comet in Moominland (1946) and Finn Family Moomintroll (1948), which enjoyed substantial success. For her work as a children's author, she received the Hans Christian Andersen Medal in 1966 and was honored with the Selma Lagerlöf Prize in 1992.

In addition to her children's books, Jansson wrote six novels for adults, starting with the semi-autobiographical Bildhuggarens dotter (Sculptor's Daughter) in 1968, and five collections of short stories. Her esteemed work includes Sommarboken (The Summer Book).

Jansson also held several solo exhibitions and fulfilled mural commissions for public buildings across Finland from 1945 to 1984. Her illustration work extended beyond her novels to classics like Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and The Hobbit.