J. R. R. Tolkien: A Biography
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- Author：Humphrey Carpenter
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Summary
The authorized biography of the creator of Middle-earth。 In the decades since his death in September 1973， millions have read THE HOBBIT， THE LORD OF THE RINGS， and THE SILMARILLION and become fascinated about the very private man behind the books。 Born in South Africa in January 1892， John Ronald Reuel Tolkien was orphaned in childhood and brought up in near-poverty。 He served in the first World War， surviving the Battle of the Somme， where he lost many of the closest friends he'd ever had。 After the war he returned to the academic life， achieving high repute as a scholar and university teacher， eventually becoming Merton Professor of English at Oxford where he was a close friend of C。S。 Lewis and the other writers known as The Inklings。
Then suddenly his life changed dramatically。 One day while grading essay papers he found himself writing 'In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit' -- and worldwide renown awaited him。
Humphrey Carpenter was given unrestricted access to all Tolkien's papers， and interviewed his friends and family。 From these sources he follows the long and painful process of creation that produced THE LORD OF THE RINGS and THE SILMARILLION and offers a wealth of information about the life and work of the twentieth century's most cherished author。
Then suddenly his life changed dramatically。 One day while grading essay papers he found himself writing 'In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit' -- and worldwide renown awaited him。
Humphrey Carpenter was given unrestricted access to all Tolkien's papers， and interviewed his friends and family。 From these sources he follows the long and painful process of creation that produced THE LORD OF THE RINGS and THE SILMARILLION and offers a wealth of information about the life and work of the twentieth century's most cherished author。
Reviews
Trevor Denning
，
Very easy to read and constantly engaging， even if Tolkien's life was actually pretty mundane。 While I love the man's work， I think he himself would have been frustrating company。 Very easy to read and constantly engaging， even if Tolkien's life was actually pretty mundane。 While I love the man's work， I think he himself would have been frustrating company。 。。。more
Rebecca
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I don't usually read non-fiction， especially biography， but of course I had to come for Carpenter's Tolkien！ It was well-researched and comprehensive， without being too long or too detailed。 I think it did a good job capturing Tolkien's personality and recognizing what made him special， without seeming to fawn。 I don't usually read non-fiction， especially biography， but of course I had to come for Carpenter's Tolkien！ It was well-researched and comprehensive， without being too long or too detailed。 I think it did a good job capturing Tolkien's personality and recognizing what made him special， without seeming to fawn。 。。。more
Luke
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Behind the legend of “The Lord of the Rings” is the life of its author， J。R。R。 Tolkien。 Carpenter does a commendable job of recounting the life of Tolkien and presenting how it so seamlessly fused into his world of fiction。 They are one in the same。
Barry Cunningham
，
A fascinating glimpse into the life of J R R Tolkien， beautifully written in a way that kept me interested throughout the book。 By and large the life of authors appear to me to be less interesting than their creations， but in this case that is not true。 A fascinating life of an intellectual leaves me wanting to know more。
Hannah C。
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This book was such a beautiful glimpse into the life and imagination of my favorite author， J。R。R。 Tolkien。 However， as the biographer states， Tolkien's real biography is The Hobbit， The Lord of the Rings， and The Silmarillion because the truth about him lies within their pages。"I look East， West， North， South， and I do not see Sauron; but I see that Saruman has many descendants。 We Hobbits have against them no magic weapons。 Yet， my gentlehobbits， I give you this toast: To the Hobbits。 May they This book was such a beautiful glimpse into the life and imagination of my favorite author， J。R。R。 Tolkien。 However， as the biographer states， Tolkien's real biography is The Hobbit， The Lord of the Rings， and The Silmarillion because the truth about him lies within their pages。"I look East， West， North， South， and I do not see Sauron; but I see that Saruman has many descendants。 We Hobbits have against them no magic weapons。 Yet， my gentlehobbits， I give you this toast: To the Hobbits。 May they outlast the Sarumans and see Spring again in the trees。" -J。R。R。 Tolkien It is， "once of the most remarkable works of literature in our， or any time。 It is comforting in this troubled day， to be once more assured that the meek shall inherit the earth。" （An early review of LOTR）。 。。。more
Stefani
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One of my favourite books I've ever read！ One of my favourite books I've ever read！ 。。。more
Izzles25
，
A great insight into the world of Tolkien。
Scott J Pearson
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J。R。R。 Tolkien is most well-known to the public as the author of the famous trilogy Lord of the Rings， surely one of the best works of art ever written in the English language。 This work by Carpenter serves as his authorized biography。 Tolkien’s professorial and academic life as an Oxford don dominates most of the narrative， but always lingering behind lies his unique love of language （philology） – particularly “sub-creating” worlds with language。Carpenter achieves a balanced job of handling Tol J。R。R。 Tolkien is most well-known to the public as the author of the famous trilogy Lord of the Rings， surely one of the best works of art ever written in the English language。 This work by Carpenter serves as his authorized biography。 Tolkien’s professorial and academic life as an Oxford don dominates most of the narrative， but always lingering behind lies his unique love of language （philology） – particularly “sub-creating” worlds with language。Carpenter achieves a balanced job of handling Tolkien’s life。 He avoids hagiography while also avoiding smears。 Tolkien comes off as a curious professor of Anglo-Saxon literature in an era before technology consumed modern life and before post-graduate research overtook leading universities。 His eventual fame due to the famous trilogy comes off as unexpected and unplanned。Women do not play a major role in this narrative。 At the time， Oxford was a mostly male-run institution。 Edith， Tolkien’s wife， only played a supporting role for most of his life。 His daughter Priscilla did not play a leading role in Carpenter’s narrative either。 One could aptly use the word “patriarchal” to describe the arrangement of Tolkien’s life。 Indeed， similar words were sometimes used to describe his trilogy。 This seems a fair criticism even if it aligned with the sense of his times。Fans of Lord of the Rings will find Tolkien’s style of working especially interesting。 Many are curious about the origins of this tale， and I’m not sure this book provides a definitive answer。 It simply sprung from Tolkien’s imagination and life， not from any singular event。 Certainly， his experiences in both World Wars played monumental roles as did his male friendships and lifelong experiences creating languages。This work chronicles the life of this humble yet imaginative professor well and serves his continued cadre of fans。 It also provides a historical record of mid-twentieth-century Oxford before it became such a dominant research university and before women played significant roles in its leadership。 Carpenter’s work dates from the 1970s （44 years prior to my writing）， yet it has aged quite well。 I am left with a sense that Tolkien was a man of great curiosity， creativity， and imagination; much like Carpenter admits in his epilogue， I remain mystified， even befuddled， by the transcendent nature of the Lord of the Rings。 。。。more
Coral
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A brilliant biography of an amazing man。
Caitlin Theroux
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Technically a 4。5*
Thomas May
，
A very suitable biography for a man that was at times both extraordinary and altogether typical。Before I read this a lot of Tolkien’s life seemed fantastic and peculiar， but Carpenter （even though this was written nearly fifty years ago） does an excellent job of portraying just how commonplace a lot of Tolkien’s life was。 Aside from， of course， an abnormal dose of tragedy early on。 For example， the homes he lived in were often just like any other home nearby， which is a very odd image to reckon A very suitable biography for a man that was at times both extraordinary and altogether typical。Before I read this a lot of Tolkien’s life seemed fantastic and peculiar， but Carpenter （even though this was written nearly fifty years ago） does an excellent job of portraying just how commonplace a lot of Tolkien’s life was。 Aside from， of course， an abnormal dose of tragedy early on。 For example， the homes he lived in were often just like any other home nearby， which is a very odd image to reckon with an author of his capacity living in a suburb model home today and not a whimsical Burrow-esque house。Carpenter also includes an exceptional amount of information correlating periods in Tolkien’s life with what he was writing at the time， as well as a really excellent chapter considering what a day in his life might have been like。 In the end， it does its job well and leaves the reader with what seems to be a much more complete understanding of his life。 。。。more
Fer Tostado
，
JRR Tolkien books became my first approach to reading。 Having read them several times， I found almost mandatory to understand a bit more what was behind the man who imagined the Middle Earth and its stories。 Be aware， Tolkien had quite a regular life with no adventures （reminds me to Bilbo before his adventures）， and as a writer and academic， he enjoyed retrievals and calmness， thus making possible all his creations。
Amanda Hupe
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“he seems to see himself not as an author who has made a slight error that must be now corrected or explained away， but as a historian who must cast light on an obscurity in a historical document…”HUMPHREY CARPENTERJ。R。R。 Tolkien: A Biography by Humphrey Carpenter is an authorized biography。 Carpenter had the opportunity to really get to know Tolkien towards the end of his life。 This book covers the time of his birth on January 3rd， 1892 to his death on September 2nd， 1973。 I think it is impossi “he seems to see himself not as an author who has made a slight error that must be now corrected or explained away， but as a historian who must cast light on an obscurity in a historical document…”HUMPHREY CARPENTERJ。R。R。 Tolkien: A Biography by Humphrey Carpenter is an authorized biography。 Carpenter had the opportunity to really get to know Tolkien towards the end of his life。 This book covers the time of his birth on January 3rd， 1892 to his death on September 2nd， 1973。 I think it is impossible to completely dissect the man who created Middle-Earth。 But as Carpenter makes it abundantly clear， he was so much more than just an author。 His full name is John Ronald Reuel Tolkien， but his family called him Ronald。 As an admirer of his work， I refer to him as “The Professor。” When Tolkien was 4 years old his father died， and when he was 12， his mother died。 He didn’t have a strong connection with his father’s line but was very close to his mother’s side。 It was his mother that converted them to Roman Catholics， which he became a very devout follower。 As a child， his fascination with trees was evident， which we clearly see in his works。 But his fascination with dragons was also evident as he composed his first dragon story at the age of 7。 Many think that Tolkien’s work was inspired by his faith and his time in the war。 While there is a religious morality present in his work and there is no doubt about his feelings of war， they were not the main inspiration。He was a man of language。 His passion started with Old English， Middle English， and eventually Norse language。 Later on， he even became fascinated with the Welsh language and Finnish language。 His love for languages and words inspired him to create his own。 The beginning of the Middle-Earth we know began with Tolkien creating his own language。 The Elvish language， Quenya was influenced by the Finnish language。 The second Elvish language， Sindarin is inspired by the Welsh language。“He did not see himself as an inventor of a story but as a discoverer of legend。”Another huge aspect of his life is Edith Bratt。 In the summer of 1909， they fell in love。 But they were prevented from being together but ended up marrying on March 22nd， 1916。 It is no secret that their love inspired the story of Beren and Luthien。 Those names are on their gravestones。I really recommend reading this biography in order to understand the man behind the legend。 While I love reading about the creation of Middle-Earth mythology， I loved learning about the man behind it。 There is one section where Carpenter talks about how Tolkien talked extremely fast and one had to keep up in conversations with him。 But he is described as having a deep concern for others and would often make friends with taxi drivers， policemen， or anyone he struck up a conversation with… he reminds me of my youngest son， Hunter。I love how this biography discusses Tolkien as a simple man， a hobbit if you will， but also a man with faults。 I felt that it did Tolkien justice。 I rate this book 5 out of 5 stars！ 。。。more
Millie Picker
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If you are a fan of Hobbits， Orcs， and Elves， you should read about the life of the man who lived an ordinary life， but had an imagination and dedication to detail that produced some of the most beloved literature in the last 60 years！ Tolkien’s life story is not what one would expect， but is fascinating and an encouragement to anyone who wants to write to keep plodding along while tending to life as it is。 It was exciting to this reader to see how his characters which eventually became familiar If you are a fan of Hobbits， Orcs， and Elves， you should read about the life of the man who lived an ordinary life， but had an imagination and dedication to detail that produced some of the most beloved literature in the last 60 years！ Tolkien’s life story is not what one would expect， but is fascinating and an encouragement to anyone who wants to write to keep plodding along while tending to life as it is。 It was exciting to this reader to see how his characters which eventually became familiar to anyone who loves this trilogy were tormented like “leaf mound” in the authors mind long before he wrote in earnest。I highly recommend this for anyone who loves to read biographies！ 。。。more
