When Sir Stanley Unwin, founder of the Allen & Unwin publishing firm, requested that J.R.R. Tolkien write a sequel to the hit children’s book “The Hobbit,” the world did not know what it was in for. After waiting almost 20 years, Unwin received a massive tome containing invented languages and explanatory appendices—clearly not what he had asked for.
Unwin only published “The Lord of the Rings” because Tolkien agreed to renounce royalties in favor of a profit-sharing agreement: Tolkien would get nothing until Unwin recovered his costs.
After 70 years and 150 million copies, Unwin’s reluctant determination has spawned an industry. With six movies, an Amazon series, video games, and countless other merchandise, it shows no signs of abating. Arguably, in terms of his influence on popular culture, Tolkien’s only rivals are George Lucas, Stan Lee, and J.K. Rowling.
Posthumous Writings on Middle-earth
Many authors have written works that were only published after their deaths. Virgil, Emily Dickinson, and Franz Kafka are three names that come to mind. In sheer prolific output, though, Tolkien almost certainly occupies the number one place in this field.
Next, Christopher edited “The History of Middle-earth,” a 12-volume collection that delves even deeper into this world. For a hefty price, it is now available in a three-volume slipcase edition. Reader beware: it comprises a staggering 5,500 pages.
Tolkien the Poet
In addition to these and other works on Middle-earth, some of Tolkien’s further posthumous publications include children’s books, academic collections, and books of poetry.
The forge was smoking in the forest-darkness; there wrought Regin by the red embers. There was Sigurd sent, seed of Volsung, lore deep to learn; long his fostering.
The story that follows, about the hero Sigurd slaying the dragon Fafnir for his gold, will sound familiar to audiences of “The Hobbit,” where Bilbo Baggins finds himself in a similar situation.The “Fall of Arthur” is about the titular hero’s final military campaign. Tolkien wrote this one in the style of Old English verse (also known as Anglo-Saxon). Those who have read “Beowulf” may be familiar with its standard features. Like Old Norse, Old English poetry employs alliteration instead of rhyme. But in addition, there is a “caesura,” or pause, in the middle of the line. As a sample, here are the opening lines from “The Fall of Arthur”:
Arthur eastward in arms purposed His war to wage on the wild marches, Over seas sailing to Saxon lands, From the Roman realm ruin defending.
Greatest Author of the 20th Century?
When T.A. Shippey wrote his influential study of literary criticism, “J.R.R. Tolkien: Author of the Century,” he observed that the hostile “professionals of taste” had hitherto given Tolkien little critical attention and played no role in his establishment as a classic author.
Joyce, the darling of the avant-garde, was also an important innovator and wordsmith like Tolkien. As his writing career progressed, however, Joyce’s work, like so many modernists, became increasingly unreadable. Tolkien moved in the opposite direction, from obscure scholarship to mass-market success.
The professional literary industry that once centered around Joyce has now largely shifted to the formerly snubbed Tolkien. 2023 has been another triumphant year for the popular author. A new book about his life by Holly Ordway, “Tolkien’s Faith: A Spiritual Biography,” explores the central impact of the author’s Christian beliefs on his writings. A “Revised and Expanded” edition of Tolkien’s “Letters,” containing 150 previously unpublished ones, appears this month. A new edition of the alliterative verse-play, “The Homecoming of Beorhtnoth,” further solidifies Tolkien’s status as the preeminent archaic poet of the technocratic age.
If this combination of popular and scholarly enthusiasm constitutes the most objective barometer of greatness, then J.R.R. Tolkien is indeed the “author of the century,” but of our century rather than his own.
