Asgani Sibbuma, aTokyo arts website, reports in its Vox Populi section on an exhibition featuring Snufkin, a character in the Moomins series by Finnish writer Tove Jansson (1914–2001). Snufkin represents a wanderer, a nomadic spirit. Quoting Snufkin: “’One can never be truly free, if one admires someone else too much.”’
As the article author notes:
“Such counsel could only come from someone like Snufkin—a philosophical wanderer, poet at heart, who values freedom, independence and solitude above all else.
As a longtime reader, I’ve always been drawn to Snufkin’s philosophical yet unpretentious words. In one scene from the Moomin books, he advises his friends to leave behind the gemstones they find in the valley, keeping them instead as memories.
“It’s much more fun to keep things in your head than in a suitcase,” the contemplative wanderer says.
I’ve come to believe that Snufkin is a restless traveler because he can only compose poetry and songs when tested by harsh environmen”ts. That’s why he sets off each year before winter, leaving behind a sorrowful Moomin.”