catriona
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Really enjoyed this but wish it had been less brief
Elizabeth
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Thoroughly enjoyed peeking into John Ronald Reuel Tolkien’s simultaneously ordinary and extraordinary life。 He was known as Ronald by his parents/relatives/wife， John Ronald to school friends， Tollers by adult friends， and J。R。R。T。 in his later years。 He was fluent in 35 different languages both ancient and modern — everything from Old Norse to Lithuanian。 He taught himself Finnish for fun。 He created his first constructed language as a teenager and many more throughout his lifetime。 •••••“Philo Thoroughly enjoyed peeking into John Ronald Reuel Tolkien’s simultaneously ordinary and extraordinary life。 He was known as Ronald by his parents/relatives/wife， John Ronald to school friends， Tollers by adult friends， and J。R。R。T。 in his later years。 He was fluent in 35 different languages both ancient and modern — everything from Old Norse to Lithuanian。 He taught himself Finnish for fun。 He created his first constructed language as a teenager and many more throughout his lifetime。 •••••“Philology: the love of words。 That was what motivated him。 It was not an arid interest in the scientific principles of language， it was a deep love for the look and sound of words， springing from the days when his mother had given him his first Latin lessons。 And as a result of this love of words， he had started to invent his own languages。”“During breakfast， Tolkien glances at the newspaper， but only in the most cursory fashion。 He， like his friend C。 S。 Lewis， regards ‘news’ as on the whole trivial and fit to be ignored， and they both argue （to the annoyance of many of their friends） that the only ‘truth’ is to be found in literature。 However， both men enjoy the crossword。”“The tales…cannot be explained as the mere product of literary influences and personal experience。 When Tolkien began to write he drew upon some deeper， richer seam of his imagination than he had yet explored， and it was a seam that would continue to yield for the rest of his life。”“It was one of his strongest held opinions that the investigation of an author‘s life reveals very little of the workings of his mind。”Tolkien describing the creation of The Lord of the Rings: “One writes such a story not out of the leaves of trees still to be observed， nor by means of botany and soil science; but it grows like a seed in the dark out of the leaf-mould of the mind: out of all that has been seen or thought or read， that has long ago been forgotten， descending into the deeps。 No doubt there is much selection， as with a gardener: what one throws on one’s personal compost heap; and my mould is evidently made largely of linguistic matter。”He “believed that the prime function of a linguist is to interpret literature， and that the prime function of literature is to be enjoyed。”“The unpayable debt that I owe to him （C。S。 Lewis） was not “influence” as it is ordinarily understood， but sheer encouragement。 He was for long my only audience。 Only from him did I ever get the idea that my “stuff” could be more than a private hobby。”He modeled Treebeard’s way of speaking， ‘Hrum， Hroom’， on the booming voice of C。S。 Lewis。Tolkien once told an interviewer: “The hobbits are just rustic English people， made small in size because it reflects the generally small reach of their imagination—not the small reachof their courage or latent power。” To put it another way the hobbits represent a combination of small imagination with great courage which （as Tolkien had seen in the trenches during the First World War） often led to survival against all chances。 “I’ve always been impressed that we are here， surviving， because of the indomitable courage of some quite small people against impossible odds。”“The Lord of the Rings had acquired its champions and its enemies， and as W。 A。 Auden wrote: ‘Nobody seems to have a moderate opinion; either， like myself， people find it a masterpiece of its genre， or they cannot abide it。’ And this was how it was to remain for the rest of Tolkien’s life: extreme praise from one faction， total contempt from the other。 On the whole Tolkien himself did not mind this very much; indeed it amused him。 He wrote of it: The Lord of the Rings Is one of those things: If you like you do: If you don’t， then you boo！” 。。。more
Adam Gutschenritter
，
A good biography。 What I think I got out of this the most is how ordinary Tolkien actually was and then also how many people I read about he interacted with on a professional level。 I almost feel my love of vikings and Anglo-Saxon languages missed the "golden age" by missing his life by 11 years。 Similar feeling to learning about Douglas Adams 6 months before he died。 A good biography。 What I think I got out of this the most is how ordinary Tolkien actually was and then also how many people I read about he interacted with on a professional level。 I almost feel my love of vikings and Anglo-Saxon languages missed the "golden age" by missing his life by 11 years。 Similar feeling to learning about Douglas Adams 6 months before he died。 。。。more
