Tove Jansson "Pessi and Illusia", a ballet by Ahti Sonninen ("Radio tekee murron") which was performed at the Finnish National Opera. By 1958, Jansson began to become directly involved in theater as Lilla Teater produced "Troll i kulisserna" ("Troll in the wings"), a play with lyrics by Jansson and music composed by Erna Tauro. The production was a success, and later performances were held in Sweden and Norway. In 1974 the first Moomin opera was produced, with music composed by Ilkka Kuusisto. The biennial Hans Christian Andersen Award conferred by the International Board on Books for Young People is the highest recognition
Tove Jansson Flood". The next two books, "Comet in Moominland" and "Finn Family Moomintroll", published in 1946 and 1948 respectively, were highly successful in sales, adding to sales of the first book. For her work as a children's writer she received the Hans Christian Andersen Medal in 1966. Starting with the semi-autobiographical "Bildhuggarens dotter" ("Sculptor's Daughter") in 1968, Jansson wrote six novels, including the admired "Sommarboken" ("The Summer Book"), and five books of short stories for adults. Tove Jansson was born in Helsinki, Grand Duchy of Finland, Russian Empire. Her family, part of the Swedish-speaking minority of Finland, was an artistic one: