Published in Russian for the first time, this book by the world-renowned Swedish author Astrid Lindgren is a small but very touching and poetic fairy tale about the tomten, a gnome who guards a forest farmstead.
The tomten, or tomtenisse, is a mythical creature from Scandinavian folklore that protects a specific plot of land and everyone who lives or works on it. This distinguishes the tomten from the Slavic domovoy (guardian of the house), although in other respects, these fairy-tale creatures are very similar.
Unlike gnomes, who generally live underground and are known to be greedy, selfish, and even treacherous creatures, tomtens are easygoing and undemanding beings, caring and hardworking helpers, and kind guardians of the land and all who live upon it.
Author: Astrid Lindgren
Illustrations: Harald Wiberg
Pages: 32 (coated paper). Hardcover
Dimensions: 265x205 mm