Patrick Braue
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a decent and kind biography of one of the best storytellers of our time。 A very mysterious man Tolkein （and the author of this book） leave you wanting to know more。
Anne Chafer
，
I rarely read biographies/memoirs because they’re just not my thing， so I wasn’t sure of what to expect from this one。 I was pleasantly surprised with the writing style， which was much more approachable and plain than I thought it would be （considering that it was written a good while ago！）。 It is also a very sensitive and respectful portrayal， with a good deal of literary flair to fill in bits about Tolkien that we might not have as much proper documentation about。 It never felt sensationalist I rarely read biographies/memoirs because they’re just not my thing， so I wasn’t sure of what to expect from this one。 I was pleasantly surprised with the writing style， which was much more approachable and plain than I thought it would be （considering that it was written a good while ago！）。 It is also a very sensitive and respectful portrayal， with a good deal of literary flair to fill in bits about Tolkien that we might not have as much proper documentation about。 It never felt sensationalist or inaccurate， however （though I can’t comment on accuracy， obviously）！ I really liked Carpenter’s writing and his reverence for Tolkien， which nonetheless never became idolatry or cliché。Really beautiful and sweet， and potentially enjoyable even if you’re not a diehard Tolkien fan。 The passages on WWI and WWII， as well as the chapters on the publishing industry and the academic scene in Tolkien’s time， were all very interesting in their own right。 。。。more
Álvaro
，
Una biografía muy completa y muy detallada que explica los sucesos que influyeron a Tolkien como el sacrificio de su madre， la infancia en el campo， el padre Francis， la religión， las lenguas clásicas y antiguas， los amigos y sus reuniones， la universidad， el romance con Edith。。。Muchísimos sucesos que nos permiten entender su vida， su personalidad， sus pensamientos y sobre todo sus obras conocidas。
Freja
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Åh vad det är underhållande att kika in i huvudet på en författare man beundrat i nästan hela sitt liv。 Är numera flera anekdoter rikare gällande favoriten bland trilogier （som， fun fact， tekniskt sett inte är en trilogi enligt författaren själv）。
Ilze Folkmane
，
I probably wouldn't have gotten along with Tolkien if we would have had the chance to meet， what with him being a conservative devout Catholic who doesn't seem to value women very much。 But I can still appreciate Tolkien's work， obsession with language， and， what's most important， tendency to procrastinate。 It's always lovely to read about a fellow procrastinator （even if one of us ends up finally writing LotR， and the other – cooking dinner instead of ordering in）。 Carpenter paints a vivid pict I probably wouldn't have gotten along with Tolkien if we would have had the chance to meet， what with him being a conservative devout Catholic who doesn't seem to value women very much。 But I can still appreciate Tolkien's work， obsession with language， and， what's most important， tendency to procrastinate。 It's always lovely to read about a fellow procrastinator （even if one of us ends up finally writing LotR， and the other – cooking dinner instead of ordering in）。 Carpenter paints a vivid picture of Tolkien's life， not shying away from the fact that it wasn't particularly overwrought with excitement， and the whole biography is a joy to read。 。。。more
Amaris B
，
I enjoyed this look into Tolkien's world and life。 I read it slowly， picking it up here and there， often after a long day or when I felt overtaken by the weariness of this world， but wasn't quite up for disappearing into another world either。 It is a simple and easy read， and doesn't fuss over details too much or add drama。 Tolkien forever has a special place in my heart， so I always love learning more about him。 I enjoyed this look into Tolkien's world and life。 I read it slowly， picking it up here and there， often after a long day or when I felt overtaken by the weariness of this world， but wasn't quite up for disappearing into another world either。 It is a simple and easy read， and doesn't fuss over details too much or add drama。 Tolkien forever has a special place in my heart， so I always love learning more about him。 。。。more
Mel V
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I love biographies， if they are done well， and this one certainly was！ It read like a novel， rather than like a compendium of dry facts， and I enjoy biographies so much more when they are written this way。 JRR Tolkien was a fascinating man with a brilliant mind and this book about his life and times was a stupendous reflection of that。 I highly recommend this one！
