Book description
A comprehensive collection of letters spanning the adult life
(1914-1973) of one of the world's most famous storytellers.
'It is not possible even at great length to "pot" The Lord of
the Rings in a paragraph or two. It was begun in 1936, and every part
has been written many times… the labour has been colossal; and it must
stand or fall, practically as it is.'
J. R.R. Tolkien was one of the most prolific letter writers of this
century. Over the years he wrote to his publishers, his family, to
friends (including C. S. Lewis, W. H. Auden and Naomi Mitchison) and to
fans of his books. The letters present a fascinating and highly detailed
portrait of the man in many of his aspects: as storyteller, scholar,
Catholic, parent and observer of the world around him. They also shed
much light on his creative genius and grand design for the creation of a
whole new world - Middle-earth.
This collection will appeal not only to the legions of Tolkien fans, but
will entertain anyone who appreciates the art of letter-writing, of
which Tolkien was a master.
'I am nearly always written to as Tolkein (not by you): I do not know
why, since it is pronounced by me always -keen.' 'So rich, it reads
like an autobiography' Humphrey Carpenter was born in Oxford in 1946
and spent most of his life in that city. He read English Language and
Literature at Keble College, Oxford, and met Professor J. R.R. Tolkien
on a number of occasions. For some years he worked for the BBC as a
radio producer and broadcaster and won acclaim as a top biographer,
including the recent and controversial biography of Robert Runcie. He
died in 2005.
