J R R Tolkien

J R R Tolkien

John Ronald Reuel or JRR Tolkien (1892-1973) was a professor of Anglo-Saxon and later of English language and literature at Oxford University, best known for writing two fantasy novels: The Hobbit (1937) and The Lord of the Rings (1954-5). He was of the generation of Englishmen who fought in World War I. As he wrote in the foreword to the 2nd edition of  The Lord of the Rings, “by 1918 all but one of my close friends was dead.” However, he insisted that his books were not intended as an allegory for anything.

As a writer, he felt that England lacked its own myths and heroic legends. The fantasy world he created in Middle-earth and beyond is extremely detailed, with lots of history and even its own languages and grammar. It was combining this backdrop with the tales of hobbits that he told to his children that made for the intoxicating saga that is The Lord of the Rings (the books are introduced here by our editor, Sophie Roell, in the order you should read them).

Books by J R R Tolkien

Q: Before we get lost in the mists of myth and fairy tale, tell us about Beren and Lúthien, a book distilled by Christopher Tolkien from his father’s manuscripts and published in June this year, with illustrations by you. It is set 6,500 years before The Lord of the Rings and the love story is mentioned in The Lord of the Rings.

 
A: Yes, and the love story of Aragorn and Arwen is an extension of it. Beren and Lúthien is based on Tolkien’s own experience. It was inspired by seeing his own wife, Edith, dancing in a wood, under the moonlight, amongst hemlock flowers. And this created an image in his mind that he kept on reworking throughout his life. But that it the central image. When she died he had the name Lúthien inscribed on her gravestone. When Tolkien died, his children inscribed the name Beren on his.

Alan Lee on Books Drawn From Myth and Fairy Tale

Interviews where books by J R R Tolkien were recommended

The best books on Elves, recommended by Igreth the Elf

Elves are often misunderstood or misrepresented over the Christmas period – Christmas cracker jokes have never been kind to these tiny heroes of the festive season. Here Igreth the Elf, great-great-great-grandson of Ilbereth the Elf, sets the record straight and introduces five children’s books that celebrate the extraordinary contribution these diminutive creatures make to Christmas itself.

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