Anubha （BooksFullOfLife， LifeFullOfBooks）
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This book literally inspired me to read more。 It was a great experience to know about Tolkien and his college days。 I could totally see how he got his inspiration。
Stephanie
，
I had been towards the end of my first read-through of the Lord of the Rings trilogy plus The Hobbit， when an acquaintance of mine saw what I was reading and offered me this biography of Tolkien， as he was not going to get around to reading it。 I thought it would be good to get an idea， even after finishing LotR， of the person behind the story， and see if it would shed any light on what I took away from LotR。 Considering how I felt after reading The Hobbit and LotR， I didn’t think I’d read mu I had been towards the end of my first read-through of the Lord of the Rings trilogy plus The Hobbit， when an acquaintance of mine saw what I was reading and offered me this biography of Tolkien， as he was not going to get around to reading it。 I thought it would be good to get an idea， even after finishing LotR， of the person behind the story， and see if it would shed any light on what I took away from LotR。 Considering how I felt after reading The Hobbit and LotR， I didn’t think I’d read much of this biography， maybe skim it， but instead I found myself very engaged – more so than even for LotR/Hobbit！ – in reading about Tolkien’s life。 Mr。 Carpenter did an excellent job giving us an idea of Tolkien’s upbringing and predominant influences， where he put his energies and the how he operated as a professor， husband， philological scholar， literature enthusiast and writer。 As Paul West of The Washington Post is quoted on the cover， Carpenter “has an eye for the magic in what’s pedestrian， and in his charge a ‘quiet life，’ such as Tolkien’s， becomes an in-depth act of relish。” Frequently， even at night when I should be going to bed， I found myself not wanting to put the biography down， so interested in what was going on was I。 A biography doesn’t usually get described as “riveting” but that is how I found this one。 Carpenter lays everything out in sections which not only make sense on their own， but flow nicely from one to the next， and I never found myself trying to rearrange elements to get a straight timeline or anything。 Having had access to all of Tolkien’s papers， not to mention the sheer amount of time he was able to spend notably with Christopher Tolkien and the interviews he did with others close to Tolkien， make for a rich， informative， and trustworthy read。 He avoids analyzing Tolkien’s works as a literary critic， and instead frames everything in the context of how Tolkien viewed his work。 He also delves well， though not too deeply， into Tolkien’s philological pursuits and interests， as those play an integral part in who Tolkien was。 And it was all fascinating to me。 Definitely recommend this biography whether you care for Tolkien’s works or not， as it is just supremely well-written， well-researched， and gives a good 3D picture of the man behind the stories。Favorite excerpts: During his later years [Tolkien] formed friendships with the taxi-drivers whose cars he used to hire， with the policeman who patrolled the streets around his Bournemouth bungalow， and with the college scout and his wife who looked after him at the end of his life。 There was no element of condescension in these friendships; it was simply that he liked company， and these were the people nearest at hand。 Nor was he without consciousness of class: the very opposite was true。 But it was precisely because of his certainty of his own station in life that there was about him nothing of intellectual or social conceit。 His view of the world， in which each man belonged or ought to belong to a specific ‘estate’， whether high or low， meant that in one sense he was an old-fashioned conservative。 But in another sense it made him highly sympathetic to his fellow-men， for it is those who are unsure of their status in the world， who feel they have to prove themselves and if necessary put down other men to do so。 - page 132 （emphasis my own） I can also relate quite closely with this， minus the “later years” bit – I’m not there yet！ At a New Year’s Eve party in the nineteen-thirties [Tolkien] would don an Icelandic sheepskin hearthrug and paint his face white to impersonate a polar bear， or he would dress up as an Anglo-Saxon warrior complete with axe and chase an astonished neighbor down the road。 […] ‘I have，’ he once wrote， ‘a very simple sense of humour， which even my appreciative critics find tiresome。’ – page 134 – I can totally see myself doing something similar。 Wait， I have – the evidence is in my choice of outfits at times for St。 Patrick’s day （even when going to work）， and others。 You call a tree a tree， [Tolkien] said， and you think nothing more of the word。 But it was not a ‘tree’ until someone gave it that name。 You call a star a star， and say it is just a ball of matter moving on a mathematical course。 But that is merely how you see it。 