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George Allen & Unwin 1977 (Fair
Use)
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Tolkien: The Authorized Biography
JRR
Tolkien, the author of "The
Hobbit" and "The Lord of the Rings," expected to live beyond the
81 years he was given. His ancestors had lived much longer. But, although death
surprised him in September of 1973, he had long since prepared to hand over his
literary legacy to his son. Christopher, who had long collaborated with his father
about his mythology, spent the next few years editing "The
Silmarillion" for publication.
It is also evident that Tolkien knew
that a biography would be forthcoming, and he prepared “a few pages of
recollections” and made notations on a number of old letters. Humphrey
Carpenter, a friend of Tolkien’s children, was given access to the family’s
private papers, and interviewed family, friends, and Tolkien himself.
This
biography has been the standard since it was published in 1977, and has been
the basis for virtually every Tolkien biography that was written in the
twentieth century. Not until John
Garth’s "Tolkien and the Great War" (2003) was much added to the general knowledge of his
life history.
Tolkien himself did not think that
much could be learned about an author’s writing by looking at his life. But it
is evident that his life and interests had an influence upon his imagination.
Three details in the book show how Tolkien's imagination was influenced by his
personal life: Tolkien’s faith, his affection, and his perfectionism. Each of
these affected how he wrote.
While Tolkien’s works are not
overtly Christian, they are framed with the Christian worldview, and based on
Christian morality and ethics. The God behind Middle-earth is clouded from our
view in "The Hobbit" and "The Lord of the Rings," but is a
little more obvious in "The Silmarillion." Middle-earth is not about his
faith, but his faith certainly is ingrained within it.
Tolkien had a genuine affection for
people. Companionship is a recurring theme in Middle-earth. A major theme in
"The Hobbit" and "The Lord of the Rings" is the camaraderie
of friends and companions. And his deep love for his wife is seen in "The
Silmarillion"’s story about Beren and Lúthien.
Tolkien’s perfectionism helped
create what he would call the verisimilitude of the story. The painstaking
detail he went through to make sure the details have continuity is
extraordinary, and much of the reason it took almost two decades from the time
he began writing "The Lord of the Rings" until it was published. This
desire to get every bit of minutia just right was many times a hindrance to
completing the task, but we who read are blessed with the “suspension of
disbelief.”
And we are blessed that Humphrey
Carpenter was able to take up the task of writing about Tolkien’s life. There
is something for everyone in this volume. The Tolkien novice will find the text
easy to follow, while experienced aficionados will find an opulence of detail,
including background on some of Tolkien’s more obscure works. There are also
helpful appendices with a genealogical table, chronology of events, and
bibliography of Tolkien’s published works.
The "Authorized Biography"
is a valuable resource that every Tolkien fan should have in their personal
library.
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