By so naming things and describing them you are only inventing your own terms about them。 And just as speech is invention about objects and ideas， so myth is invention about truth。 We have come from God （continued Tolkien）， and inevitably the myths woven by us， though they contain error， will also reflect a splintered fragment of the true light， the eternal truth that is with God。 Indeed only by myth-making， only by becoming a ‘sub-creator’ and inventing stories， can Man aspire to the state of perfection that he knew before the Fall。 Our myths may be misguided， but they steer however shakily towards the true harbor， while materialistic ‘progress’ leads only to a yawning abyss and the Iron Crown of the power of evil。 – page 151 （drawn from a conversation Tolkien had with C。 S。 Lewis on Catholicism/Christianity/faith） [Tolkien to his son Christopher during WWII] ‘We are attempting to conquer Sauron with the Ring’， and now [at the end of the war] he wrote: ‘The War is not over （and the one that is， or part of it， has largely been lost）。 But it is of course wrong to fall into such a mood， for Wars are always lost， and The War always goes on; and it is no good growing faint。’ – page 203Typo: and translated into Dutch 1971）， Swedish （1972） – page 270: missing opening parenthesis before the Dutch year。 If there were other typos in this book， I think I only noticed one which I did not mark， and I did not read the appendices very closely。 。。。more
Joe Baltimore
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Mr。 Tolkien is perhaps my favorite author of my life。 I discovered his Hobbit when I was 16 years old （almost 38 years ago now） in a second-hand bookstore in my small hometown。 I was drawn in as no other story had before engaged me。 My imagination and desire to know things about the world increase one-hundredfold because of his writings。His life was perhaps mostly ordinary up until he became a world-renowned author。 It was interesting to hear the process that he went through to get the books int Mr。 Tolkien is perhaps my favorite author of my life。 I discovered his Hobbit when I was 16 years old （almost 38 years ago now） in a second-hand bookstore in my small hometown。 I was drawn in as no other story had before engaged me。 My imagination and desire to know things about the world increase one-hundredfold because of his writings。His life was perhaps mostly ordinary up until he became a world-renowned author。 It was interesting to hear the process that he went through to get the books into the world。 I enjoyed hearing about the angst and pressures he felt to make the story a seeming history of the world。An immense effort that should be appreciated by all of us in this "instant gratification" age we all live in now。God Rest Your Soul， Mr。 Tokien。 。。。more
Ailed
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Tolkien disapproved of using writer's biographies as a way to interpret their work。 I coincide， but reading writer's biographies is the closest we can come to understanding the mysterious spark that inspired their amazing worlds and characters。 So， even though right now I'm reading LotR， I promise I only read this biography to try and get a glance behind the "curtains": to get a glimpse at what inspired him and all the work it took him。 Tolkien's life proved to be the opposite of the stereotypic Tolkien disapproved of using writer's biographies as a way to interpret their work。 I coincide， but reading writer's biographies is the closest we can come to understanding the mysterious spark that inspired their amazing worlds and characters。 So， even though right now I'm reading LotR， I promise I only read this biography to try and get a glance behind the "curtains": to get a glimpse at what inspired him and all the work it took him。 Tolkien's life proved to be the opposite of the stereotypical writer we usually have in mind; it was ordinary by most standards。 There were no scandals or controversies。 And still， Carpenter managed to write a gripping biography that made me misty-eyed at times and hold my breath at others。 In my mind， and Carpenter's， too， it's impossible to see Tolkien as just a boring， stuffy academic。 His life was threaded and colored by the same fantastical vividity we find in his work。 He managed to bring magic and mythological beings back to the foreground of the collective consciousness at a time when the world seemed to be losing its romance， and with it， all wonder and hope。 。。。more
Stephen Bedard
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J。R。R。 Tolkien is one of my favourite authors。 This biography is a wonderful account of his life and influence， as well as his joy and pain。 It helps to put Tolkien's writings in context。 I thoroughly enjoyed it。 J。R。R。 Tolkien is one of my favourite authors。 This biography is a wonderful account of his life and influence， as well as his joy and pain。 It helps to put Tolkien's writings in context。 I thoroughly enjoyed it。 。。。more
Freddie
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